Abominations in the Temple

And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with (A)the elders of Judah sitting before me, that (B)the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. (C)Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire—from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, (D)like the color of amber. He (E)stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and (F)the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and (G)brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, (H)where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which (I)provokes[a] to jealousy. And behold, the (J)glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I (K)saw in the plain.

Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance.

Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great (L)abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.” So He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, there was a hole in the wall. Then He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall”; and when I dug into the wall, there was a door.

And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.” 10 So I went in and saw, and there—every (M)sort of (N)creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, [b]portrayed all around on the walls. 11 And there stood before them (O)seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, (P)‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’ ”

13 And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” 14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for [c]Tammuz.

15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” 16 So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, (Q)between the porch and the altar, (R)were about twenty-five men (S)with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping (T)the sun toward the east.

17 And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have (U)filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose. 18 (V)Therefore I also will act in fury. My (W)eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they (X)cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

The Wicked Are Slain

Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a [d]deadly weapon in his hand.” And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his [e]battle-ax in his hand. (Y)One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn [f]at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

Now (Z)the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the [g]temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put (AA)a mark on the foreheads of the men (AB)who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

To the others He said in my [h]hearing, “Go after him through the city and (AC)kill;[i] (AD)do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. (AE)Utterly[j] slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but (AF)do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and (AG)begin at My sanctuary.” (AH)So they began with the elders who were before the [k]temple. Then He said to them, “Defile the [l]temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.

So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I (AI)fell on my face and cried out, and said, (AJ)“Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?”

Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and (AK)the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, (AL)‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and (AM)the Lord does not see!’ 10 And as for Me also, My (AN)eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but (AO)I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”

11 Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.”

The Glory Departs from the Temple

10 And I looked, and there in the (AP)firmament[m] that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. (AQ)Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, “Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with (AR)coals of fire from among the cherubim, and (AS)scatter them over the city.” And he went in as I watched.

Now the cherubim were standing on the [n]south side of the [o]temple when the man went in, and the (AT)cloud filled the inner court. (AU)Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the [p]temple; and (AV)the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s (AW)glory. And the (AX)sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like (AY)the voice of Almighty God when He speaks.

Then it happened, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim,” that he went in and stood beside the wheels. And the cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed with linen, who took it and went out. (AZ)The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

(BA)And when I looked, there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub; the wheels appeared to have the color of a (BB)beryl stone. 10 As for their appearance, all four looked alike—as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 11 (BC)When they went, they went toward any of their four directions; they did not turn aside when they went, but followed in the direction the head was facing. They did not turn aside when they went. 12 And their whole body, with their back, their hands, their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were (BD)full of eyes all around. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my [q]hearing, “Wheel.”

14 (BE)Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15 And the cherubim were lifted up. This was (BF)the living creature I saw by the River Chebar. 16 (BG)When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also did not turn from beside them. 17 (BH)When [r]the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when [s]one was lifted up, [t]the other lifted itself up, for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

18 Then (BI)the glory of the Lord (BJ)departed from the threshold of the [u]temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 And (BK)the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the (BL)east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

20 (BM)This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel (BN)by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim. 21 (BO)Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. 22 And (BP)the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I had seen by the River Chebar, their appearance and their persons. (BQ)They each went straight forward.

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

11 Then (BR)the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to (BS)the East Gate of the Lord’s house, which faces eastward; and there (BT)at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked [v]counsel in this city, who say, ‘The time is not (BU)near to build houses; (BV)this city is the [w]caldron, and we are the meat.’ Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!”

Then (BW)the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord: “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for (BX)I know the things that come into your mind. (BY)You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.” Therefore thus says the Lord God: (BZ)“Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; (CA)but I shall bring you out of the midst of it. You have (CB)feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord God. “And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and (CC)execute judgments on you. 10 (CD)You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at (CE)the border of Israel. (CF)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. 11 (CG)This city shall not be your [x]caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel. 12 And you shall know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but (CH)have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.” ’ ”

13 Now it happened, while I was prophesying, that (CI)Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then (CJ)I fell on my face and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?”

God Will Restore Israel

14 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get far away from the Lord; this land has been given to us as a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, (CK)yet I shall be a little [y]sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ’ 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: (CL)“I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’ 18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its (CM)detestable things and all its abominations from there. 19 Then (CN)I will give them one heart, and I will put (CO)a new spirit within [z]them, and take (CP)the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 (CQ)that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; (CR)and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, (CS)I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

22 So the cherubim (CT)lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. 23 And (CU)the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood (CV)on the mountain, (CW)which is on the east side of the city.

24 Then (CX)the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into [aa]Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25 So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the Lord had shown me.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 8:3 Arouses the Lord’s jealousy
  2. Ezekiel 8:10 Or carved
  3. Ezekiel 8:14 A Sumerian fertility god similar to the Gr. god Adonis
  4. Ezekiel 9:1 Or destroying
  5. Ezekiel 9:2 Lit. shattering weapon
  6. Ezekiel 9:2 Lit. upon his loins
  7. Ezekiel 9:3 Lit. house
  8. Ezekiel 9:5 Lit. ears
  9. Ezekiel 9:5 Lit. strike
  10. Ezekiel 9:6 Lit. Slay to destruction
  11. Ezekiel 9:6 Lit. house
  12. Ezekiel 9:7 Lit. house
  13. Ezekiel 10:1 expanse
  14. Ezekiel 10:3 Lit. right
  15. Ezekiel 10:3 Lit. house
  16. Ezekiel 10:4 Lit. house
  17. Ezekiel 10:13 Lit. ears
  18. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. they
  19. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. they were
  20. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. they lifted them
  21. Ezekiel 10:18 Lit. house
  22. Ezekiel 11:2 Advice
  23. Ezekiel 11:3 Pot
  24. Ezekiel 11:11 Pot
  25. Ezekiel 11:16 holy place
  26. Ezekiel 11:19 Lit. you (pl.)
  27. Ezekiel 11:24 Or Babylon, and so elsewhere in the book

Abominations in the Temple

(A)In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, (B)as I sat in my house, with (C)the elders of Judah sitting before me, (D)the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. Then I looked, and behold, (E)a form that had the appearance of a man.[a] (F)Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like (G)gleaming metal.[b] He (H)put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up (I)between earth and heaven and (J)brought me in (K)visions of God to Jerusalem, (L)to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, (M)where was the seat of the (N)image of jealousy, (O)which provokes to jealousy. And behold, (P)the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw (Q)in the valley.

Then he said to me, (R)“Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of (S)the altar gate, in the entrance, was this (T)image of jealousy. And he said to me, “Son of man, (U)do you see what they are doing, (V)the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, (W)to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”

And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. Then he said to me, “Son of man, (X)dig in the wall.” So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. And he said to me, “Go in, and see (Y)the vile abominations that they are committing here.” 10 So I went in and saw. And there, (Z)engraved on the wall all around, was (AA)every form of (AB)creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. 11 And before them stood (AC)seventy men of (AD)the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of (AE)Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and (AF)the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. 12 Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing (AG)in the dark, each (AH)in his room of pictures? For they say, (AI)‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’” 13 He said also to me, (AJ)“You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”

14 Then he brought me to (AK)the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O (AL)son of man? (AM)You will see still greater abominations than these.”

16 And he brought me into (AN)the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, (AO)between the (AP)porch and (AQ)the altar, were about twenty-five men, (AR)with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping (AS)the sun toward the east. 17 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O (AT)son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit (AU)the abominations that they commit here, that (AV)they should fill the land with violence and (AW)provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their[c] nose. 18 Therefore (AX)I will act in wrath. (AY)My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. (AZ)And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

Idolaters Killed

Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, “Bring near the executioners of the city, (BA)each with his destroying weapon in his hand.” And behold, six men came from the direction of (BB)the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was (BC)a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside (BD)the bronze altar.

Now (BE)the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to (BF)the threshold of the house. And he called to (BG)the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and (BH)put a mark on the foreheads of the men who (BI)sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” And to (BJ)the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. (BK)Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. (BL)Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but (BM)touch no one on whom is the mark. And (BN)begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. Then he said to them, (BO)“Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. And while they were striking, and I was left alone, (BP)I fell upon my face, and cried, (BQ)“Ah, Lord God! (BR)Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel (BS)in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

Then he said to me, (BT)“The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. (BU)The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For (BV)they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.’ 10 As for me, (BW)my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; (BX)I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

11 And behold, (BY)the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.”

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

10 Then I looked, and behold, (BZ)on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something (CA)like a sapphire,[d] in appearance like a throne. And he said to (CB)the man clothed in linen, “Go in among (CC)the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with (CD)burning coals from between the cherubim, and (CE)scatter them over the city.”

