Jerusalem’s Guilt and Punishment

8 1n the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of Jehovah fell upon me. 2 Then I beheld and there was a form like that of a man; from that which appeared to be his loins downward, fire; and from his loins upward, like something shining, as the gleam of glowing metal. 3 And he stretched forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair: and the spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the entrance of the northern gateway of the inner court, where stood the image of jealousy, which provokes his jealousy. 4 And there was the glory of the God of Israel, like that which I saw in the plain.

5 Then said he to me, O man, lift up thine eyes toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes toward the north, and there at the north of the gate of the altar was that image which provokes jealousy. 6 And he said to me, O man, seest thou what they’ are doing? The great abominations which they are doing here, so that I must go far off from my sanctuary? Yet thou shall see still greater abominations.

7 And he brought me to the door of the court; and I saw, and there was a hole in the wall. Then he said to me, O man, dig now in the wall; and when I had digged into the wall, there was a door. 8 { } 9 And he said to me, Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they are practicing here. 10 So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of reptile, and all the idols of the house of Israel were portrayed on the wall round about. 11 And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel with Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, were standing before them, each with his censer in his hand ; and the odor of the cloud of incense was ascending. 12 Then said he to me, Son of man, dost thou see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in secret, each in his chamber? for they think, ’Jehovah doth not see us; Jehovah hath forsaken the land.’ 13 He also said to me, Thou shalt see still greater abominations which they do.

14 Then he brought me to the door of the north gate of Jebovah’s house; and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then said he to me, Seest thou, O man? Thou shalt again see yet greater abominations than these.

16 And he brought me into the inner court of Jehovah’s house; and behold, at the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and with their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun, in the east. 17 Then he said to me, Seest thou, O man? Is it too slight a thing for the house of Judah to practice the abominations which they commit here? but they must fill the land with violence and turn again to provoke me to anger? and now they are sending a stench to my nostrils. 18 Therefore will I also act in wrath; I will show no compassion, neither will I have pity.’

9 Then be cried loudly in my ears, saying, Draw near, ye who have charge over the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand. 2 Thereupon, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, that faces northward, each with his weapon of slaughter in his hand; and in the midst of them a man clothed in linen, with a writer’s inkhorn at his side. And they went in, and stood before the bronze altar.

3 Now the Glorv of the God of Israel had ascended from the cherubim on which it rested, to the threshold of the temple, and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side, 4 and said to him, Go through the city and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men, who sigh and lament over the abominations that are done in its midst.

5 And to the others he said in my hearing, Go through the city after him, and smite; show no compassion neither have pity; 6 slay utterly old men, young men, and virgins, little children and women; but touch no man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began with the elders who were in front of the temple. 7 And he said to them, Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain, go forth and slay in the city. 8 And while they were smiting, I fell upon my face and cried out, Ah, Jehovah! wilt thou destroy all that remains of Israel when thou pourest out thy wrath upon Jerusalem?

9 Then he said to me, The iniquity of the house of Israel is exceedingly great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice, for they think that Jehovah hath forsaken the land so that Jehovah doth not see. 10 And as for me also, I will show no compassion, neither will I have pity, but I will bring the consequences of their acts upon their own head. 11 And behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

10 { } 2 Then he said to the man clothed in linen, Go in between the whirling wheels, which are under the cherubim, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city. And in my sight he went in. 3 Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 And the glory of Jehovah ascended from the cherubim to the threshold of the temple; and the temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the glory of Jehovah. 5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when he speaketh. And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim, he went in and stood beside a wheel. 6 { } 7 And he stretched forth his hand to the fire that was between the cherubim and took some and went out.

8 And there appeared on the cherubim the form of a man’s hand under their wings. 9 And I looked, and behold, four wheels beside each cherubim; and the appearance of the wheels was like that of a topaz. 10 And as for their appearance, the four had the same form, as if a wheel had been within a wheel. When they went, they went in whatever direction the four sides faced; they turned not as they went, but to the flace whither the head looked, they followed it, not turning as they went. 12 And the felloes and spokes of the four wheels were full of eyes round about. 13 As for the wheels, in my hearing they were called, the whirling wheels. 14 { } 15 And the cherubim mounted up; these are the living creatures that I saw by the River Chebar. 16 And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim spread their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not leave their side. 17 When they stood still, these stood still; and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

18 And the Glory of Jehovah went forth from over the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight as when they went forth, the wheels being beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of Jehovah’s house; and over them was the Glory of the God of Israel. 20 These are^ living creatures that I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar; and I knew they were cherubim. 21 Each one had four faces and four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. 22 And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces which I saw by the River Chebar - and as for them, they went every one straight forward.

11 Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me to the east gate of the house of Jehovah; and there, 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. 2 And he said to me, O man, these are the men who nre devising iniquity, and counselling evil in this eity, who are saying, ’Have not the houses recently been rebuilt? this city is the caldron, and we are the flesh.’ 3 { } 4 Therefore prophesy ngainst them; prophesy, O man.

5 And the spirit of Jehovah fell upon me, and he said to me, Say, Thus saith Jehovah: ’So ye say, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. 6 Ye have multiplied your slnin in this city, and ye have filled its streets with the slain. 7 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: "Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron; but you will I bring out of the midst of it. 8 Ye fear the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you," saith Jehovah. 9 "And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments upon you. 10 Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you on the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. 11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in its midst; I will judge you in the border of Israel; 12 and ye shall know that I am Jehovah, for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither have ye executed my decisions, but have acted according to the decisions of the nations that are round about you."’