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Isaiah 6:5

King James Version (KJV)

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.

Translations

Isaiah 6:5 - Amplified Bible

Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone {and} ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!

Isaiah 6:5 - American Standard Version

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, Jehovah of hosts.

Isaiah 6:5 - Bible in Basic English

Then I said, The curse is on me, and my fate is destruction; for I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.

Isaiah 6:5 - Darby Bible

And I said, Woe unto me! for I am undone; for 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, Jehovah of hosts.

Isaiah 6:5 - English Standard Version

And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"

Isaiah 6:5 - King James Version

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.

Isaiah 6:5 - La Biblia de las Americas

Entonces dije:
¡Ay de mì! Porque perdido estoy,
pues soy hombre de labios inmundos
y en medio de un pueblo de labios inmundos habito,
porque han visto mis ojos al Rey, el SEÑOR de los ejércitos.

Isaiah 6:5 - The Message

Isaiah 6:5 - New American Standard Bible

Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

Isaiah 6:5 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Entonces dije:
"¡Ay de mì! Porque perdido estoy,
Pues soy hombre de labios inmundos
Y en medio de un pueblo de labios inmundos habito,
Porque mis ojos han visto al Rey, el SEÑOR de los ejércitos."

Isaiah 6:5 - World English Bible

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 my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Hosts.

Isaiah 6:5 - Young's Living Translation

And I say, `Wo to me, for I have been silent, For a man -- unclean of lips [am] I, And in midst of a people unclean of lips I am dwelling, Because the King, Jehovah of Hosts, have my eyes seen.`

Isaiah 6:5 - Additional Comments

As godly as we see the writings of Isaiah in this book, we surely don't picture him as a man of unclean lips! But the question is not how clean are his lips compared to other men - Isaiah has "seen the King", and that is his barometer, his measuring stick.
How do you tell whether a $100 bill is counterfeit? You don't study counterfeits, you study the real thing. How do you tell if a stone is a cubic zirconia or a diamond? You study a diamond. How do you tell if a rock is gold or fools gold? You study gold.
How do you tell whether something measure up to the standard that God sets? You study God.
What is God's standard? "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth ..." (Eph 4:29).
We must not compare Isaiah to ourselves to determine whether he has clean lips - we must compare against God. When compared, no one can measure up, as we see in James 3:2-10 - "If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body," and "no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."
Isaiah clearly sees his failure in speech, and is forlorn about it, crying out ""Woe is me, for I am undone!"
Think about the show "American Idol". What seems to be the most peculiar thing about the show? I find it strange that so many people without talent think they are really good. How is that? They have not truly studied excellence in voice. They have not examined what makes excellent singing.
Ever heard "ignorance is bliss"? That is so true with our speech. We might become satisfied in ourselves if we never look at what excellent speech is. If we carefully study excellent speech, we might lament in the same way Isaiah does.
Excellent speech is so much more than avoiding cursing. Consider:
- how do you speak of those who you see in the malls, on the street, on TV? What if they are heavy, slow, large featured, or different in any way?
- what things do you say to your family when you are tired, weak, upset?
- how refined is your speech when you are angry?
Also, consider what's missing:
- when is the last time you called someone to uplift them?
- does your voice radiate with joy? does it have a quiet calmness and peace to it? does it have confident strength in storms? does it utter the words of God during the week? do people see God in you because of your speech?
One more time - what is God's standard? "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth ..." (Eph 4:29).
Let the verse continue. " only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Eph 4:29)
And then, here is the real challenge - to fix the mouth, one must first fix the heart.
- Matt 12:34 "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
- Matt 15:8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
- Matt 15:18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
- Luke 6:45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
- Prov 15:28 The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
- Psa 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Purify your heart to purify your words. Seek holiness.
Note that while we will fail God at times in what we say, see what God ultimately has for us. In much the same way that Isaiah would show the people of Israel they could be healed, the seraphim comes to Isaiah to show him the same thing (see verses 6-7). We can be healed. Our challenge is pure speech, for our sake, for others sakes. But, when we fail, and we pay the penalty here, God has released us from the eternal penalty.

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