And he said, Go, and say unto this people, [a]Ye shall hear indeed, but ye shall not understand: ye shall plainly see, and not perceive.

10 Make the heart of this people fat, make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and he heal them.

11 Then said I, Lord, [b]how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 6:9 Whereby is declared that for the malice of man God will not immediately take away his word, but he will cause it to be preached to their condemnation, when as they will not learn thereby to obey his will, and be saved: hereby he exhorteth the ministers to do their duty, and answereth to the wicked murmurers, that through their own malice their heart is hardened, Matt. 13:14; Acts 28:26; Rom. 11:8.
  2. Isaiah 6:11 As he was moved with the zeal of God’s glory, so was he touched with a charitable affection toward the people.

He said, “Go(A) and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’(B)
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;(C)
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.[a](D)
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,(E)
    understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”(F)

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

And he answered:

“Until the cities lie ruined(H)
    and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted(I)
    and the fields ruined and ravaged,(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