¹² Then he said to me, “Mortal, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of images? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’ ”

⁹ He said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city full of perversity, for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.’^(A)

¹⁵ Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O mortal? You will see still greater abominations than these.”

¹² For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly,

¹⁹ And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.^{(A) 20} For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.^(B)

Israel’s Continuing Rebellion

20 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain elders of Israel came to consult the Lord and sat down before me.^(A)

God’s Judgments Justified

14 Certain elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me.^(A)

¹⁷ Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O mortal? Is it not bad enough that the house of Judah commits the abominations done here? Must they fill the land with violence and provoke my anger still further? See, they are putting the branch to their nose!^(A)