8In the sixth year, in the sixth month and the fifth day, while I was sitting at home meeting with the leaders of Judah, it happened that the hand of my Master, GOD, gripped me.H8345H8141H8345H2568H2320H3427H1004H2205H3063H3427H6440H3027H136H3069H53072When I looked, I was astonished. What I saw looked like a man—from the waist down like fire and from the waist up like highly burnished bronze.H7200H1823H4758H784H4758H4975H4295H784H4975H4605H4758H2096H5869H28303He reached out what looked like a hand and grabbed me by the hair. The Spirit swept me high in the air and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the Temple's inside court where the image of the sex goddess that makes God so angry had been set up.H7971H8403H3027H3947H6734H7218H7307H5375H776H8064H935H4759H430H3389H6607H6442H8179H6437H6828H4186H5566H7068H70694Right before me was the Glory of the God of Israel, exactly like the vision I had seen out on the plain.H3519H430H3478H4758H7200H12375He said to me, "Son of man, look north." I looked north and saw it: Just north of the entrance loomed the altar of the sex goddess, Asherah, that makes God so angry.H559H1121H120H5375H5869H1870H6828H5375H5869H1870H6828H6828H8179H4196H5566H7068H8726Then he said, "Son of man, do you see what they're doing? Outrageous obscenities! And doing them right here! It's enough to drive me right out of my own Temple. But you're going to see worse yet."H559H1121H120H7200H6213H1419H8441H1004H3478H6213H7368H4720H7725H7200H1419H84417He brought me to the door of the Temple court. I looked and saw a gaping hole in the wall.H935H6607H2691H7200H259H2356H70238He said, "Son of man, dig through the wall." I dug through the wall and came upon a door.H559H1121H120H2864H7023H2864H7023H259H66079He said, "Now walk through the door and take a look at the obscenities they're engaging in."H559H935H7200H7451H8441H621310I entered and looked. I couldn't believe my eyes: Painted all over the walls were pictures of reptiles and animals and monsters—the whole pantheon of Egyptian gods and goddesses—being worshiped by Israel.H935H7200H8403H7431H8263H929H1544H1004H3478H2707H7023H543911In the middle of the room were seventy of the leaders of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing in the middle. Each held his censer with the incense rising in a fragrant cloud.H5975H6440H7657H376H2205H1004H3478H8432H5975H2970H1121H8227H376H4730H3027H6282H6051H7004H592712He said, "Son of man, do you see what the elders are doing here in the dark, each one before his favorite god-picture? They tell themselves, 'GOD doesn't see us. GOD has forsaken the country.'"H559H1121H120H7200H2205H1004H3478H6213H2822H376H2315H4906H559H3068H7200H3068H5800H77613Then he said, "You're going to see worse yet."H559H7725H7200H1419H8441H621314He took me to the entrance at the north gate of the Temple of GOD. I saw women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz, the Babylonian fertility god.H935H6607H8179H3068H1004H6828H3427H802H1058H854215He said, "Have you gotten an eyeful, son of man? You're going to see worse yet."H559H7200H1121H120H7725H7200H1419H844116Finally, he took me to the inside court of the Temple of GOD. There between the porch and the altar were about twenty-five men. Their backs were to GOD's Temple. They were facing east, bowing in worship to the sun.H935H6442H2691H3068H1004H6607H1964H3068H197H4196H2568H6242H376H268H1964H3068H6440H6924H7812H8121H692417He said, "Have you seen enough, son of man? Isn't it bad enough that Judah engages in these outrageous obscenities? They fill the country with violence and now provoke me even further with their obscene gestures.H559H7200H1121H120H7043H1004H3063H6213H8441H6213H4390H776H2555H7725H3707H7971H2156H63918That's it. They have an angry God on their hands! From now on, no mercy. They can shout all they want, but I'm not listening."H6213H2534H5869H2347H2550H7121H241H1419H6963H8085