Isaiah 6

Isaiah’s Call and Mission

¹In the year that King Uzziah ^a died, I saw the Lord ^b seated on a high and lofty ^c throne, ^d and the hem of his robe filled the temple. ²Seraphim ^e were standing above him; they each had six wings: ^f with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. ^{g 3}And one called to another:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies;

his glory ^h fills the whole earth. ⁱ

⁴The foundations of the doorways shook ^j at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵Then I said:

Woe is me ^k for I am ruined ^l

because I am a man of unclean lips

and live among a people of unclean lips, ^m

and because my eyes have seen the King,

the Lord of Armies.

⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar ⁿ with tongs. ⁷He touched my mouth ^o with it and said:

Now that this has touched your lips,

your iniquity is removed

and your sin is atoned for. ^p

⁸Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking:

Who will I send?

Who will go for us?

I said:

Here I am. Send me.

⁹And he replied:

Go! Say to these people:

Keep listening, but do not understand; ^q

keep looking, but do not perceive.

¹⁰Make the minds ^r of these people dull;

deafen their ears and blind their eyes;

otherwise they might see with their eyes

and hear with their ears,

understand with their minds,

turn back, and be healed. ^s

¹¹Then I said, “Until when, Lord? ” ^t And he replied:

Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants, ^u

houses are without people,

the land is ruined and desolate,

¹²and the Lord drives the people far away,

leaving great emptiness in the land.

¹³Though a tenth will remain in the land,

it will be burned again.

Like the terebinth or the oak

that leaves a stump when felled,

the holy seed ^v is the stump. ^w