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]
(D)to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    (E)and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
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]
(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.

(K)Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
    foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
(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.
(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.

(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.
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.

Zion's Coming Salvation

62 (W)For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
    and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
(X)until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
    and her salvation as a burning torch.
(Y)The nations shall see your righteousness,
    and all the kings your glory,
(Z)and you shall be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will give.
You shall be (AA)a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
    and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
(AB)You shall no more be termed (AC)Forsaken,[e]
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,[f]
(AD)but you shall be called (AE)My Delight Is in Her,[g]
    and your land Married;[h]
for the Lord delights in you,
    and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
    so (AF)shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
    so (AG)shall your God rejoice over you.

On your walls, O Jerusalem,
    I have set (AH)watchmen;
all the day and all the night
    they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
    take no rest,
and give him no rest
    until he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes it (AI)a praise in the earth.
The Lord has sworn (AJ)by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give (AK)your grain
    to be food for your enemies,
(AL)and foreigners shall not drink your wine
    for which you have labored;
but (AM)those who garner it shall eat it
    and praise the Lord,
and (AN)those who gather it shall drink it
    in the courts of my sanctuary.”[i]

10 Go through, go through the gates;
    (AO)prepare the way for the people;
(AP)build up, build up the highway;
    clear it of stones;
    (AQ)lift up a signal over the peoples.
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
    to the end of the earth:
(AR)Say to the daughter of Zion,
    (AS)“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.”
12 (AT)And they shall be called The Holy People,
    The Redeemed of the Lord;
(AU)and you shall be called Sought Out,
    A City Not Forsaken.

The Lord's Day of Vengeance

63 Who is this who comes from (AV)Edom,
    in crimsoned garments from (AW)Bozrah,
he who is splendid in his apparel,
    (AX)marching in the greatness of his strength?
“It is I, speaking in righteousness,
    mighty to save.”

Why is your (AY)apparel red,
    and your garments like his (AZ)who treads in the winepress?

(BA)“I have trodden the winepress alone,
    (BB)and from the peoples no one was with me;
I trod them in my anger
    and trampled them in my wrath;
their lifeblood[j] spattered on my garments,
    and stained all my apparel.
(BC)For the day of vengeance was in my heart,
    and my year of redemption[k] had come.
I looked, but (BD)there was no one to help;
    I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold;
so my own arm brought me salvation,
    and my wrath upheld me.
I trampled down the peoples in my anger;
    (BE)I made them drunk in my wrath,
    and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

The Lord's Mercy Remembered

I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
    the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
    (BF)and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
For he said, “Surely they are my people,
    children who will not deal falsely.”
    And he became their Savior.
(BG)In all their affliction he was afflicted,[l]
    and the angel of his presence saved them;
(BH)in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
    (BI)he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

10 (BJ)But they rebelled
    (BK)and grieved his Holy Spirit;
therefore he turned to be their enemy,
    and himself fought against them.
11 Then he remembered (BL)the days of old,
    of Moses and his people.[m]
(BM)Where is he who brought them up out of the sea
    with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put in the midst of them
    his Holy Spirit,
12 who caused his glorious arm
    to go at the right hand of Moses,
(BN)who divided the waters before them
    (BO)to make for himself an everlasting name,
13     who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
    they did not stumble.
14 Like livestock that go down into the valley,
    (BP)the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
So you led your people,
    (BQ)to make for yourself a glorious name.

Prayer for Mercy

15 (BR)Look down from heaven and see,
    (BS)from your holy and beautiful[n] habitation.
Where are (BT)your zeal and your might?
    The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion
    are held back from me.
16 For (BU)you are our Father,
    though Abraham does not know us,
    and Israel does not acknowledge us;
you, O Lord, are our Father,
    (BV)our Redeemer from of old is your name.
17 O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways
    and (BW)harden our heart, so that we fear you not?
(BX)Return for the sake of your servants,
    the tribes of your heritage.
18 (BY)Your holy people held possession for a little while;[o]
    (BZ)our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.
19 (CA)We have become like those over whom you have never ruled,
    like those who are not called by your name.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 Or afflicted
  2. Isaiah 61:1 Or the opening [of the eyes] to those who are blind; Septuagint and recovery of sight to the blind
  3. Isaiah 61:3 Or that he may display his beauty
  4. Isaiah 61:8 Or robbery with a burnt offering
  5. Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Azubah
  6. Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Shemamah
  7. Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Hephzibah
  8. Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Beulah
  9. Isaiah 62:9 Or in my holy courts
  10. Isaiah 63:3 Or their juice; also verse 6
  11. Isaiah 63:4 Or the year of my redeemed
  12. Isaiah 63:9 Or he did not afflict
  13. Isaiah 63:11 Or Then his people remembered the days of old, of Moses
  14. Isaiah 63:15 Or holy and glorious
  15. Isaiah 63:18 Or They have dispossessed your holy people for a little while

