Isaiah’s Commission

6 In the year that King Uzziah^(A) died,^(B) I saw the Lord,^(C) high and exalted,^(D) seated on a throne;^(E) and the train of his robe^(F) filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphim,^(G) each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet,^(H) and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.^(M)

⁵ “Woe^(N) to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!^(O) For I am a man of unclean lips,^(P) and I live among a people of unclean lips,^(Q) and my eyes have seen^(R) the King,^(S) the Lord Almighty.”^(T)

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal^(U) in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips;^(V) your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.^(W)”

⁸ Then I heard the voice^(X) of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?^(Y) And who will go for us?^(Z)”

And I said, “Here am I.^(AA) Send me!”

¹² Then he continued, “Do not be afraid,^(A) Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble^(B) yourself before your God, your words^(C) were heard, and I have come in response to them.^{(D) 13} But the prince^(E) of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael,^(F) one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to explain^(G) to you what will happen to your people in the future,^(H) for the vision concerns a time yet to come.^(I)”

²⁸ But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God^(A) has come upon you.

²⁹ “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

⁴ The god^(A) of this age^(B) has blinded^(C) the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ,^(D) who is the image of God.^(E)

³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.^{(A) 4} The weapons we fight with^(B) are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power^(C) to demolish strongholds.^{(D) 5} We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,^(E) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient^(F) to Christ. ⁶ And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.^(G)