Ezekiel 8:3–16

³He stretched out what seemed to be a hand and seized me by the hair. Then in this vision God’s spirit lifted me high in the air and took me to Jerusalem. He took me to the inner entrance of the north gate of the Temple, where there was an idol that was an outrage to God.

^4*There I saw the dazzling light that shows the presence of Israel’s God, just as I had seen it when I was by the River Chebar. ⁵God said to me, “Mortal man, look towards the north.” I looked, and there near the altar by the entrance of the gateway I saw the idol that was an outrage to God.

⁶God said to me, “Mortal man, do you see what is happening? Look at the disgusting things the people of Israel are doing here, driving me farther and farther away from my holy place. You will see even more disgraceful things than this.”

⁷He took me to the entrance of the outer courtyard and showed me a hole in the wall. ⁸He said, “Mortal man, break through the wall here.” I broke through it and found a door. ⁹He said to me, “Go in and look at the evil, disgusting things they are doing there.” ¹⁰So I went in and looked. The walls were covered with drawings of snakes and other unclean animals,^o and of the other things which the Israelites were worshipping. ¹¹Seventy Israelite leaders were there, including Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each one was holding an incense burner, and smoke was rising from the incense. ¹²God asked me, “Mortal man, do you see what the Israelite leaders are doing in secret? They are all worshipping in a room full of images. Their excuse is: ‘The Lord doesn’t see us! He has abandoned the country.’ ”

¹³Then the Lord said to me, “You are going to see them do even more disgusting things than that.” ¹⁴So he took me to the north gate of the Temple and showed me women weeping over the death of the god Tammuz.^p

¹⁵He asked, “Mortal man, do you see that? You will see even more disgusting things.” ¹⁶So he took me to the inner courtyard of the Temple. There near the entrance of the sanctuary, between the altar and the passage, were about twenty-five men. They had turned their backs to the sanctuary and were bowing low towards the east, worshipping the rising sun.