Ezekiel 8:12

10 So I went in and looked, and engraved all around the wall was every kind of crawling creature and detestable beast, along with all the idols of the house of Israel.

11 Before them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.

“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are saying, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’”

13 Again, He told me, “You will see them committing even greater abominations.”

14 Then He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are saying, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’”
KJV
Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
WEB
Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his rooms of imagery? For they say, ‘The LORD doesn’t see us. The LORD has forsaken the land.’”
ASV
Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say, Jehovah seeth us not; Jehovah hath forsaken the land.
DARBY
And he said unto me, Hast thou seen, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every one in his chambers of imagery? for they say, Jehovah seeth us not; Jehovah hath forsaken the land.
BLB
And He said to me: “Have you seen, Son of man, that which the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the inner chambers of his imagery? For they say, ‘YHWH [is] not seeing us, [for] YHWH has forsaken the land.’”
ÅB
Og han sa til meg: Har du sett, menneskesønn, hva de eldste i Israels folk gjør i mørket, hver i sine billedkammer? For de sier: Herren ser oss ikke, Herren har forlatt landet.
OTB
Han sa til meg: «Menneskesønn, har du sett hva de eldste i Israels hus gjør i mørket, hver ved helligdommen til sin egen avgud? De sier: 'Herren ser oss ikke; Herren har forlatt landet.'»
B1930
Og han sa til mig: Har du sett, menneskesønn, hvad de eldste i Israels folk gjør i mørket, hver i sine billedkammer? For de sier: Herren ser oss ikke, Herren har forlatt landet.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Isaiah 29:15

    Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”

    Read in context
  • Ezekiel 9:9

    He replied, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of perversity. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’

    Read in context
  • Ezekiel 8:15

    “Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see this? Yet you will see even greater abominations than these.”

    Read in context
  • Psalms 10:11

    He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”

    Read in context
  • Ephesians 5:12

    For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

    Read in context
  • John 3:19–20

    And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.

    Read in context
  • Job 22:12–13

    Is not God as high as the heavens? Look at the highest stars, how lofty they are!

    Read in context
  • Psalms 94:7–10

    They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.”

    Read in context