Old/New Testament

Abomination in the Temple

8 In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house. The elders of Judah were sitting before me. There the hand of Adonai fell on me. ² I looked, and behold, a form resembling fire—from the appearance of his waist downward, fire; and from his loins and waist upward, something like the appearance of brightness, as glowing metal. ³ Something like the form of a hand stretched out, and took me by the hair of my head. The Ruach lifted me up between the earth and the heaven. He brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner court facing north—where the idol that provokes furious jealousy was.

⁴ Behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley. ⁵ He said to me: “Son of man, lift your eyes toward the north.” So I lifted up my eyes toward the north. Behold, north of the gate of the altar, was this image provoking jealousy in the entrance.

⁶ He said to me: “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel is committing here, that drives me far off from My own Sanctuary? But you will see even greater abominations.”

⁷ He brought me to the door of the court. When I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. ⁸ Then He said to me, “Son of man, now dig through the wall.” When I had dug through the wall, there was a door. ⁹ He said to me: “Go and see the wicked abominations that they do here.” ¹⁰ So I went in and saw, behold, every detestable image of creeping things and beasts and all the idols of the house of Israel, engraved on the surrounding walls. ¹¹ Standing there before them were 70 men of the elders of the house of Israel, Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing in their midst, each man with his censer in his hand. A thick cloud of incense went up.

¹² Then He said to me: “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chamber of his carved idol? For they say, ‘Adonai does not see us. Adonai has forsaken the land.’”

¹³ He said further to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they are doing.” ¹⁴ He brought me to the door of the gate of Adonai’s House, which was toward the north. Behold, the women sat there weeping for Tammuz. ¹⁵ He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? You will again see even greater abominations than these.”

¹⁶ So He brought me into the inner court of Adonai’s House. Behold, at the door of the Temple of Adonai, between the porch and the altar, were about 25 men, with their backs toward the Temple of Adonai and their faces toward the east—and they were bowing in worship eastward toward the sun.

¹⁷ He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it too light a thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations they practice here, that they must also fill the land with violence and provoke Me still more? Look, they are putting the twig to My nose! ¹⁸ Therefore I will indeed act in fury. My eye will not spare you nor will I have pity. Though they cry into My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

Wrath Upon Jerusalem

9 Then He called into my ears in a loud voice saying: “Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand.” ² Behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, facing north, each with his war club in his hand. One man among them, clothed in linen, had a scribe’s writing case at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

³ Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cheruv, where it had been, to the threshold of the House. He called to the man clothed in linen, who had the scribe’s inkhorn at his side. ⁴ Adonai said to him, “Go throughout the city, through the midst of Jerusalem. Make a mark on the foreheads of the people^[a] who sigh and moan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” ⁵ To the others He said in my hearing: “Go through the city after him and strike. Show no pity or compassion; ⁶ kill off old men, young men and girls, little children and women. But touch no one who has the mark. Begin at My Sanctuary.” Then they began with the elders who were before the House.

⁷ He said to them, “Defile the House and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” So they went out and began to kill in the city.

⁸ While they were out killing, and I was left alone, I fell on my face and cried out saying, “Alas, Adonai Elohim! Are you going to destroy all the remnant of Israel by pouring out Your wrath upon Jerusalem?”

⁹ He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great; the land is full of blood and the city is full of corruption. For they say, ‘Adonai has forsaken the land, Adonai does not see!’ ¹⁰ As for Me, my eye will not show pity nor will I spare. I will bring their conduct upon their head.”

¹¹ Behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported saying, “I have done just as You have commanded me.”

The Glory Arises

10 Then I looked, and behold, above the expanse over the heads of the cheruvim, there appeared above them something like a sapphire stone, resembling a throne. ² He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Go in between the whirling wheels underneath the cheruvim. Fill your hands with glowing coals from between the cheruvim and scatter them over the city.” So he went in before my eyes.

³ Now the cheruvim stood on the right side of the House when the man went in. The cloud filled the inner court. ⁴ Then the glory of Adonai rose up from above the cheruv to the threshold of the House. The House was filled with the cloud and the court was full of the brilliance of Adonai’s glory. ⁵ The sound of the wings of the cheruvim was heard as far as the outer court, as the voice of El Shaddai when He speaks.

⁶ After He commanded the man clothed in linen saying: “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cheruvim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. ⁷ The cheruv reached out his hand from between the cheruvim into the fire that was between the cheruvim and took some of it. He put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. ⁸ The cheruvim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings.

⁹ Then I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cheruvim, one wheel beside one cheruv, and another wheel beside another cheruv. The appearance of the wheels was like the sparkling of a beryl stone. ¹⁰ As for their appearance, the four had one form—like a wheel within a wheel. ¹¹ When they went, they would go in any of their four directions, without pivoting as they went. So to whatever place the head faced, they followed, without turning as they went. ¹² Their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings, and their wheels, the wheels of the four of them, were full of eyes all around. ^{[b] 13} As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the whirling wheels.” ¹⁴ Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cheruv, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion and the fourth the face of an eagle.^[c]

¹⁵ The cheruvim arose—these were the living creatures that I saw by the river Chebar. ¹⁶ As the cheruvim went, the wheels would go beside them. When the cheruvim lifted up their wings to rise from the earth, the wheels would not turn from beside them. ¹⁷ When they stood still, these stood still. When they rose up, these rose up with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

¹⁸ Then the glory of Adonai went forth from above the threshold of the House and stood above the cheruvim. ¹⁹ The cheruvim lifted up their wings and arose from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels went with them. They stood still at the door of the east gate of Adonai’s House. The glory of the God of Israel was over them from above. ²⁰ They were the living creatures that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar. I knew that they were cheruvim. ²¹ Each of them had four faces and each one four wings. The appearance of human hands was under their wings. ²² As for the appearance of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I saw by the river Chebar. Each could move in the direction of any of its faces.

Brotherly Love in the Community

13 Let brotherly love continue. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers—for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it. ³ Remember the prisoners as if you were fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you also were suffering bodily. ⁴ Let marriage be held in honor among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. ⁵ Keep your lifestyle free from the love of money, and be content with what you have. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” ^{[a] 6} so that with confidence we say,

⁷ Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. ⁸ Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ⁹ Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace—not by foods that have not benefited those occupied by them. ¹⁰ We have an altar from which those serving in the tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ For the bodies of those animals—whose blood is brought into the Holies by the kohen gadol as an offering for sin—are burned outside the camp. ^{[c] 12} Therefore, to make the people holy through His own blood, Yeshua also suffered outside the gate. ¹³ So let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace. ¹⁴ For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come. ¹⁵ Through Yeshua then, let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips giving thanks to His name. ¹⁶ Do not neglect doing good and sharing,^[d] for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as ones who must give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no benefit to you.

¹⁸ Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. ¹⁹ I especially urge you to do this, so that I may be restored to you sooner.

Closing Blessing

²⁰ Now may the God of shalom, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of an everlasting covenant,^[e] our Lord Yeshua, ²¹ make you complete in every good thing to do His will, accomplishing in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Messiah Yeshua. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

²² But I urge you, brothers and sisters, listen patiently to this word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you in few words. ²³ Know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon, I will visit you with him.

²⁴ Greet all your leaders and all the kedoshim—those from Italy greet you.

²⁵ Grace be with you all.