Ezekiel

In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting at home, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, and there the hand of the Sovereign GOD fell upon me.

As I looked, there was a figure that had the appearance of fire:afire Septuagint “a man.” from what appeared as the loins down, [there was] fire; and from the loins up, the appearance was resplendent and had the color of amber.

The form of a hand stretched out, and took me by the hair of my head. A spirit lifted me up between heaven and earth and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the PenimithbPenimith Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Gate that faces north; that was the site of the infuriating image that provokes fury.

And the Presence of the God of Israel appeared there, like the vision that I had seen in the valley.cthe vision that I had seen in the valley See chap. 1 and 3.22–23.

And I was told, “O mortal, turn your eyes northward.” I turned my eyes northward, and there, north of the gate of the altar, wasdnorth of the gate of the altar, was Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “north of the gate was the altar of.” that infuriating image on the approach.eapproach Meaning of Heb. uncertain.

And [God] said to me, “Mortal, do you see what they are doing, the terrible abominations that the House of Israel is practicing here, to drive Me farfto drive Me far Or “at a distance.” from My Sanctuary? You shall yet see even greater abominations!”

Then [God] brought me to the entrance of the court;gthe court I.e., the outer court of the temple. and I looked, and there was a hole in the wall.

I was told, “Mortal, break through the wall”; so I broke through the wall and found an entrance.

And I was told, “Enter and see the vile abominations that they are practicing here.”

I entered and looked, and there all detestable forms of creeping things and beasts and all the fetishes of the House of Israel were depicted over the entire wall.

Before them stood seventy of the elders of the House of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing in their midst. Everyone had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense smoke ascended.

Again [God] spoke to me, “O mortal, have you seen what the elders of the House of Israel are doing in the darkness, everyone in his image-covered chamber? For they say, ‘GOD does not see us; GOD has abandoned the country.’”

And [God]said to me, “You shall see even more terrible abominations that they practice.”

Next [God] brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the House of GOD;hgate of the House of GOD I.e., the gate of the inner court. and there sat the women bewailing Tammuz.iTammuz A Babylonian god.

I was told, “Have you seen, O mortal? You shall see even more terrible abominations than these.”

Then [God] brought me into the inner court of the House of GOD, and there, at the entrance to the Temple of GOD, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men, their backs to the Temple of GOD and their faces to the east; they were bowing low to the sun in the east.

And I was told, “Do you see, O mortal? Is it not enough for the House of Judah to practice the abominations that they have committed here, that they must fill the country with lawlessness and provoke Me still further and thrust the branch to their nostrils?jthrust the branch to their nostrils Apparently meaning “goad Me to fury”; “their” is a euphemism for “My.”

I in turn will act with fury, I will show no pity or compassion; though they cry aloud to Me, I will not listen to them.”