The Year of the Lord's Favor
61 (A)The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has (B)anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;[a]
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and (C)the opening of the prison to those who are bound;[b]
2 (D)to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
(E)and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
(F)to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
(G)the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
(H)that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, (I)that he may be glorified.[c]
4 (J)They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
5 (K)Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
6 (L)but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
(M)you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you shall boast.
7 (N)Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.
8 (O)For I the Lord love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong;[d]
(P)I will faithfully give them their recompense,
(Q)and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.
10 (R)I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
(S)for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself (T)like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
(U)and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause (V)righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 61:1 Or afflicted
- Isaiah 61:1 Or the opening [of the eyes] to those who are blind; Septuagint and recovery of sight to the blind
- Isaiah 61:3 Or that he may display his beauty
- Isaiah 61:8 Or robbery with a burnt offering
Cross references
- Isaiah 61:1 : ch. 11:2; 42:1; 48:16; Cited Luke 4:18, 19
- Isaiah 61:1 : Ps. 45:7
- Isaiah 61:1 : ch. 45:13; Ps. 146:7
- Isaiah 61:2 : [Lev. 25:10]
- Isaiah 61:2 : ch. 34:8
- Isaiah 61:3 : ver. 10; [ch. 28:5]
- Isaiah 61:3 : Ps. 45:7; Heb. 1:9
- Isaiah 61:3 : [ch. 60:21]
- Isaiah 61:3 : John 15:8
- Isaiah 61:4 : Amos 9:14; See ch. 58:12
- Isaiah 61:5 : ch. 14:2; [ch. 60:10]
- Isaiah 61:6 : Ex. 19:6; 1 Pet. 2:9; [Joel 1:9]
- Isaiah 61:6 : ch. 60:5, 11, 16
- Isaiah 61:7 : ch. 40:2; [ch. 54:7, 8; Zech. 9:12]
- Isaiah 61:8 : Ps. 11:7; [ch. 59:15]
- Isaiah 61:8 : ch. 40:10; 49:4
- Isaiah 61:8 : See ch. 55:3
- Isaiah 61:10 : Hab. 3:18
- Isaiah 61:10 : [ch. 59:17; Zech. 3:4]
- Isaiah 61:10 : ver. 3
- Isaiah 61:10 : ch. 49:18; Rev. 21:2
- Isaiah 61:11 : [ch. 60:18; 62:7]