²¹ Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary^(A)—the stronghold in which you take pride,^(B) the delight of your eyes,^(C) the object of your affection. The sons and daughters^(D) you left behind will fall by the sword.^(E)

The Valley of Slaughter

³⁰ “‘The people of Judah have done evil^(A) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols^(B) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled^(C) it.

⁷ Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain.^(A) Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city.

¹⁵ He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.”

¹⁶ He then brought me into the inner court^(A) of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar,^(B) were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun^(C) in the east.^(D)

⁷ Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. ⁸ He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.

⁹ And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” ¹⁰ So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls^(A) all kinds of crawling things and unclean^(B) animals and all the idols of Israel.^(C)

³ ‘Who of you is left who saw this house^(A) in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?^(B)