Isaiah's Vision of the Lord

In the year that (A)King Uzziah died I (B)saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train[a] of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had (C)six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

(D)“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
(E)the whole earth is full of his glory!”[b]

And (F)the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and (G)the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! (H)For I am lost; (I)for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the (J)King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he (K)touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah's Commission from the Lord

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for (L)us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 6:1 Or hem
  2. Isaiah 6:3 Or may his glory fill the whole earth

Isaiah’s Commission

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. 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. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy(I), holy is the Lord Almighty;(J)
    the whole earth(K) is full of his glory.”(L)

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.(M)

“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)

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. 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)

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!”

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(A)How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, (B)who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
The voice of (C)your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
    together they sing for joy;
(D)for eye to eye they see
    the return of the Lord to Zion.
(E)Break forth together into singing,
    (F)you waste places of Jerusalem,
for (G)the Lord has comforted his people;
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 (H)The Lord has bared his holy arm
    before the eyes of all the nations,
(I)and all the ends of the earth shall see
    the salvation of our God.

11 (J)Depart, depart, go out from there;
    touch no unclean thing;
go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves,
    (K)you who bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 For you shall not (L)go out in haste,
    and you shall not go in flight,
(M)for the Lord will go before you,
    (N)and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

He Was Pierced for Our Transgressions

13 Behold, (O)my servant shall act wisely;[a]
    he shall be high and lifted up,
    and shall be exalted.
14 As many were astonished at you—
    (P)his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
    and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15 so (Q)shall he sprinkle[b] many nations.
    (R)Kings shall shut their mouths because of him,
(S)for that which has not been told them they see,
    and that which they have not heard they understand.
53 (T)Who has believed what he has heard from us?[c]
    And to whom has (U)the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    (V)and like a root out of dry ground;
(W)he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.
(X)He was despised and rejected[d] by men,
    a man of sorrows[e] and acquainted with[f] grief;[g]
and as one from whom men hide their faces[h]
    he was despised, and (Y)we esteemed him not.

(Z)Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    (AA)smitten by God, and afflicted.
(AB)But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    (AC)and with his wounds we are healed.
(AD)All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
(AE)and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    (AF)yet he opened not his mouth;
(AG)like a (AH)lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, (AI)who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked
    (AJ)and with a rich man in his death,
although (AK)he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet (AL)it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;[i]
(AM)when his soul makes[j] an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
(AN)the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see[k] and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall (AO)the righteous one, my servant,
    (AP)make many to be accounted righteous,
    (AQ)and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 (AR)Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,[l]
    (AS)and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,[m]
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
(AT)yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:13 Or shall prosper
  2. Isaiah 52:15 Or startle
  3. Isaiah 53:1 Or Who has believed what we have heard?
  4. Isaiah 53:3 Or forsaken
  5. Isaiah 53:3 Or pains; also verse 4
  6. Isaiah 53:3 Or and knowing
  7. Isaiah 53:3 Or sickness; also verse 4
  8. Isaiah 53:3 Or as one who hides his face from us
  9. Isaiah 53:10 Or he has made him sick
  10. Isaiah 53:10 Or when you make his soul
  11. Isaiah 53:11 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll he shall see light
  12. Isaiah 53:12 Or with the great
  13. Isaiah 53:12 Or with the numerous

How beautiful on the mountains(A)
    are the feet of those who bring good news,(B)
who proclaim peace,(C)
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”(D)
Listen! Your watchmen(E) lift up their voices;(F)
    together they shout for joy.(G)
When the Lord returns(H) to Zion,(I)
    they will see it with their own eyes.
Burst into songs of joy(J) together,
    you ruins(K) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted(L) his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.(M)
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm(N)
    in the sight of all the nations,(O)
and all the ends of the earth(P) will see
    the salvation(Q) of our God.

11 Depart,(R) depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!(S)
Come out from it and be pure,(T)
    you who carry the articles(U) of the Lord’s house.
12 But you will not leave in haste(V)
    or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,(W)
    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(X)

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

13 See, my servant(Y) will act wisely[a];
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.(Z)
14 Just as there were many who were appalled(AA) at him[b]
    his appearance was so disfigured(AB) beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness(AC)
15 so he will sprinkle(AD) many nations,[c]
    and kings(AE) will shut their mouths(AF) because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.(AG)

53 Who has believed our message(AH)
    and to whom has the arm(AI) of the Lord been revealed?(AJ)
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,(AK)
    and like a root(AL) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance(AM) that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,(AN) and familiar with pain.(AO)
Like one from whom people hide(AP) their faces
    he was despised,(AQ) and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,(AR)
yet we considered him punished by God,(AS)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.(AT)
But he was pierced(AU) for our transgressions,(AV)
    he was crushed(AW) for our iniquities;
the punishment(AX) that brought us peace(AY) was on him,
    and by his wounds(AZ) we are healed.(BA)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,(BB)
    each of us has turned to our own way;(BC)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity(BD) of us all.

He was oppressed(BE) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;(BF)
he was led like a lamb(BG) to the slaughter,(BH)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression[d] and judgment(BI) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;(BJ)
    for the transgression(BK) of my people he was punished.[e]
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,(BL)
    and with the rich(BM) in his death,
though he had done no violence,(BN)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.(BO)

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will(BP) to crush(BQ) him and cause him to suffer,(BR)
    and though the Lord makes[f] his life an offering for sin,(BS)
he will see his offspring(BT) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper(BU) in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,(BV)
    he will see the light(BW) of life[g] and be satisfied[h];
by his knowledge[i] my righteous servant(BX) will justify(BY) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.(BZ)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[j](CA)
    and he will divide the spoils(CB) with the strong,[k]
because he poured out his life unto death,(CC)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.(CD)
For he bore(CE) the sin of many,(CF)
    and made intercession(CG) for the transgressors.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:13 Or will prosper
  2. Isaiah 52:14 Hebrew you
  3. Isaiah 52:15 Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)
  4. Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
  5. Isaiah 53:8 Or generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?
  6. Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
  7. Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
  8. Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
  9. Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
  10. Isaiah 53:12 Or many
  11. Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous