Isaiah 6

¹ In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne; his train fil ed thesanctuary.

² Above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings: two to cover its face, two to cover its feet and two forflying;

³ and they were shouting these words to each other: Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh Sabaoth. His glory fil s thewhole earth.

⁴ The door-posts shook at the sound of their shouting, and the Temple was ful of smoke.

⁵ Then I said: 'Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of uncleanlips, and my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh Sabaoth.'

⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in its hand a live coal which it had taken from the altar witha pair of tongs.

⁷ With this it touched my mouth and said: 'Look, this has touched your lips, your guilt has been removedand your sin forgiven.'

⁸ I then heard the voice of the Lord saying: 'Whom shal I send? Who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here amI, send me.'

⁹ He said: 'Go, and say to this people, "Listen and listen, but never understand! Look and look, but neverperceive!"

¹⁰ Make this people's heart coarse, make their ears dul , shut their eyes tight, or they wil use their eyes tosee, use their ears to hear, use their heart to understand, and change their ways and be healed.'

¹¹ I then said, 'Until when, Lord?' He replied, 'Until towns are in ruins and deserted, houses untenantedand a great desolation reigns in the land,

¹² and Yahweh has driven the people away and the country is total y abandoned.

¹³ And suppose one-tenth of them are left in it, that wil be stripped again, like the terebinth, like the oak,cut back to the stock; their stock is a holy seed.'