God Calls Isaiah to Be a Prophet
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on his throne, high and exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple. 2 Around him flaming creatures were standing, each of which had six wings. Each creature covered its face with two wings, and its body with two, and used the other two for flying. 3 They were calling out to each other:
“Holy, holy, holy!
The Lord Almighty is holy!
His glory fills the world.”
4 The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke.
5 I said, “There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the creatures flew down to me, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with the burning coal and said, “This has touched your lips, and now your guilt is gone, and your sins are forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the Lord say, “Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?”
I answered, “I will go! Send me!”
9 So he told me to go and give the people this message: “No matter how much you listen, you will not understand. No matter how much you look, you will not know what is happening.” 10 Then he said to me, “Make the minds of these people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind, so that they cannot see or hear or understand. If they did, they might turn to me and be healed.”
11 I asked, “How long will it be like this, Lord?”
He answered, “Until the cities are ruined and empty—until the houses are uninhabited—until the land itself is a desolate wasteland. 12 I will send the people far away and make the whole land desolate. 13 Even if one person out of ten remains in the land, he too will be destroyed; he will be like the stump of an oak tree that has been cut down.”
(The stump represents a new beginning for God's people.)
دعوة إشعيا
1 في السَّنةِ الّتي ماتَ فيها المَلِكُ عُزِّيَّا رَأيتُ السَّيِّدَ الرّبَّ جالِسا على عرشٍ عالٍ رفيعٍ وأطرافُ ثوبِهِ تَملأُ الهَيكلَ. 2 مِنْ فَوقِهِ السَّرافيمُ، قائمونَ ولكُلِّ واحدٍ ستَّةُ أجنِحةٍ، باثنَينِ يَستُرُ وجهَهُ وباثنينِ يَسترُ رجليهِ وباثنَينِ يطيرُ. 3 وكانَ واحدُهُم يُنادي الآخَرَ ويقولُ:
«قُدُّوسٌ قُدُّوسٌ قُدُّوسٌ الرّبُّ القديرُ.
الأرضُ كُلُّها مَملوءَةٌ مِنْ مَجدِهِ».
4 فاهتَزَّتِ الأبوابُ مِنْ أصواتِ المُنادينَ وامتَلأَ الهَيكلُ دُخانا. 5 فقُلتُ: «ويلٌ لي! هلَكتُ لأنِّي رجُلٌ دنِسُ الشَّفَتينِ ومُقيمٌ بَينَ شعبٍ دنِسِ الشِّفاهِ. فالّذي رأتْهُ عينايَ هوَ المَلِكُ الرّبُّ القديرُ». 6 فطارَ إليَّ أحدُ السَّرافيمِ وبـيَدِهِ جَمرَةٌ أخذَها بِمِلقَطٍ مِنَ المذبَحِ 7 ومَسَّ فمي وقالَ: «أُنظُرْ هذِهِ مَسَّت شَفَتيكَ، فأُزيلَ إثْمُكَ وكُفِّرَت خطيئتُكِ». 8 وسَمِعتُ صوتَ الرّبِّ يقولُ: «مَنْ أُرسِلُ؟ مَنْ يكونُ رسولا لنا؟» فقلتُ: «ها أنا لكَ، فأرسِلني». 9 فقالَ: «إذهَبْ وقُلْ لِهذا الشَّعبِ:
مهما سَمِعتُم لا تَفهَمونَ
ومهما نَظَرتُم لا تُبصِرونَ».
10 وقالَ: «أجعلُ قلبَ هذا الشَّعب قاسيا، وأُذُنَيهِ ثَقيلَتَينِ وعينَيهِ مُغمَضَتَينِ، لِئلاَّ يُبصِرَ بِــعينَيهِ ويسمَعَ بأُذنَيهِ ويفهَمَ بقَلبِهِ ويرجِـعَ إليَّ فيُشفَى».
11 فقلتُ: «إلى متى، أيُّها الرّبُّ؟» فقالَ: «إلى أنْ تصيرَ المُدُنُ خربَةً بغيرِ ساكِنٍ، والبُيوتُ بِــغيرِ بشَرٍ، والأرضُ خرابا مُقفِرا. 12 لأنَّ الرّبَّ يُبعِدُ عنها الشَّعبَ، ويكونُ فيها فراغٌ عظيمٌ. 13 وإنْ بَقيَ فيها العُشرُ مِنهم بَعدُ، يعودُ ويصيرُ إلى الخَرابِ، ولكِنْ كالبَلُّوطةِ أوِ البُطمَةِ الّتي تُقطَعُ ويَبقى ساقُها. فيكونُ ساقُها زَرعا مُقدَّسا».