1. It was the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month of our captivity. I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah before me. There I felt the power of the Lord God.
2. I looked and saw something that looked like a man. From his waist down he looked like fire. From his waist up he looked like bright glowing metal.
3. He stretched out the shape of a hand. And he caught me by the hair on my head. The Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the sky. He took me in the visions of God to Jerusalem. He took me to the entrance to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the Temple. The courtyard was where the idol was that caused God to be jealous.
4. The glory of the God of Israel was there. It was like what I had seen on the plain.
5. Then God said to me, “Human being, now look toward the north.” So I looked up toward the north. I saw an altar to the north of the gate. The idol that caused God to be jealous was in the entrance.
6. The Lord said to me, “Human being, do you see what they are doing? Do you see how many hated things the people of Israel are doing here? This will drive me far away from my Temple. But you will see things more hated than these.”
7. Then the Lord brought me to the entry of the courtyard. When I looked, I saw a hole in the wall.
8. The Lord said to me, “Human being, dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall and saw an entrance.
9. Then the Lord said to me, “Go in and see the terrible, evil things they are doing here.”