The Vision of Idolatry in the Temple

1And it was in the sixt yere, in the sixt moneth in the fift day of the moneth, I sate in my house, and the elders of Iuda sate before me, and the hande of the Lorde God fell there vpon me. 2Then I behelde, and lo, there was a likenesse as the appearaunce of fire: from the appearaunce of his loynes downewarde, fire: and from his loynes vpwarde as the appearaunce of brightnesse, lyke the colour of amber. 3And he stretched out the likenesse of an hande, and toke me by an heery locke of my head, and the spirite lift me vp betwixt earth and heauen, and brought me in a diuine vision to Hierusalem, into the entry of the inner gate that lyeth towarde the north, where remayned the image of emulation and of gayne. 4And beholde, the glorie of the Lorde God of Israel was in the same place, euen as I had seene it afore in the fielde.

5And he sayde vnto me, Thou sonne of man, lift vp thine eyes nowe towarde the north: then lift I vp mine eyes towarde the north, and beholde northwarde, at the gate of the aulter this image of emulation was in the entry. 6And he sayde furthermore vnto me, Thou sonne of man, seest thou what these do? seest thou the great abhominations that the house of Israel commit in this place, to driue me from my sanctuarie? but turne thee about, and thou shalt see yet greater abhominations.

7And with that brought he me to the court gate, and when I loked, beholde there was a hole in the wall. 8Then sayde he vnto me, Thou sonne of man, digge nowe in the wall: and when I digged in the wall, beholde there was a doore. 9And he sayde vnto me, Go thy way in, and loke what wicked abhominations they do here. 10So I went in and sawe, and beholde there were al maner of creeping beastes, and abhominable beastes, and all the idols of the house of Israel paynted vpon the wall rounde about. 11There stoode also before the images threescore and ten men of the auncientes of the house of Israel, and in the middest of the stoode Iaazaniah the sonne of Shaphan, with euery man his censor in his hande, and the smoke of the insence ascended as a cloude. 12Then sayde he vnto me, Thou sonne of man, hast thou seene what the auncientes of the house of Israel do secretly, euery one in the chaumber of his imagerie? for they say, The Lorde seeth vs not, the Lorde hath forsaken the earth. 13And he sayde vnto me, Turne thee yet agayne, and thou shalt see greater abhominations that they do.

14And with that he brought me to the doore of the gate of the Lordes house towarde the north, and beholde there sate wome mourning for Thammuz. 15Then sayd he vnto me, Hast thou seene this thou sonne of man? turne thee yet about, and thou shalt see greater abhominations then these are.

16And so he brought me into the inward court of the Lordes house, and beholde at the doore of the Lordes house, betwixt the porche and the aulter, there were about twentie and fiue men that turned their backes vpon the temple of the Lorde, and their faces towarde the east, and these worshipped the sunne eastwarde. 17And he sayde vnto me, Hast thou seene this thou sonne of man? Thinketh the house of Iuda that it is but a trifle to do these abhominations which they do here? for they haue fylled the lande full of wickednesse, and haue returned to prouoke me to anger, and lo they are puttyng the braunches to their noses. 18Therfore wyll I also do somethyng in my wrathful displeasure, so that mine eye shall not spare them, neither wyll I haue pitie: yea and though they crye in mine eares with a loude voyce, yet wyll I not heare them.