Vision of Abominations in Jerusalem

Now it came about in the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord [a]God fell upon me there. Then I looked, and behold, something like the appearance of [b]a man; from His waist and downward there was the (A)appearance of fire, and from His waist and upward like the appearance of a glow, like (B)gleaming [c]metal. And He extended the form of a hand and took me by the hair of my head; and the (C)Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the [d]north gate of the inner courtyard, where the seat of the idol of jealousy, which (D)provokes to jealousy, was located. And behold, the (E)glory of the God of Israel was there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain.

Then He said to me, “Son of man, (F)raise your eyes now toward the north.” So I raised my eyes toward the north, and behold, to the north of the altar gate was this (G)idol of jealousy at the entrance. And He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great (H)abominations which the house of Israel are committing here, so that I would be far from My sanctuary? But yet you will see still greater abominations!”

Then He brought me to the entrance of the courtyard, and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. And He said to me, “Son of man, now (I)dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall, and behold, an entrance. Then He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked abominations that they are committing here.” 10 So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of crawling things and animals and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. 11 And standing in front of them were (J)seventy (K)elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, each man with his (L)censer in his hand; and the fragrance of the cloud of incense was rising. 12 Then He said to me, “Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the rooms of his carved images? For they say, ‘(M)The Lord does not see us; the Lord has (N)abandoned the land.’” 13 And He said to me, “Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing!”

14 Then He brought me to the entrance of the (O)gate of the Lords house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for [e]Tammuz. 15 And He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these!”

16 Then He brought me into the inner courtyard of the Lords house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their (P)backs to the temple of the Lord while their faces were toward the east; and (Q)they were [f]prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun. 17 And He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it a trivial thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they have committed here, that they have (R)filled the land with violence and (S)provoked Me to anger repeatedly? Yet behold, they are [g]putting the twig to their nose! 18 Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare; and (T)though they cry out in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 8:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  2. Ezekiel 8:2 As in LXX; MT fire
  3. Ezekiel 8:2 Heb uncertain; Gr indicates a gold and silver alloy
  4. Ezekiel 8:3 Lit facing north
  5. Ezekiel 8:14 I.e., a Babylonian god
  6. Ezekiel 8:16 I.e., worshiping
  7. Ezekiel 8:17 Possibly an obscene gesture toward God

The Vision of Slaughter

Then He cried out in my [a]presence with a loud (A)voice, saying, “Come forward, you [b]executioners of the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand.” And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with his smashing weapon in his hand; and among them was (B)one man clothed in linen with a scribe’s kit at his waist. And they came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

Then the (C)glory of the God of Israel ascended from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the [c]temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose waist was the scribe’s kit. And the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and make a (D)mark on the foreheads of the people who (E)groan and sigh over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” But to the others He said in my [d]presence, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. [e]Utterly (F)kill old men, young men, female virgins, little children, and women, but do not (G)touch any person on whom is the mark; and you shall (H)start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the [f]elders who were before the [g]temple. He also said to them, “(I)Defile the [h]temple and fill the courtyards with the dead. Go out!” So they went out and struck and killed the people in the city. And as they were striking the people and I alone was left, I (J)fell on my face and cried out, [i]saying, “(K)Oh, Lord [j]God! Are You going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel [k]by pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?”

Then He said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is (L)filled with blood, and the city is (M)full of perversion; for (N)they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land, and the Lord does not see!’ 10 But as for Me, (O)My eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but (P)I will bring their conduct upon their heads.”

11 Then behold, the man clothed in linen, at whose waist was the scribe’s kit, [l]reported, saying, “I have done just as You have commanded me.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 9:1 Lit ears
  2. Ezekiel 9:1 Lit punishers
  3. Ezekiel 9:3 Lit house
  4. Ezekiel 9:5 Lit ears
  5. Ezekiel 9:6 Lit To destruction
  6. Ezekiel 9:6 Or old men
  7. Ezekiel 9:6 Lit house
  8. Ezekiel 9:7 Lit house
  9. Ezekiel 9:8 Lit and said
  10. Ezekiel 9:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  11. Ezekiel 9:8 Lit by Your pouring
  12. Ezekiel 9:11 Lit brought back word

Jerusalem to Be Attacked

12 The pronouncement of the word of the Lord concerning Israel:

The Lord who (A)stretches out the heavens, (B)lays the foundation of the earth, and (C)forms the spirit of a person within him, declares: “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a (D)cup [a]that causes staggering to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against (E)Judah. It will come about on that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy (F)stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will (G)injure themselves severely. And all the (H)nations of the earth will be gathered against it. On that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with insanity. But I will [b]watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. Then the [c]clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a [d]strong support for us through the Lord of armies, their God.’

