Chapter 61
A Message of Consolation
1 [a]The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to announce good news to the oppressed,
to strengthen the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom to those held in captivity
and release to those who have been imprisoned,
2 to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favor
and a day of vengeance for our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 to give to all those who mourn in Zion
a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a spirit of despair.
And they will be called oaks of righteousness
planted by the Lord to show forth his glory.
Israel’s Reward
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and raise up sites that have long been desolate.
They will restore the ruined cities
that for generations have been merely ravaged wastes.
5 Strangers will come forth to shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will farm your land and dress your vines.
6 But you will be called priests of the Lord;
and you will be named ministers of our God.
You will enjoy the wealth of the nations,
and their former glory will be yours.
7 Because you endured a double measure of shame
and were regarded as deserving of dishonor and disgrace,
you will receive a double portion,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice,
and I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will be faithful in rewarding such victims,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be renowned among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who behold them will acknowledge
that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I rejoice in the Lord with all my heart;
my soul exults in my God.
For he has clothed me in garments of salvation
and wrapped me in a robe of saving justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a garland
or a bride bedecked with her jewels.
11 As the earth puts forth its shoots
and a garden causes its seeds to sprout,
so the Lord God will cause his justice and praise
to spring up in the sight of all the nations.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord rests on human beings who are destined to bear witness to true salvation: for example, on the infant Messiah (Isa 11:2) and on the Servant (Isa 42:1). He also energizes a prophet who is witness to the difficult years of the return. In the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus will read this passage and declare that it is fulfilled in him (Lk 4:18-19).