Isaiah 6

Modern

Literal

Isaiah’s Commission

¹In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe^a filled the temple.

¹And in the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne being high and lifted up, and his train was filling the temple.

²Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.

²Seraphim stood above Him, with six wings for each—six wings—with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

³And they were calling out to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts;

all the earth is full of His glory.”

³And this one cried to this one and said: “Holy, holy, holy is YHWH of Hosts; the fullness of all the earth is His glory!”

⁴At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁴And the posts of the doors were shaken from the voice of the one calling, and the house was filled with smoke.

⁵Then I said:

“Woe is me,

for I am ruined,

because I am a man of unclean lips

dwelling among a people of unclean lips;

for my eyes have seen the King,

the LORD of Hosts.”

⁵And I said, “Woe to me, for I am finished! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I am dwelling in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for the King YHWH of Hosts, my eyes have seen!”

⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

⁶And flew to me one from the seraphim, and in his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs.

⁷And with it he touched my mouth and said:

“Now that this has touched your lips,

your iniquity is removed

and your sin is atoned for.”

⁷And he touched it upon my mouth and said, “Behold, this has touched upon your lips; and is turned aside your iniquity, and your sin is wiped away.”

⁸Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:

“Whom shall I send?

Who will go for Us?”

And I said:

“Here am I. Send me!”

⁸And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom will I send, and who will go for Us?” And I said “Here am I—send me!”

⁹And He replied:

“Go and tell this people,

‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;

be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’^a

⁹And He said, “Go and say to the people this: ‘Be ever hearing and never understanding, and be ever seeing and never knowing.’

¹⁰Make the hearts of this people calloused;

deafen their ears and close their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.”^a

¹⁰Fatten the heart of this people, and its ears make heavy and its eyes shut, lest it see with its eyes, hear and with its ears, and understand with its heart, and turn back and there be healing for it.

¹¹Then I asked:

“How long, O Lord?”

And He replied:

“Until the cities lie ruined

and without inhabitant,

until the houses are left unoccupied

and the land is desolate and ravaged,

¹¹And I said, “Until when, O Lord?” And He answered, “Until when the cities lie in ruins without one dwelling, and the houses without man, and the land lies in ruins as a desolation,

¹²until the LORD has driven men far away

and the land is utterly forsaken.

¹²and YHWH has removed man far away, and are many the forsaken places in the midst of the land.

¹³And though a tenth remains in the land,

it will be burned again.

As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled,

so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”

¹³And still are in it a tenth, and will it return and be for burning, like the terebinth and oak that in falling is a stump in them. The seed of holiness is its stump.”