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61 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the [a]meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and [b]the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified.

And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers. But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and [c]in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be unto them. For I, Jehovah, love justice, I hate robbery [d]with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Jehovah hath blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom [e]decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

62 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called [f]Hephzi-bah, and thy land [g]Beulah; for Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and [h]as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are Jehovah’s remembrancers, [i]take ye no rest, and give him no [j]rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies; and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.

10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign [k]for the peoples. 11 Behold, Jehovah hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his [l]recompense before him. 12 And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of Jehovah: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken.

63 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with [m]dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I [n]trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their [o]lifeblood [p]is sprinkled upon my garments, and I [q]have stained all my raiment. For the day of vengeance [r]was in my heart, and [s]the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my wrath, it upheld me. And [t]I trod down the peoples in mine anger, and [u]made them drunk in my wrath, and I [v]poured out their lifeblood on the earth.

I will make mention of the lovingkindnesses of Jehovah, and the praises of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely, they are my people, children that will not deal falsely: so he was their Saviour. [w]In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

10 But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. 11 [x]Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the [y]shepherds of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit in the midst of them? 12 that caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? that divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name? 13 that led them through the depths, as a horse in the wilderness, so that they stumbled not? 14 As the cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah caused them to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where are thy zeal and thy mighty acts? the yearning of thy heart and thy compassions are restrained toward me. 16 For thou art our Father, though Abraham knoweth us not, and Israel doth not acknowledge us: thou, O Jehovah, art our Father; our Redeemer from everlasting is thy name. 17 O Jehovah, why dost thou make us to err from thy ways, and hardenest our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. 18 Thy holy people possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. 19 We are become as they over whom thou never barest rule, as they that were not called by thy name.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 Or, poor
  2. Isaiah 61:1 Or, opening of the eyes
  3. Isaiah 61:6 Or, to their glory shall ye succeed
  4. Isaiah 61:8 Or, for (or, with) a burnt-offering
  5. Isaiah 61:10 Hebrew decketh himself as a priest.
  6. Isaiah 62:4 That is, My delight is in her.
  7. Isaiah 62:4 That is, Married.
  8. Isaiah 62:5 Hebrew with the joy of the bridegroom.
  9. Isaiah 62:6 Or, keep not silence
  10. Isaiah 62:7 Hebrew silence.
  11. Isaiah 62:10 Or, over
  12. Isaiah 62:11 Or, work
  13. Isaiah 63:1 Or, crimsoned
  14. Isaiah 63:3 Or, will tread . . . and trample
  15. Isaiah 63:3 Or, strength
  16. Isaiah 63:3 Or, shall be
  17. Isaiah 63:3 Or, will stain
  18. Isaiah 63:4 Or, is
  19. Isaiah 63:4 Or, my year of redemption
  20. Isaiah 63:6 Or, I will tread . . . and make . . . and I will pour out
  21. Isaiah 63:6 Or, according to another reading, brake them in pieces
  22. Isaiah 63:6 Or, brought down their strength to the earth
  23. Isaiah 63:9 Another reading is, In all their adversity he was no adversary
  24. Isaiah 63:11 Or, Then his people remembered the ancient days of Moses etc.
  25. Isaiah 63:11 Another reading is, shepherd.

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