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Isaiah 9:1-13 - "Make the heart of this people calloused"
Contributed by Ariel Kates

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In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim; each one had six wings: with twain he covered his face and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one called unto another, and said:

Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory.

And the posts of the door were moved at the voice of them that called, and the house was filled with smoke.
Then said I:

Woe is me! for I am undone;
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For mine eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.

Then flew unto me one of the seraphim, with a glowing stone in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar; and he touched my mouth with it, and said:

Lo, this hath touched thy lips;
And thine iniquity is taken away,
And thy sin expiated.

And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

Whom shall I send,
And who will go for us?

Then I said: ‘Here am I; send me.’

And He said: ‘Go, and tell this people:

Hear ye indeed, but understand not;
And see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Make the heart of this people calloused,
And make their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Lest they, seeing with their eyes,
And hearing with their ears,
And understanding with their heart,
Return, and be healed.’

Then said I: ‘Lord, how long?’ And He answered:

Until their towns are destroyed
and their houses are deserted,
until their fields are empty,
and I have sent them far away,
leaving their land in ruins.
If only a tenth of the people are left,
even they will be destroyed.
Just as stumps remain after trees
have been cut down,
the holy seed is the stump
haggadah Section: Urchatz
Source: Isaiah 9

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