Exaltation of the Afflicted

61 The (A)Spirit of the Lord [a]God is upon me,
Because the Lord anointed me
To (B)bring good news to the (C)humble;
He has sent me to (D)bind up the brokenhearted,
To (E)proclaim [b]release to captives
And [c]freedom to prisoners;
To (F)proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the (G)day of vengeance of our God;
To (H)comfort all who mourn,
To (I)grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The (J)oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called [d](K)oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Then they will (L)rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  2. Isaiah 61:1 Or liberty
  3. Isaiah 61:1 Lit opening to those who are bound
  4. Isaiah 61:3 Or terebinths

For I, the Lord, (A)love justice,
I hate robbery [a]in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their reward,
And make an (B)everlasting covenant with them.
Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the (C)offspring whom the Lord has blessed.

10 I will (D)rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will be joyful in (E)my God;
For He has (F)clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a groom puts on a turban,
And (G)as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the (H)earth produces its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord [b]God will (I)cause (J)righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:8 Or with malice
  2. Isaiah 61:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord

The Witness John the Baptist

A man [a]came, one sent from God, and his name was (A)John. [b]He came [c](B)as a witness, to testify about the Light, (C)so that all might believe through him. [d](D)He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:6 Or came into being
  2. John 1:7 Lit This one
  3. John 1:7 Lit for testimony
  4. John 1:8 Lit That one; i.e., John

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 This is (A)the testimony of John, when (B)the Jews sent priests and Levites to him (C)from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 And he confessed and did not deny; and this is what he confessed: “(D)I am not the [a]Christ.” 21 And so they asked him, “What then? Are you (E)Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you (F)the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am (G)the voice of one calling [b]out in the wilderness, ‘Make the way of the Lord straight,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

24 And the messengers had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the [c]Christ, nor Elijah, nor (H)the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “(I)I baptize [d]in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27 It is (J)He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy even to untie the (K)strap of His sandal.” 28 These things took place in Bethany (L)beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing people.

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:20 I.e., Messiah
  2. John 1:23 Or out, In the wilderness make the way
  3. John 1:25 I.e., Messiah
  4. John 1:26 The Gr here can be translated in, with, or by

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