1In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.6.1 his…: or, the skirts thereof 2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.6.3 one…: Heb. this cried to this6.3 the whole…: Heb. his glory is the fulness of the whole earth 4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.6.4 door: Heb. thresholds
5¶ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.6.5 undone: Heb. cut off 6Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:6.6 having…: Heb. and in his hand a live coal 7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.6.7 laid…: Heb. caused it to touch 8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.6.8 Here…: Heb. behold me
9¶ And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.6.9 indeed, but understand: or, without ceasing, etc: Heb. in hearing, etc 10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,6.11 utterly…: Heb. desolate with desolation 12And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
13¶ But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.6.13 and it…: or, when it is returned, and hath been broused6.13 substance: or, stock, or, stem
Isaiah’s commission
1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’
4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’
8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’
And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’
9He said, ‘Go and tell this people:
‘ “Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.”
10Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.6:9,10 Hebrew; Septuagint “You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; / you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.” / 10 This people’s heart has become calloused; / they hardly hear with their ears, / and they have closed their eyes
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.’
11Then I said, ‘For how long, Lord?’
And he answered:
‘Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
12until the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
13And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.’
