 1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, and the hand of the Lord God fell on me there. 2 Then I saw a likeness like the appearance of fire from His waist+ and downward and from His waist+ upward like the appearance of brightness the color of amber. 3 He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head. And the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heavens, and took me in a vision of God to Jerusalem, to the opening of the inner gate facing north, where there was a seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. 4 And, behold. The glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. 5 He said to me, Son of man, lift up your eyes now to the way of the north. So I lifted up my eyes the way toward the north, and behold, northward at the gate of the altar the image of jealousy was at the entrance. 6 He said to me, Son of man, do you see what they do. Even the great abominations that the house of Israel is doing here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? But turn again, and you shall see greater abominations. 7 He brought me to the opening of the court. And I looked, and behold, a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, Son of man, dig in the wall now. And I dug in the wall, and, behold, an opening. 9 He said to me. Go in and see the evil abominations that they do here. 10 I went in and saw. And behold, every kind of creeping thing, and hateful beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. 11 Seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, standing among them, these were before them, and each man with his censor in his hand. And the odor of the cloud of incense was rising. 12 He said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, each man in his image room? For they are saying, The Lord does not see us. The Lord has forsaken the earth. 13 He also said to me, You turn again, and you shall see greater evils that they are doing. 14 He brought me to the opening of the gate of the Lord's house, toward the north. And behold, women were sitting there, weeping for Tammuz. 15 He said to me, Have you seen, O son of man? Turn yet again, and you shall see greater evils than these. 16 He brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house and behold, at the opening of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about 25 men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east and bowed eastward to the sun. 17 He said to me, Have you seen, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they do the hateful things that they do here? For they have filled the land with violence and have turned to provoke me to anger. They put the branch to their nose. 18 I will deal with fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity. Though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.
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