Ezekiel 8
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Visionary Journey to Jerusalem
8 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting in front of me,(A) and there the hand of the Lord God came down on me.(B) 2 I looked, and there was someone who looked like a man.[a] From what seemed to be his waist down was fire, and from his waist up was something that looked bright,(C) like the gleam of amber.(D) 3 He stretched out what appeared to be a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God(E) to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner gate that faces north, where the offensive statue that provokes jealousy(F) was located. 4 I saw the glory of the God of Israel(G) there, like the vision I had seen in the plain.(H)
Pagan Practices in the Temple
5 The Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, look towards the north.’ I looked to the north, and there was this offensive statue north of the Altar Gate, at the entrance. 6 He said to me, ‘Son of man, do you see what they are doing here – more detestable acts that the house of Israel is committing(I) – so that I must depart from my sanctuary? You will see even more detestable acts.’
7 Then he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked there was a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, ‘Son of man, dig through the wall.’ So I dug through the wall and discovered a doorway. 9 He said to me, ‘Go in and see the detestable, wicked acts they are committing here.’
10 I went in and looked, and there engraved all round the wall was every kind of abhorrent thing – crawling creatures and beasts – as well as all the idols of the house of Israel.(J) 11 Seventy elders from the house of Israel were standing before them, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan(K) standing among them. Each had a firepan in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising up. 12 He said to me, ‘Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his idol? For they are saying, “The Lord does not see us. The Lord has abandoned the land.” ’(L) 13 Again he said to me, ‘You will see even more detestable acts that they are committing.’
14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the Lord’s house, and I saw women sitting there weeping for Tammuz. 15 And he said to me, ‘Do you see this, son of man? You will see even more detestable acts than these.’
16 So he brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house, and there were about twenty-five men at the entrance of the Lord’s temple, between the portico and the altar,(M) with their backs to the Lord’s temple and their faces turned to the east.(N) They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.(O) 17 And he said to me, ‘Do you see this, son of man? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit the detestable acts they are doing here, that they must also fill the land with violence(P) and repeatedly anger me,(Q) even putting the branch to their nose?[b] 18 Therefore I will respond with wrath.(R) I will not show pity or spare them.(S) Though they call loudly in my hearing,(T) I will not listen to them.’
Ezekiel 8
Good News Translation
EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)
Idolatry in Jerusalem
8 On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of our exile, the leaders of the exiles from Judah were sitting in my house with me. Suddenly the power of the Sovereign Lord came on me. 2 (A)I looked up and saw a vision of a fiery human form. From the waist down his body looked like fire, and from the waist up he was shining like polished bronze. 3 He reached out what seemed to be a hand and grabbed me by the hair. Then in this vision God's spirit lifted me high in the air and took me to Jerusalem. He took me to the inner entrance of the north gate of the Temple, where there was an idol that was an outrage to God.
4 (B)There I saw the dazzling light that shows the presence of Israel's God, just as I had seen it when I was by the Chebar River. 5 God said to me, “Mortal man, look toward the north.” I looked, and there near the altar by the entrance of the gateway I saw the idol that was an outrage to God.
6 God said to me, “Mortal man, do you see what is happening? Look at the disgusting things the people of Israel are doing here, driving me farther and farther away from my holy place. You will see even more disgraceful things than this.”
7 He took me to the entrance of the outer courtyard and showed me a hole in the wall. 8 He said, “Mortal man, break through the wall here.” I broke through it and found a door. 9 He told me, “Go in and look at the evil, disgusting things they are doing there.” 10 So I went in and looked. The walls were covered with drawings of snakes and other unclean animals,[a] and of the other things which the Israelites were worshiping. 11 Seventy Israelite leaders were there, including Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each one was holding an incense burner, and smoke was rising from the incense. 12 God asked me, “Mortal man, do you see what the Israelite leaders are doing in secret? They are all worshiping in a room full of images. Their excuse is: ‘The Lord doesn't see us! He has abandoned the country.’”
13 Then the Lord said to me, “You are going to see them do even more disgusting things than that.” 14 So he took me to the north gate of the Temple and showed me women weeping over the death of the god Tammuz.[b]
15 He asked, “Mortal man, do you see that? You will see even more disgusting things.” 16 So he took me to the inner courtyard of the Temple. There near the entrance of the sanctuary, between the altar and the porch, were about twenty-five men. They had turned their backs to the sanctuary and were bowing low toward the east, worshiping the rising sun.
17 The Lord said to me, “Mortal man, do you see that? These people of Judah are not satisfied with merely doing all the disgusting things you have seen here and with spreading violence throughout the country. No, they must come and do them right here in the Temple and make me even more angry. Look how they insult me in the most offensive way possible![c] 18 They will feel all the force of my anger. I will not spare them or show them any mercy. They will shout prayers to me as loud as they can, but I will not listen to them.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 8:10 The Law of Moses prohibited the eating of certain animals as being ritually unclean (see 4.13; Lv 11).
- Ezekiel 8:14 A god who was thought to die when vegetation died and to come to life the next year. Women would mourn his ritual death.
- Ezekiel 8:17 A reference to a pagan rite of putting a branch to the nose.
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Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
