17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

6 And he said to me, “Son of man, ^vdo you see what they are doing, ^wthe great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, ^xto drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”

7 And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. 8 Then he said to me, “Son of man, ^ydig in the wall.” So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. 9 And he said to me, “Go in, and see ^zthe vile abominations that they are committing here.” 10 So I went in and saw. And there, ^aengraved on the wall all around, was ^bevery form of ^ccreeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. 11 And before them stood ^dseventy men of ^ethe elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of ^fShaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and ^gthe smoke of the cloud of incense went up. 12 Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing ^hin the dark, each ⁱin his room of pictures? For they say, ^j‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’” 13 He said also to me, ^k“You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”

14 Then he brought me to ^lthe entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O ^tson of man? ^kYou will see still greater abominations than these.”

16 And he brought me into ^mthe inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, ⁿbetween the ^oporch and ^pthe altar, were about twenty-five men, ^qwith their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping ^rthe sun toward the east. 17 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O ^sson of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit ^tthe abominations that they commit here, that ^uthey should fill the land with violence and ^vprovoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their¹ nose. 18 Therefore ^wI will act in wrath. ^xMy eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. ^yAnd though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.”