And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the ancients of Juda sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.

Et factum est in anno sexto, in sexto mense, in quinta mensis, ego sedebam in domo mea, et senes Juda sedebant coram me, et cecidit ibi super me manus Domini Dei.

The sixth year of King Sedecias came; and on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Juda for my company, the power of the Lord God came over me there.

And I saw, and behold a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins, and downward, fire: and from his loins, and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the appearance of amber.

Et vidi: et ecce similitudo quasi aspectus ignis: ab aspectu lumborum ejus et deorsum, ignis: et a lumbis ejus et sursum, quasi aspectus splendoris, ut visio electri.

I had a vision; a figure was there before me all aglow, fire beneath where his loins shewed, and from the loins upwards, brightness made visible, like amber to see.

And the likeness of a hand was put forth and took me by a lock of my head: and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the vision of God into Jerusalem, near the inner gate, that looked toward the north, where was set the idol of jealousy to provoke to jealousy.

Et emissa similitudo manus apprehendit me in cincinno capitis mei, et elevavit me spiritus inter terram et cælum: et adduxit me in Jerusalem, in visione Dei, juxta ostium interius quod respiciebat ad aquilonem, ubi erat statutum idolum zeli ad provocandam æmulationem.

It seemed as if an outstretched hand caught me by a lock of my hair; and with that, a force lifted me up between heaven and earth, and I was carried away in a divine transport to Jerusalem. There was the gateway of the inner court, looking northwards, and there was that image of rival deity God sees and hates.

And behold the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision which I had seen in the plain.

Et ecce ibi gloria Dei Israël, secundum visionem quam videram in campo.

There, too, was the bright presence of Israel’s God, as I had seen it earlier on the river plain;

And he said to me: Son of man, lift up thy eyes towards the way of the north. And I lifted up my eyes towards the way of the north: and behold on the north side of the gate of the altar the idol of jealousy in the very entry.

Et dixit ad me: Fili hominis, leva oculos tuos ad viam aquilonis. Et levavi oculos meos ad viam aquilonis, et ecce ab aquilone portæ altaris idolum zeli in ipso introitu.

Son of man, he told me, look northwards; so northwards I looked from the altar-gate, and saw the image of rival deity standing at the very entrance.

And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou see, thinkest thou, what these are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should depart far off from my sanctuary? and turn thee yet again and thou shalt see greater abominations.

Et dixit ad me: Fili hominis, putasne vides tu quid isti faciunt, abominationes magnas quas domus Israël facit hic, ut procul recedam a sanctuario meo? et adhuc conversus videbis abominationes majores.

Foul deeds a-doing, son of man, said he; little wonder if I was fain to withdraw from my sanctuary, where the men of Israel do me such wrong. But thou art not finished with them; thou hast fouler yet to see.

And he brought me in to the door of the court: and I saw, and behold a hole in the wall.

Et introduxit me ad ostium atrii, et vidi, et ecce foramen unum in pariete.

And with that, he brought me close up to the door of the court, where I found a hole in the wall.

And he said to me: Son of man, dig in the wall. And when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

Et dixit ad me: Fili hominis, fode parietem. Et cum fodissem parietem, apparuit ostium unum.

Then he would have me dig through the wall; so dig I did, and there was a door facing me.

And he said to me: Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they commit here.

Et dixit ad me: Ingredere, et vide abominationes pessimas quas isti faciunt hic.

Now go in, he told me, and see for thyself what foul deeds are done here.

And I went in and saw, and behold every form of creeping things, and of living creatures, the abominations and all the idols of the house of Israel, were painted on the wall all round about.

Et ingressus vidi, et ecce omnis similitudo reptilium et animalium, abominatio, et universa idola domus Israël, depicta erant in pariete in circuitu per totum:

And when I went in to look, what should I find painted on the walls but likenesses of reptile and of beast! A very foul sight it was; no idol Israel worships but it was there;

And seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and Jezonias the son of Saaphan stood in the midst of them, that stood before the pictures: and every one had a censer in his hand: and a cloud of smoke went up from the incense.

et septuaginta viri de senioribus domus Israël: et Jezonias filius Saphan stabat in medio eorum stantium ante picturas: et unusquisque habebat thuribulum in manu sua, et vapor nebulæ de thure consurgebat.

and in front of these pictures stood Jezonias, the son of Saphan, with seventy elders of Israel about him, censer in hand each of them, so that a thick cloud of incense went up.

And he said to me: Surely thou seest, O son of man, what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every one in private in his chamber: for they say: The Lord seeth us not, the Lord hath forsaken the earth.

Et dixit ad me: Certe vides, fili hominis, quæ seniores domus Israël faciunt in tenebris, unusquisque in abscondito cubiculi sui: dicunt enim: Non videt Dominus nos; dereliquit Dominus terram.

Now, son of man, he told me, thou canst see for thyself what work they make in the darkness, these elders of Israel, each hidden where hide he may; Fear is none, they say, the Lord should see us; he has forsaken the land for good and all, the Lord has.

And he said to me: If thou turn thee again, thou shalt see greater abominations which these commit.

Et dixit ad me: Adhuc conversus videbis abominationes majores, quas isti faciunt.

Thou hast not seen all yet, he told me; thou shalt see still fouler things done;

And he brought me in by the door of the gate of the Lord’s house, which looked to the north: and behold women sat there mourning for Adonis.

Et introduxit me per ostium portæ domus Domini quod respiciebat ad aquilonem, et ecce ibi mulieres sedebant plangentes Adonidem.

and he took me through the northern gate of the temple, and there what found I but women that sat weeping for Adonis?

And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man: but turn thee again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

Et dixit ad me: Certe vidisti, fili hominis: adhuc conversus videbis abominationes majores his.

Hast thou marked it well, son of man? he asked. Prepare thyself for a sight fouler yet.

And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord: and behold at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men having their backs towards the temple of the Lord, and their faces to the east: and they adored towards the rising of the sun.

Et introduxit me in atrium domus Domini interius, et ecce in ostio templi Domini, inter vestibulum et altare, quasi viginti quinque viri dorsa habentes contra templum Domini, et facies ad orientem: et adorabant ad ortum solis.

Then he took me into the inner court of the temple, and there, at the door of the Lord’s own house, between porch and altar, some five and twenty men were standing with their backs to the temple, that worshipped the eastern sun.

And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man: is this a light thing to the house of Juda, that they should commit these abominations which they have committed here: because they have filled the land with iniquity, and have turned to provoke me to anger? and behold they put a branch to their nose.

Et dixit ad me: Certe vidisti, fili hominis: numquid leve est hoc domui Juda, ut facerent abominationes istas quas fecerunt hic, quia replentes terram iniquitate, conversi sunt ad irritandum me? et ecce applicant ramum ad nares suas.

Hast thou marked it well, son of man? he asked. And are they not content, the men of Juda, with such detestable doings as these, that they must provoke me further yet, filling the whole land with wrong? See how they hold branch to nostril!

Therefore I also will deal with them in my wrath: my eye shall not spare them, neither will I shew mercy: and when they shall cry to my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.

Ergo et ego faciam in furore: non parcet oculus meus, nec miserebor: et cum clamaverint ad aures meas voce magna, non exaudiam eos.

For their busy wickedness, busy shall my vengeance be; unmelting this eye, this heart unpitying, deaf these ears to their cry of complaint.