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10 Make the heart of this people sluggish,
    dull their ears and close their eyes;
Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
    and their heart understand,
    and they turn and be healed.(A)

11 “How long, O Lord?” I asked. And he replied:

[a] Until the cities are desolate,
    without inhabitants,
Houses, without people,
    and the land is a desolate waste.
12 Until the Lord sends the people far away,
    and great is the desolation in the midst of the land.

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Footnotes

  1. 6:11–12 The desolation described would be the result of the sort of deportation practiced by the Assyrians and later by the Babylonians. Isaiah seems to expect this as an eventual consequence of Judah’s submission as vassal to the Assyrians; cf. 3:1–3; 5:13.

10 Make the heart of this people calloused;(A)
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.[a](B)
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,(C)
    understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”(D)

11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”(E)

And he answered:

“Until the cities lie ruined(F)
    and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted(G)
    and the fields ruined and ravaged,(H)
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away(I)
    and the land is utterly forsaken.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 6:10 Hebrew; Septuagint ‘You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; / you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / 10 This people’s heart has become calloused; / they hardly hear with their ears, / and they have closed their eyes