Isaiah 61-63

Good News Translation

The Good News of Deliverance

61 ^(A)The Sovereign Lord has filled me with his Spirit.
He has chosen me and sent me
To bring good news to the poor,
To heal the broken-hearted,
To announce release to captives
And freedom to those in prison.
²^(B)He has sent me to proclaim
That the time has come
When the Lord will save his people
And defeat their enemies.
He has sent me to comfort all who mourn,
³To give to those who mourn in Zion
Joy and gladness instead of grief,
A song of praise instead of sorrow.
They will be like trees
That the Lord himself has planted.
They will all do what is right,
And God will be praised for what he has done.
⁴They will rebuild cities that have long been in ruins.

⁵My people, foreigners will serve you.
They will take care of your flocks
And farm your land and tend your vineyards.
⁶And you will be known as the priests of the Lord,
The servants of our God.
You will enjoy the wealth of the nations
And be proud that it is yours.
⁷Your shame and disgrace are ended.
You will live in your own land,
And your wealth will be doubled;
Your joy will last forever.

⁸The Lord says,

“I love justice and I hate oppression and crime.
I will faithfully reward my people
And make an eternal covenant with them.
⁹They will be famous among the nations;
Everyone who sees them will know
That they are a people whom I have blessed.”

¹⁰^(C)Jerusalem rejoices because of what the Lord has done.
She is like a bride dressed for her wedding.
God has clothed her with salvation and victory.
¹¹As surely as seeds sprout and grow,
The Sovereign Lord will save his people,
And all the nations will praise him.

62 I will speak out to encourage Jerusalem;
I will not be silent until she is saved,
And her victory shines like a torch in the night.
²Jerusalem, the nations will see you victorious!
All their kings will see your glory.
You will be called by a new name,
A name given by the Lord himself.
³You will be like a beautiful crown for the Lord.
⁴No longer will you be called “Forsaken,”
Or your land be called “The Deserted Wife.”
Your new name will be “God Is Pleased with Her.”
Your land will be called “Happily Married,”
Because the Lord is pleased with you
And will be like a husband to your land.
⁵Like a young man taking a virgin as his bride,
He who formed you will marry you.
As a groom is delighted with his bride,
So your God will delight in you.

⁶On your walls, Jerusalem, I have placed sentries;
They must never be silent day or night.
They must remind the Lord of his promises
And never let him forget them.
⁷They must give him no rest until he restores Jerusalem
And makes it a city the whole world praises.

⁸The Lord has made a solemn promise,
And by his power he will carry it out:
“Your grain will no longer be food for your enemies,
And foreigners will no longer drink your wine.
⁹But you that planted and harvested the grain
Will eat the bread and praise the Lord.
You that tended and gathered the grapes
Will drink the wine in the courts of my Temple.”

¹⁰People of Jerusalem, go out of the city
And build a road for your returning people!
Prepare a highway; clear it of stones!
Put up a signal so that the nations can know
¹¹^(D)That the Lord is announcing to all the earth:
“Tell the people of Jerusalem
That the Lord is coming to save you,
Bringing with him the people he has rescued.”
¹²You will be called “God's Holy People,”
“The People the Lord Has Saved.”
Jerusalem will be called “The City That God Loves,”
“The City That God Did Not Forsake.”

The Lord's Victory over the Nations

63 ^(E)“Who is this coming from the city of Bozrah in Edom? Who is this so splendidly dressed in red, marching along^[a] in power and strength?”

It is the Lord, powerful to save, coming to announce his victory.

²“Why is his clothing so red, like that of someone who tramples grapes to make wine?”

³^(F)The Lord answers, “I have trampled the nations like grapes, and no one came to help me. I trampled them in my anger, and their blood has stained all my clothing. ⁴I decided that the time to save my people had come; it was time to punish their enemies. ⁵^(G)I was amazed when I looked and saw that there was no one to help me. But my anger made me strong, and I won the victory myself. ⁶In my anger I trampled whole nations and shattered them. I poured out their lifeblood on the ground.”

The Lord's Goodness to Israel

⁷I will tell of the Lord's unfailing love;
I praise him for all he has done for us.
He has richly blessed the people of Israel
because of his mercy and constant love.

⁸The Lord said, “They are my people; they will not deceive me.” And so he saved them ⁹from all their suffering. It was not an angel, but the Lord himself who saved them. In his love and compassion he rescued them. He had always taken care of them in the past, ¹⁰but they rebelled against him and made his holy spirit sad. So the Lord became their enemy and fought against them.

¹¹But then they^[b] remembered the past, the days of Moses, the servant of the Lord, and they asked, “Where now is the Lord, who saved the leaders of his people from the sea? Where is the Lord, who gave his spirit to Moses? ^12-13^(H)Where is the Lord, who by his power did great things through Moses, dividing the waters of the sea and leading his people through the deep water, to win everlasting fame for himself?”

Led by the Lord, they were as sure-footed as wild horses, and never stumbled. ¹⁴As cattle are led into a fertile valley, so the Lord gave his people rest. He led his people and brought honor to his name.

A Prayer for Mercy and Help

¹⁵Lord, look upon us from heaven, where you live in your holiness and glory. Where is your great concern for us? Where is your power? Where are your love and compassion? Do not ignore us. ¹⁶You are our father. Our ancestors Abraham and Jacob do not acknowledge us, but you, Lord, are our father, the one who has always rescued us. ¹⁷Why do you let us stray from your ways? Why do you make us so stubborn that we turn away from you? Come back, for the sake of those who serve you, for the sake of the people who have always been yours.

¹⁸We, your holy people, were driven out by our enemies for a little while; they trampled down your sanctuary.^[c] ¹⁹You treat us as though you had never been our ruler, as though we had never been your people.