And he went in (CF)before my eyes. Now the cherubim were standing (CG)on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and (CH)a cloud filled (CI)the inner court. And (CJ)the glory of the Lord (CK)went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house (CL)was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with (CM)the brightness of the glory of the Lord. And (CN)the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, (CO)like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

And when he commanded (CP)the man clothed in linen, (CQ)“Take fire from between (CR)the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. And a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. The cherubim appeared to have (CS)the form of a human hand under their wings.

(CT)And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and (CU)the appearance of the wheels was (CV)like sparkling (CW)beryl. 10 And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel. 11 (CX)When they went, they went in any of their four directions[e] (CY)without turning as they went, (CZ)but in whatever direction the front wheel[f] faced, the others followed without turning as they went. 12 (DA)And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings,[g] and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing (DB)“the whirling wheels.” 14 (DC)And every one had four faces: (DD)the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was (DE)a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 (DF)And the cherubim mounted up. These were (DG)the living creatures that I saw by (DH)the Chebar canal. 16 (DI)And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. And (DJ)when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them. 17 (DK)When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living creatures[h] was in them.

18 (DL)Then (DM)the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. 19 (DN)And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth (DO)before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the (DP)east gate of the house of the Lord, and (DQ)the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

20 (DR)These were the living creatures that I saw (DS)underneath the God of Israel by (DT)the Chebar canal; and I knew that they were cherubim. 21 (DU)Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings (DV)the likeness of human hands. 22 (DW)And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. (DX)Each one of them went straight forward.

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

11 (DY)The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to (DZ)the east gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were (EA)twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah (EB)the son of Azzur, and (EC)Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. And he said to me, (ED)“Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city; (EE)who say, (EF)‘The time is not near[i] to build houses. (EG)This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’ Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man.”

And (EH)the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord: So you think, O house of Israel. (EI)For I know the things that come into your mind. (EJ)You have multiplied your slain in this city and have filled its streets with the slain. Therefore thus says the Lord God: (EK)Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, (EL)they are the meat, and (EM)this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it. (EN)You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord God. And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and (EO)give you into the hands of foreigners, and (EP)execute judgments upon you. 10 (EQ)You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel, (ER)and you shall know that I am the Lord. 11 (ES)This city shall not be your cauldron, nor shall you be the meat in the midst of it. I will judge you at the border of Israel, 12 and you shall know that I am the Lord. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, (ET)but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you.”

13 And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, (EU)that (EV)Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. (EW)Then I fell down on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, (EX)“Ah, Lord God! (EY)Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?”

Israel's New Heart and Spirit

14 And the word of the Lord came to me: 15 (EZ)“Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen,[j] the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, (FA)‘Go far from the Lord; to us this land is given for a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet (FB)I have been a sanctuary to them for a while[k] in the countries where they have gone.’ 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: (FC)I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, (FD)and I will give you the land of Israel.’ 18 And when they come there, (FE)they will remove from it all its (FF)detestable things and all its abominations. 19 (FG)And I will give them one heart, and (FH)a new spirit I will put within them. (FI)I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh (FJ)and give them a heart of flesh, 20 (FK)that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. (FL)And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 (FM)But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, (FN)I will[l] bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.”

22 (FO)Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, (FP)and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. 23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and (FQ)stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city. 24 (FR)And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me (FS)in the vision by the Spirit of God (FT)into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25 And I told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 8:2 By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew of fire
  2. Ezekiel 8:2 Or amber
  3. Ezekiel 8:17 Or my
  4. Ezekiel 10:1 Or lapis lazuli
  5. Ezekiel 10:11 Hebrew to their four sides
  6. Ezekiel 10:11 Hebrew the head
  7. Ezekiel 10:12 Or their whole body, their backs, their hands, and their wings
  8. Ezekiel 10:17 Or spirit of life
  9. Ezekiel 11:3 Or Is not the time near… ?
  10. Ezekiel 11:15 Hebrew the men of your redemption
  11. Ezekiel 11:16 Or in small measure
  12. Ezekiel 11:21 Hebrew To the heart of their detestable things and their abominations their heart goes; I will