The Good News of Deliverance
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good tidings to the afflicted;[a]
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison[b] to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
4 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 Aliens shall stand and feed your flocks,
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
6 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord,
men shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their riches you shall glory.
7 Instead of your shame you shall have a double portion,
instead of dishonor you[c] shall rejoice in your[d] lot;
therefore in your[e] land you[f] shall possess a double portion;
yours[g] shall be everlasting joy.
8 For I the Lord love justice,
I hate robbery and wrong;[h]
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants shall be known among the nations,
and their offspring in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my soul shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring forth before all the nations.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 61:1 Or poor
- Isaiah 61:1 Or the opening of the eyes: Heb the opening
- Isaiah 61:7 Heb they
- Isaiah 61:7 Heb their
- Isaiah 61:7 Heb their
- Isaiah 61:7 Heb they
- Isaiah 61:7 Heb theirs
- Isaiah 61:8 Or robbery with a burnt offering