To provide an emission control device for an internal combustion engine that prevents wasteful fuel consumption with an effective use of HC by using the HC adsorbed by an HC adsorbing material to control reaction of NOx.

In a low-load range such as a case of decelerating a vehicle, a second combustion mode is carried out to adsorb the increased HC in the exhaust gas to a HC adsorption layer of the emission control catalytic device. On the other hand, when a load increases with acceleration of the vehicle, a first combustion mode is carried out to desorb HC from the HC adsorption layer, wherein temperature rises with an increase of the load, to use the desorbed HC to control reaction of the NOx in the exhaust gas.