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Isaiah 6
International Standard Version
Isaiah 6
International Standard Version
Holy is the Lord
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon his[a] throne, high and exalted. The train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 The seraphim stood above him. Each had six wings:[b] with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he was flying. 3 They kept on calling to each other:[c]
“Holy, holy, holy[d] is the Lord of the Heavenly Armies!
The whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 The foundations of the thresholds quaked at the sound of those who kept calling out,[e] and the Temple was filled with smoke.
5 “How terrible it will be for me!” I cried, “because I am ruined! I’m a man with unclean lips, and I live among a people with unclean lips! And my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies!”
The Calling of Isaiah
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a burning coal in his hand that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth and said, “Look! Now that this has touched your[f] lips, your guilt is taken away, and your sins[g] atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord as he was asking, “Whom will I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am!” I replied. “Send me.”
9 “Go!” he responded. “Tell this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep[h] on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 Dull the mind[i] of this people,
deafen their ears,
and blind their eyes.
By doing so, they won’t see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their minds,
turn back,
and be healed.”
11 Then I asked, “For how long, Lord?”[j]
He replied:
“Until cities lie waste,
without inhabitants,
and houses without people;
and the land becomes utterly desolate.
12 Until[k] the Lord removes people far away,
and there are many empty places
in the middle of the land.
13 Even though a tenth of its people remain[l] in it,
it will once again be burned,[m]
like a terebinth[n] or an oak tree,[o]
the stump of which, though the tree has been[p] felled,
still contains holy seed.”[q]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 6:1 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read a
- Isaiah 6:2 So 1QIsaa; MT reads six wings, six wings; LXX reads six wings and six wings
- Isaiah 6:3 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read calling and saying
- Isaiah 6:3 So MT LXX; 1QIsaa reads Holy, holy
- Isaiah 6:4 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads of him who called out
- Isaiah 6:7 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsaf reads the
- Isaiah 6:7 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads sin
- Isaiah 6:9 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and keep
- Isaiah 6:10 Lit. Fatten the heart
- Isaiah 6:11 So 1QIsaa; MT reads Lord
- Isaiah 6:12 Lit. And
- Isaiah 6:13 Lit. tenth remains
- Isaiah 6:13 Or devastated
- Isaiah 6:13 I.e. a sacred tree used for idolatry; cf. Hos 4:13
- Isaiah 6:13 Or Asherah pole; i.e. felled oaks used for making idols; cf. Hos 4:13, Isa 44:14
- Isaiah 6:13 1QIsaa lacks though the tree has been; MT LXX read which, when
- Isaiah 6:13 So 1QIsaa MT; LXX lacks this line
Isaiah 6
Expanded Bible
Isaiah 6
Expanded Bible
Isaiah Becomes a Prophet
6 In the year that King Uzziah died [C 740 bc], I saw the Lord sitting on a ·very high [L high and exalted] throne. ·His long [L The train/trailing part of his] robe filled the Temple. 2 ·Heavenly creatures of fire [L Seraphim; C the word means “burning ones” and points to purity, power, or judgment] ·stood above [or attended] him [Rev. 4:6–9]. Each creature had six wings: It used two wings to cover its face [C as a shield from God’s awesome glory], two wings to cover its ·feet [or body; C indicating humility; “feet” can be a euphemism for genitals], and two wings for flying. 3 Each creature was calling to the others:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
His glory fills the whole earth.”
4 ·Their calling [The sound/noise from each one’s voice] caused the ·frame around the door [doorposts; threshold foundations] to shake, as the Temple filled with smoke.
5 I said, “·Oh, no [L Woe to me]! I ·will be destroyed [am ruined/doomed]. I am ·not pure [L a man with unclean lips; C that is, spiritually unworthy], and I live among people ·who are not pure [L with unclean lips], but I have seen the King, the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].”
6 One of the ·heavenly creatures [L Seraphim; v. 2] flew to me with a hot coal [L in his hand] he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 ·The creature [L He/It] touched my mouth with the hot coal and said, “·Look [T Behold], your ·guilt [iniquity] is taken away, because this hot coal has touched your lips. Your sin is ·taken away [forgiven; covered; atoned for].”
8 Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom ·can [will] I send [C to speak for God to Israel]? Who will go for us [C referring to God and his heavenly court, or possibly to the Trinity]?”
So I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
9 Then the Lord said, “Go and tell this to the people:
‘You will ·listen and listen [keep on hearing; or listen intently], but you will not ·understand [comprehend].
You will ·look and look [keep on seeing; or look intently], but you will not ·learn [perceive; comprehend].’
10 Make the ·minds [heart; C the center of mind, will, and emotions in Hebrew thought] of these people ·dumb [dull; calloused; hardened].
·Shut [Plug; L Make heavy] their ears. ·Cover [Blind] their eyes.
Otherwise, they might ·really understand
what they see with their eyes [L see with their eyes]
and hear with their ears.
They might really understand in their ·minds [hearts]
and ·come back to me [turn; repent] and be healed [Matt. 13:14–15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; Acts 28:26–27; C God seals Israel’s rejection of him and uses it to accomplish his purpose].”
11 Then I asked, “Lord, ·how long should I do this [or how long will this rejection last; L how long]?”
He answered,
“Until the cities ·are destroyed [lie in ruins; are laid waste]
and ·the people are gone [uninhabited],
until there are no people left in the houses,
until the land is ·destroyed [ruined; laid waste] and ·left empty [desolate].
12 ·The Lord will send [or …until the Lord has sent] the people far away [C into exile],
and the [L midst of the] land will be ·left empty [utterly/completely abandoned].
13 Even if only one-tenth of the people are left in the land,
it will be ·destroyed [or burned] again.
These people will be like ·an oak tree [L a terebinth or an oak]
whose stump is left when the tree is chopped down.
·The people who remain will be like a stump that will sprout again [L The holy seed is its stump].”
Isaiah 6
New International Version
Isaiah 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. 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!”
9 He said, “Go(AB) and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’(AC)
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;(AD)
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.[a](AE)
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,(AF)
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”(AG)
11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”(AH)
And he answered:
“Until the cities lie ruined(AI)
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted(AJ)
and the fields ruined and ravaged,(AK)
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away(AL)
and the land is utterly forsaken.(AM)
13 And though a tenth remains(AN) in the land,
it will again be laid waste.(AO)
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps(AP) when they are cut down,
so the holy(AQ) seed will be the stump in the land.”(AR)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 6:10 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
International Standard Version (ISV) 
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Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.