HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 979
ISAIAH 6
page 609
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They even mock God and say,
“Hurry up and do something!
We want to see what you can do.
Let the Holy One of Israel carry out his plan,
for we want to know what it is.”
What sorrow for those who say
that evil is good and good is evil,
that dark is light and light is dark,
that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
What sorrow for those who are wise in
their own eyes
and think themselves so clever.
What sorrow for those who are heroes at
drinking wine
and boast about all the alcohol they
can hold.
They take bribes to let the wicked go free,
and they punish the innocent.
Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble
and dry grass shrivels in the flame,
so their roots will rot
and their flowers wither.
For they have rejected the law of the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies;
they have despised the word of the Holy
One of Israel.
That is why the Lord’s anger burns against
his people,
and why he has raised his fist to crush
them.
The mountains tremble,
and the corpses of his people litter the
streets like garbage.
But even then the Lord’s anger is not
satisfied.
His fist is still poised to strike!
He will send a signal to distant nations
far away
and whistle to those at the ends of
the earth.
They will come racing toward Jerusalem.
They will not get tired or stumble.
They will not stop for rest or sleep.
Not a belt will be loose,
not a sandal strap broken.
Their arrows will be sharp
and their bows ready for battle.
Sparks will fly from their horses’ hooves,
and the wheels of their chariots will spin
like a whirlwind.
They will roar like lions,
like the strongest of lions.
6:1 King Uzziah died in 740 b.c. 6:9-10 Greek version reads
And he said, “Go and say to this people, / ‘When you hear
what I say, you will not understand. / When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.’ / For the hearts of these people are
hardened, / and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed
their eyes— / so their eyes cannot see, / and their ears cannot
hear, / and their hearts cannot understand, / and they cannot
turn to me and let me heal them.” Compare Matt 13:14-15; Mark
4:12; Luke 8:10; Acts 28:26-27.
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Growling, they will pounce on their victims
and carry them off,
and no one will be there to rescue them.
They will roar over their victims on that day
of destruction
like the roaring of the sea.
If someone looks across the land,
only darkness and distress will be seen;
even the light will be darkened by clouds.
Isaiah’s Cleansing and Call
It was in the year King Uzziah died* that
I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty
throne, and the train of his robe filled the
Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim,
each having six wings. With two wings they
covered their faces, with two they covered their
feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling
out to each other,
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“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s
Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
4 Their
voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with
smoke.
5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for
I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live
among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen
the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a
burning coal he had taken from the altar with
a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it
and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips.
Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are
forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom
should I send as a messenger to this people?
Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
9 And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people,
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‘Listen carefully, but do not understand.
Watch closely, but learn nothing.’
Harden the hearts of these people.
Plug their ears and shut their eyes.
That way, they will not see with their eyes,
nor hear with their ears,
nor understand with their hearts
and turn to me for healing.”*
11 Then I said, “Lord, how long will this go on?”
And he replied,
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“Until their towns are empty,
their houses are deserted,
and the whole country is a wasteland;
until the Lord has sent everyone away,
and the entire land of Israel lies
deserted.
If even a tenth—a remnant—survive,
it will be invaded again and burned.