1 On the fifth day of the sixth month in the sixth year, I was sitting in my home. Judah's older men were sitting in front of me. The power of the Lord Jehovah came over me.

2 As I looked, I saw something that looked like a human. From the waist down its body looked like fire, and from the waist up its body looked like bright glowing metal.

3 It stretched out what looked like a hand and grabbed me by the hair on my head. In these visions from God, the Spirit carried me between heaven and earth. He took me in vision to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the idol of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy, was located.

4 There I saw the glory of Israel's God as I did in the vision that I saw in the valley.

5 God said to me: »Son of man, look toward the north.« So I looked toward the north. There in the entrance to the north gate beside the altar, I saw the idol that provokes jealousy and stirs up God's anger.

6 He asked me: »Son of man, do you see what the people of Israel are doing? The people of Israel are doing very disgusting things here, things that will force me to go far away from my holy place. But you will see even more disgusting things.«

7 Then he took me to the entrance of the courtyard. As I looked, I saw a hole in the wall.

8 He said to me: »Son of man, dig through the wall. So I dug through the wall, and I saw a door.«

9 He said: »Go in and see the wicked abominations abhorrences that they are committing here.«

10 So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things. There were all the idols of the house of Israel. They were carved on the wall all around.

11 Standing in front of them were seventy elders of the house of Israel. Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan stood among them. Each man had his censer in his hand and the fragrance of the cloud of incense was rising.

12 Then he said: »Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say: ‘Jehovah does not see us! Jehovah has forsaken the land!’«

13 He said: »Yet you will see still greater abominations that they are committing.«

14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the gate of Jehovah’s house toward the north; and I saw women sitting there weeping for Tammuz the god.

15 He said to me: »Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these.«

16 So he took me to the inner courtyard of the Temple. There near the entrance of the sanctuary, between the altar and the porch, were about twenty-five men. They turned their backs to the sanctuary and were bowing low toward the east, worshiping the rising sun.

17 Jehovah said to me: »Mortal man, do you see that? These people of Judah are not satisfied with merely doing all the disgusting things you have seen here and with spreading violence throughout the country. No, they must come and do them right here in the Temple and make me even angrier. Look how they insult me in the most offensive way possible by thrusting the shoot to my nose! an obsene reference or jesture to Jehovah

18 »They will feel all the force of my anger. I will not spare them or show them any mercy my eye will not feel sorry. They will shout prayers to me as loud as they can. But I will not listen to them«