“On that day I will make the [e]clans of Judah like a (I)firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while [f]the (J)inhabitants of Jerusalem again live on their own sites in Jerusalem. The Lord also will (K)save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of (L)David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be greater than Judah. On that day the Lord will (M)protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who [g](N)is feeble among them on that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like (O)God, like the (P)angel of the Lord before them. And on that day I will (Q)seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10 “And I will (R)pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem [h]the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they (S)pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one (T)mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 On that day the (U)mourning in Jerusalem will be great, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the [i]plain of [j]Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that are left, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

False Prophets Ashamed

13 “On that day a (V)fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for (W)sin and for (X)defilement.

“And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord of armies, “that I will (Y)eliminate the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the (Z)prophets and the (AA)unclean spirit from the land. And if anyone still (AB)prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ‘You shall (AC)not live, because you have spoken (AD)falsely in the name of the Lord’; and his (AE)father and mother who gave birth to him shall pierce him through when he prophesies. Also it will come about on that day that the prophets will each be (AF)ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a (AG)hairy robe in order to deceive; but he will say, ‘I am (AH)not a prophet; I am a cultivator of the ground, because a man [k]sold me as a slave in my youth.’ And someone will say to him, ‘What are these wounds (AI)between your [l]arms?’ Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded at the house of [m]my friends.’

“Awake, (AJ)sword, against My (AK)Shepherd,
And against the Man, My (AL)Associate,”
Declares the Lord of armies.
(AM)Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered;
And I will (AN)turn My hand [n]against the little ones.
And it will come about in all the land,”
Declares the Lord,
“That (AO)two parts in it will be cut off and perish;
But the third will be left in it.
And I will bring the third part through the (AP)fire,
Refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will (AQ)call on My name,
And I will (AR)answer them;
I will say, ‘They are (AS)My people,’
And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

God Will Battle Jerusalem’s Enemies

14 Behold, a (AT)day is coming for the Lord when (AU)the spoils taken from you will be divided among you. For I will (AV)gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be taken, the (AW)houses plundered, the women raped, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be eliminated from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and (AX)fight against those nations, as [o]when He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet will (AY)stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be (AZ)split [p]in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half toward the south. And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled from the (BA)earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. (BB)Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with [q]Him!

On that day there will be (BC)no light; the [r]luminaries will die out. For it will be (BD)a unique day which is (BE)known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at the (BF)time of evening there will be light.

And on that day (BG)living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.

God Will Be King over All

And the Lord will be (BH)King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be the only (BI)one, and His name the only one.

10 All the land will change into a plain from (BJ)Geba to (BK)Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but [s]Jerusalem will (BL)rise and (BM)remain on its site from (BN)Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the (BO)Corner Gate, and from the (BP)Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11 People will live in it, and there will (BQ)no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will (BR)live in security.

12 Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will (BS)rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. 13 And it will come about on that day that a great panic from the Lord will [t]fall on them; and they will (BT)seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will [u]be raised against the hand of another. 14 (BU)Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the (BV)wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. 15 And just like this (BW)plague, there will be a plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey, and all the cattle that will be in those camps.

16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will (BX)go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of armies, and to celebrate the (BY)Feast of Booths. 17 And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the (BZ)King, the Lord of armies, there will be (CA)no rain on them. 18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the (CB)plague with which the Lord strikes the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the [v]punishment of Egypt, and the [w]punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

20 On that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “(CC)Holy to the Lord.” And the (CD)cooking pots in the Lords house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be (CE)holy to the Lord of armies; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a [x](CF)Canaanite in the house of the Lord of armies on that day.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 12:2 Lit of reeling
  2. Zechariah 12:4 Lit open My eyes
  3. Zechariah 12:5 Or chiefs
  4. Zechariah 12:5 Lit strength for me
  5. Zechariah 12:6 Or chiefs
  6. Zechariah 12:6 Lit Jerusalem...is again inhabited on its
  7. Zechariah 12:8 Lit stumbles
  8. Zechariah 12:10 Or a spirit
  9. Zechariah 12:11 I.e., broad valley
  10. Zechariah 12:11 Heb Megiddon
  11. Zechariah 13:5 Lit caused another to buy me
  12. Zechariah 13:6 Lit hands
  13. Zechariah 13:6 Lit those who love me
  14. Zechariah 13:7 Or upon
  15. Zechariah 14:3 Lit a day of His fighting
  16. Zechariah 14:4 Lit from
  17. Zechariah 14:5 As in many mss and ancient versions; MT You
  18. Zechariah 14:6 Lit glorious ones will congeal
  19. Zechariah 14:10 Lit it
  20. Zechariah 14:13 Lit be among
  21. Zechariah 14:13 Lit rise
  22. Zechariah 14:19 Lit sin
  23. Zechariah 14:19 Lit sin
  24. Zechariah 14:21 Or merchant

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