The Lantern

Ezekiel8

The Vision of Idolatry in the Temple

And it happened in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.

Then I saw, and look, a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the color of amber.

And he put forth 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 heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looks toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.

And the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

Then he said to me, Son of man, lift up your eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up my eyes the way toward the north, and look northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

He said furthermore to me, Son of man, do you see what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, so that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn yet again, and you shall see greater abominations.

And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, look, a hole in the wall.

Then he said to me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had dug in the wall, look, a door.

And he said to me, Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here.

So I went in and saw; and look, every form of creeping creatures, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall around.

And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

Then he said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the rooms of his imagery? for they say, The LORD sees us not; the LORD has forsaken the earth.

He said also to me, Turn yet again, and you shall see greater abominations that they do.

Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’s house toward the north; and there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Then he said to me, Have you seen this, O son of man? turn yet again, and you shall see greater abominations than these.

And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house, and indeed, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the portico and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

Then he said to me, Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, look, they put the branch to their nose.

Therefore will I also deal in fury: my eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.