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Isaiah 6:9-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Isaiah 6:9-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
9 [a]And he replied: Go and say to this people:
Listen carefully, but do not understand!
Look intently, but do not perceive!(A)
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.(B)
11 “How long, O Lord?” I asked. And he replied:
[b] Until the cities are desolate,
without inhabitants,
Houses, without people,
and the land is a desolate waste.
Footnotes
- 6:9–10 Isaiah’s words give evidence that he attempted in every way, through admonition, threat, and promise, to bring the people to conversion (cf. 1:18–20), so it is unlikely that this charge to “harden” is to be understood as Isaiah’s task; more probably it reflects the refusal of the people, more particularly the leaders, who were supposed to “see,” “hear,” and “understand,” a refusal which would then lead to a disastrous outcome (vv. 11–12).
- 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.
Isaiah 6:9-11
New International Version
Isaiah 6:9-11
New International Version
9 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:
Footnotes
- 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
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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