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit(A) of the Sovereign Lord(B) is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed(C) me
    to proclaim good news(D) to the poor.(E)
He has sent me to bind up(F) the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom(G) for the captives(H)
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor(I)
    and the day of vengeance(J) of our God,
to comfort(K) all who mourn,(L)
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(M) of beauty
    instead of ashes,(N)
the oil(O) of joy
    instead of mourning,(P)
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting(Q) of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.(R)

They will rebuild the ancient ruins(S)
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
Strangers(T) will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
And you will be called priests(U) of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(V) of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of your shame(W)
    you will receive a double(X) portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(Y) a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy(Z) will be yours.

“For I, the Lord, love justice;(AA)
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant(AB) with them.
Their descendants(AC) will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”(AD)

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices(AE) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(AF)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(AG) like a priest,
    and as a bride(AH) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden(AI) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness(AJ)
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Zion’s New Name

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,(AK)
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(AL) shines out like the dawn,(AM)
    her salvation(AN) like a blazing torch.
The nations(AO) will see your vindication,
    and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name(AP)
    that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
You will be a crown(AQ) of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
    a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted,(AR)
    or name your land Desolate.(AS)
But you will be called Hephzibah,[b](AT)
    and your land Beulah[c];
for the Lord will take delight(AU) in you,
    and your land will be married.(AV)
As a young man marries a young woman,
    so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom(AW) rejoices over his bride,
    so will your God rejoice(AX) over you.

I have posted watchmen(AY) on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,(AZ)
and give him no rest(BA) till he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes her the praise(BB) of the earth.

The Lord has sworn(BC) by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(BD)
    as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
    for which you have toiled;
but those who harvest it will eat(BE) it
    and praise the Lord,(BF)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
    in the courts of my sanctuary.”(BG)

10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(BH)
    Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(BI)
    Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(BJ) for the nations.

11 The Lord has made proclamation
    to the ends of the earth:(BK)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(BL)
    ‘See, your Savior comes!(BM)
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.’”(BN)
12 They will be called(BO) the Holy People,(BP)
    the Redeemed(BQ) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
    the City No Longer Deserted.(BR)

God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,(BS)
    from Bozrah,(BT) with his garments stained crimson?(BU)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(BV)

“It is I, proclaiming victory,
    mighty to save.”(BW)

Why are your garments red,
    like those of one treading the winepress?(BX)

“I have trodden the winepress(BY) alone;
    from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(BZ) them in my anger
    and trod them down in my wrath;(CA)
their blood spattered my garments,(CB)
    and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;(CC)
    the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one(CD) to help,
    I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(CE) achieved salvation for me,
    and my own wrath sustained me.(CF)
I trampled(CG) the nations in my anger;
    in my wrath I made them drunk(CH)
    and poured their blood(CI) on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

I will tell of the kindnesses(CJ) of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things(CK)
    he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion(CL) and many kindnesses.
He said, “Surely they are my people,(CM)
    children who will be true to me”;
    and so he became their Savior.(CN)
In all their distress he too was distressed,
    and the angel(CO) of his presence(CP) saved them.[d]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(CQ) them;
    he lifted them up and carried(CR) them
    all the days of old.(CS)
10 Yet they rebelled(CT)
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.(CU)
So he turned and became their enemy(CV)
    and he himself fought(CW) against them.

11 Then his people recalled[e] the days of old,
    the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(CX)
    with the shepherd of his flock?(CY)
Where is he who set
    his Holy Spirit(CZ) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(DA) of power
    to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(DB) before them,
    to gain for himself everlasting renown,(DC)
13 who led(DD) them through the depths?(DE)
Like a horse in open country,
    they did not stumble;(DF)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
    they were given rest(DG) by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
    to make for yourself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven(DH) and see,
    from your lofty throne,(DI) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(DJ) and your might?
    Your tenderness and compassion(DK) are withheld(DL) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(DM)
    though Abraham does not know us
    or Israel acknowledge(DN) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
    our Redeemer(DO) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(DP) from your ways
    and harden our hearts(DQ) so we do not revere(DR) you?
Return(DS) for the sake of your servants,
    the tribes that are your inheritance.(DT)
18 For a little while(DU) your people possessed your holy place,
    but now our enemies have trampled(DV) down your sanctuary.(DW)
19 We are yours from of old;
    but you have not ruled over them,
    they have not been called[f] by your name.(DX)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
  2. Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
  3. Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
  4. Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
  5. Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
  6. Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called