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Isaiah 6:1-6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Isaiah 6:1-6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
B. The Book of Emmanuel
Chapter 6
The Sending of Isaiah. 1 In the year King Uzziah died,[a] I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,(A) with the train of his garment filling the temple. 2 Seraphim[b] were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they hovered.(B) 3 One cried out to the other:
“Holy, holy, holy[c] is the Lord of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
4 At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke.[d](C)
5 Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed![e] For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips,(D) and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar.
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- 6:1 In the year King Uzziah died: probably 742 B.C., although the chronology of this period is disputed. A high and lofty throne: within the holy of holies of the Jerusalem Temple stood two cherubim, or winged sphinxes, whose outstretched wings served as the divine throne (1 Kgs 6:23–28; Ez 1:4–28; 10:1, 20). The ark of the covenant was God’s footstool (Ps 132:7–8; 1 Chr 28:2), placed under the cherubim (1 Kgs 8:6–7). Temple: the holy place, just in front of the holy of holies.
- 6:2 Seraphim: the plural of saraph (“to burn”), a term used to designate the “fiery” serpents of the wilderness (Nm 21:8; Dt 8:15), and to refer to “winged” serpents (Is 14:29; 30:6). Here, however, it is used adjectivally of the cherubim, who are not serpent-like, as seen in the fact that they have faces and sexual parts (“feet”). See the adaptation of these figures by Ezekiel (Ez 1:10–12; 10:4–15).
- 6:3 Holy, holy, holy: these words have been used in Christian liturgy from the earliest times.
- 6:4 Smoke: reminiscent of the clouds which indicated God’s presence at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:16–19; Dt 4:11) and which filled the tabernacle (Ex 40:34–38) and the Temple (1 Kgs 8:10–11) at their dedication.
- 6:5 Doomed: there are two roots from which the verb here could be derived; one means “to perish, be doomed,” the other “to become silent,” and given Isaiah’s delight in puns and double entendre, he probably intended to sound both notes. “I am doomed!” is suggested by the popular belief that to see God would lead to one’s death; cf. Gn 32:31; Ex 33:20; Jgs 13:22. “I am struck silent!” is suggested by the emphasis on the lips in vv. 5–6, and such silence is attested elsewhere as the appropriate response to the vision of the Lord in the Temple (Hb 2:20).
Isaiah 6:1-6
Good News Translation
Isaiah 6:1-6
Good News Translation
God Calls Isaiah to Be a Prophet
6 (A)In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on his throne, high and exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple. 2 Around him flaming creatures were standing, each of which had six wings. Each creature covered its face with two wings, and its body with two, and used the other two for flying. 3 (B)They were calling out to each other:
“Holy, holy, holy!
The Lord Almighty is holy!
His glory fills the world.”
4 (C)The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke.
5 I said, “There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the creatures flew down to me, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
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Isaiah 6:1-6
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Isaiah 6:1-6
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
A Vision of God in the Temple
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 The pivots[a] on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
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- Isaiah 6:4 Meaning of Heb uncertain
Isaiah 6:1-6
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah 6:1-6
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah’s Vision
6 In the year of (A)King Uzziah’s death (B)I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above Him, (C)each having six wings: with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew. 3 And one called out to another and said,
4 And the [b]foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the [c](F)temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said,
“(G)Woe to me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of (H)unclean lips,
And I live among a (I)people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the (J)King, the Lord of armies.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the (K)altar with tongs.
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- Isaiah 6:3 Lit fullness of the whole earth is His glory
- Isaiah 6:4 Lit door sockets
- Isaiah 6:4 Lit house
Isaiah 6:1-6
New International Version
Isaiah 6:1-6
New International Version
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.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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Good News Translation (GNT) 
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New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)
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