A Vision of the Lord in the Temple
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I had a vision of the Lord. He was on his throne high above, and his robe filled the temple. 2 Flaming creatures with six wings each were flying over him. They covered their faces with two of their wings and their bodies with two more. They used the other two wings for flying, 3 as they shouted,
“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord All-Powerful!
The earth is filled
with your glory.”
4 As they shouted, the doorposts of the temple shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 Then I cried out, “I'm doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful.”
6 One of the flaming creatures flew over to me with a burning coal that it had taken from the altar with a pair of metal tongs. 7 It touched my lips with the hot coal and said, “This has touched your lips. Your sins are forgiven, and you are no longer guilty.”
8 After this, I heard the Lord ask, “Is there anyone I can send? Will someone speak for us?”
“I'll go,” I answered. “Send me!”
9 Then the Lord told me to go and speak this message to the people:
“You will listen and listen,
but never understand.
You will look and look,
but never see.”
The Lord also said,
10 “Make these people stubborn!
Make them stop up
their ears,
cover their eyes,
and fail to understand.
Don't let them turn to me
and be healed.”
11 Then I asked the Lord, “How long will this last?”
The Lord answered:
Until their towns are destroyed and their houses are deserted, until their fields are empty, 12 and I have sent them far away, leaving their land in ruins. 13 If only a tenth of the people are left, even they will be destroyed. But just as stumps remain after trees have been cut down, some of my chosen ones will be left.
1 In the yeere of the death of King Vzziah, I saw also the Lord sitting vpon an high throne, and lifted vp, and the lower partes thereof filled the Temple. 2 The Seraphims stoode vpon it: euery one had sixe wings: with twaine he couered his face, and with twaine hee couered his feete, and with twaine he did flie. 3 And one cryed to another, and sayde, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hostes: the whole world is full of his glory. 4 And the lintles of the doore cheekes moued at the voyce of him that cryed, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then I sayd, Wo is me: for I am vndone, because I am a man of polluted lips, and I dwell in the middes of a people of polluted lips: for mine eyes haue seene the King and Lord of hostes. 6 Then flewe one of the Seraphims vnto me with an hote cole in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with the tongs: 7 And he touched my mouth, and sayd, Loe, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquitie shall be taken away, and thy sinne shalbe purged. 8 Also I heard the voyce of the Lord, saying, Whome shall I send? and who shall goe for vs? Then I sayd, Here am I, send me. 9 And he sayd, Goe, and say vnto this people, Ye shall heare in deede, but ye shall not vnderstand: ye shall plainely see, and not perceiue. 10 Make the heart of this people fatte, make their eares heauie, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and heare with their eares, and vnderstand with their hearts, and conuert, and he heale them. 11 Then sayd I, Lord, howe long? And he answered, Vntill the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be vtterly desolate, 12 And the Lord haue remoued men farre away, and there be a great desolation in the mids of the land. 13 But yet in it shalbe a tenth, and shall returne, and shalbe eaten vp as an elme or an oke, which haue a substance in them, when they cast their leaues: so the holy seede shall be the substance thereof.