Idolatry in the Temple

8 In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders^(A) of Judah were sitting before^(B) me, the hand of the Sovereign Lord came on me there.^{(C) 2} I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man.^[a] From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal.^{(D) 3} He stretched out what looked like a hand^(E) and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up^(F) between earth and heaven and in visions^(G) of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court,^(H) where the idol that provokes to jealousy^(I) stood. ⁴ And there before me was the glory^(J) of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.^(K)

⁵ Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol^(L) of jealousy.

⁶ And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable^(M) things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary?^(N) But you will see things that are even more detestable.”

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^(O) all kinds of crawling things and unclean^(P) animals and all the idols of Israel.^{(Q) 11} In front of them stood seventy elders^(R) of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer^(S) in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense^(T) was rising.^(U)

¹² He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness,^(V) each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see^(W) us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’” ¹³ Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable.”

¹⁴ Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz.^{(X) 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^(Y) of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar,^(Z) 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^(AA) in the east.^(AB)

¹⁷ He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things^(AC) they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence^(AD) and continually arouse my anger?^(AE) Look at them putting the branch to their nose! ¹⁸ Therefore I will deal with them in anger;^(AF) I will not look on them with pity^(AG) or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen^(AH) to them.”

Judgment on the Idolaters

9 Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” ² And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen^(A) who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

³ Now the glory^(B) of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim,^(C) where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side ⁴ and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem^(D) and put a mark^(E) on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament^(F) over all the detestable things that are done in it.^(G)”

⁵ As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity^(H) or compassion.^{(I) 6} Slaughter^(J) the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children,^(K) but do not touch anyone who has the mark.^(L) Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men^(M) who were in front of the temple.^(N)

⁷ Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain.^(O) Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. ⁸ While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown,^(P) crying out, “Alas, Sovereign Lord!^(Q) Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath^(R) on Jerusalem?^(S)”

⁹ He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice.^(T) They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’^{(U) 10} So I will not look on them with pity^(V) or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.^(W)”

¹¹ Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed

12 A prophecy:^(A) The word of the Lord concerning Israel.

The Lord, who stretches out the heavens,^(B) who lays the foundation of the earth,^(C) and who forms the human spirit within a person,^(D) declares: ² “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup^(E) that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.^(F) Judah^(G) will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. ³ On that day, when all the nations^(H) of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock^(I) for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure^(J) themselves. ⁴ On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.^{(K) 5} Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong,^(L) because the Lord Almighty is their God.’

⁶ “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot^(M) in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume^(N) all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact^(O) in her place.

⁷ “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.^{(P) 8} On that day the Lord will shield^(Q) those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest^(R) among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God,^(S) like the angel of the Lord going before^(T) them. ⁹ On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations^(U) that attack Jerusalem.^(V)

Mourning for the One They Pierced

¹⁰ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit^[a](W) of grace and supplication.^(X) They will look on^[b] me, the one they have pierced,^(Y) and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child,^(Z) and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.^{(AA) 11} On that day the weeping^(AB) in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.^{(AC) 12} The land will mourn,^(AD) each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, ¹³ the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, ¹⁴ and all the rest of the clans and their wives.^(AE)

Cleansing From Sin

13 “On that day a fountain^(AF) will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse^(AG) them from sin and impurity.

² “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols^(AH) from the land, and they will be remembered no more,”^(AI) declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets^(AJ) and the spirit of impurity from the land. ³ And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies^(AK) in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.^(AL)

⁴ “On that day every prophet will be ashamed^(AM) of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment^(AN) of hair^(AO) in order to deceive.^{(AP) 5} Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.^[c]’^{(AQ) 6} If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body^[d]?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’

The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

The Lord Comes and Reigns

14 A day of the Lord^(BD) is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions^(BE) will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

² I will gather all the nations^(BF) to Jerusalem to fight against it;^(BG) the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped.^(BH) Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.^{(BI) 3} Then the Lord will go out and fight^(BJ) against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.^{(BK) 4} On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,^(BL) east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split^(BM) in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. ⁵ You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake^[e](BN) in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come,^(BO) and all the holy ones with him.^(BP)

⁶ On that day there will be neither sunlight^(BQ) nor cold, frosty darkness. ⁷ It will be a unique^(BR) day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night.^(BS) When evening comes, there will be light.^(BT)

⁸ On that day living water^(BU) will flow^(BV) out from Jerusalem, half of it east^(BW) to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.^(BX)

⁹ The Lord will be king^(BY) over the whole earth.^(BZ) On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.^(CA)

¹⁰ The whole land, from Geba^(CB) to Rimmon,^(CC) south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up^(CD) high from the Benjamin Gate^(CE) to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate,^(CF) and from the Tower of Hananel^(CG) to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place.^{(CH) 11} It will be inhabited;^(CI) never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.^(CJ)

¹² This is the plague with which the Lord will strike^(CK) all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.^{(CL) 13} On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic.^(CM) They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another.^{(CN) 14} Judah^(CO) too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected^(CP)—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. ¹⁵ A similar plague^(CQ) will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

¹⁶ Then the survivors^(CR) from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship^(CS) the King,^(CT) the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.^{(CU) 17} If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship^(CV) the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.^{(CW) 18} If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord^[f] will bring on them the plague^(CX) he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.^{(CY) 19} This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.^(CZ)

²⁰ On that day holy to the Lord^(DA) will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots^(DB) in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls^(DC) in front of the altar. ²¹ Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy^(DD) to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day^(DE) there will no longer be a Canaanite^[g](DF) in the house^(DG) of the Lord Almighty.^(DH)