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Ezechiel Chapter 8


The prophet sees in a  vision  the  abominations
committed in Jerusalem; which determine the Lord
to spare them no longer.

8:1. And it came to pass in the sixth  year,  in
the  sixth month, in the fifth day of the month,
as I sat in my house, and the ancients  of  Juda
sat  before  me,  that  the hand of the Lord God
fell there upon me.

8:2. And I saw, and behold  a  likeness  as  the
appearance  of  fire: from the appearance of his
loins, and downward, fire: and from  his  loins,
and  upward, as the appearance of brightness, as
the appearance of amber.

8:3. And the likeness of a hand  was  put  forth
and took me by a lock of my head: and the spirit
lifted me up between the earth and  the  heaven,
and  brought  me  in  the  vision  of  God  into
Jerusalem, near  the  inner  gate,  that  looked
toward  the  north,  where  was  set the idol of
jealousy to provoke to jealousy.

8:4. And behold the glory of the God  of  Israel
was  there,  according to the vision which I had
seen in the plain.

8:5. And he said to me: Son of man, lift up  thy
eyes  towards the way of the north, and I lifted
up my eyes towards the way  of  the  north:  and
behold  on  the  north  side  of the gate of the
altar the idol of jealousy in the very entry.

8:6. And he said to me: Son of  man,  dost  thou
see,  thinkest  thou,  what these are doing, the
great abominations  that  the  house  of  Israel
committeth  here,  that  I should depart far off
from my sanctuary? and turn thee yet  again  and
thou shalt see greater abominations.

8:7.  And  he  brought  me in to the door of the
court: and I saw, and behold a hole in the wall.

8:8. And he said to me: Son of man, dig  in  the
wall,  and when I had digged in the wall, behold
a door.

8:9. And he said to  me:  Go  in,  and  see  the
wicked abominations which they commit here.

8:10.  And  I  went in and saw, and behold every
form  of  creeping   things,   and   of   living
creatures,  the  abominations, and all the idols
of the house of Israel, were painted on the wall
all round about.

8:11.  And  seventy  men  of the ancients of the
house of Israel, and Jezonias the son of Saaphan
stood  in  the  midst of them, that stood before
the pictures: and every one had a censer in  his
hand:  and  a  cloud  of  smoke went up from the
incense.

8:12. And he said to me: Surely  thou  seest,  O
son  of  man,  what the ancients of the house of
Israel do in the dark, every one in  private  in
his  chamber:  for  they  say: The Lord seeth us
not, the Lord hath forsaken the earth.

8:13. And he said  to  me:  If  thou  turn  thee
again, thou shalt see greater abominations which
these commit.

8:14. And he brought me in by the  door  of  the
gate  of  the  Lord's house, which looked to the
north: and behold women sat there  mourning  for
Adonis.

Adonis.  .  .The  favourite of Venus, slain by a
wild boar, as feigned by the heathen poets,  and
which  being  here  represented  by  an idol, is
lamented  by  the  female  worshippers  of  that
goddess. In the Hebrew, the name is Tammuz.

8:15.  And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen,
O son of man: but turn thee  again,  thou  shalt
see greater abominations than these.


8:16.  And he brought me into the inner court of
the house of the Lord: and behold at the door of
the  temple  of  the Lord, between the porch and
the altar, were about five and twenty men having
their  backs  towards the temple of the Lord, in
their faces to the east: and they adored towards
the rising of the sun.

8:17.  And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen,
O son of man: is this a light thing to the house
of   Juda,   that   they   should  commit  these
abominations which  they  have  committed  here:
because they have filled the land with iniquity,
and have turned to  provoke  me  to  anger?  and
behold they put a branch to their nose.  

8:18. Therefore I also will deal with them in my
wrath: my eye shall not spare them, neither will
I shew mercy: and when they shall cry to my ears
with a loud voice, I will not hear them.