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.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind

61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, 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 beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might 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.

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“For I, the Lord, love justice;(A)
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant(B) with them.
Their descendants(C) 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.”(D)

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

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For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, 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 decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

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Mary’s Song(A)

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord(B)
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(C)
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.(D)
From now on all generations will call me blessed,(E)
49     for the Mighty One has done great things(F) for me—
    holy is his name.(G)
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.(H)
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;(I)
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.(J)
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.(K)
53 He has filled the hungry with good things(L)
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful(M)
55 to Abraham and his descendants(N) forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

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46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

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16 Rejoice always,(A) 17 pray continually,(B) 18 give thanks in all circumstances;(C) for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit.(D) 20 Do not treat prophecies(E) with contempt 21 but test them all;(F) hold on to what is good,(G) 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace,(H) sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul(I) and body be kept blameless(J) at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.(K) 24 The one who calls(L) you is faithful,(M) and he will do it.(N)

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16 Rejoice evermore.

17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

19 Quench not the Spirit.

20 Despise not prophesyings.

21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

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There was a man sent from God whose name was John.(A) He came as a witness to testify(B) concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.(C) He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

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There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

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John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

19 Now this was John’s(A) testimony when the Jewish leaders[a](B) in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”(C)

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”(D)

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”(E)

He answered, “No.”

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,(F) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[b](G)

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with[c] water,”(H) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me,(I) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”(J)

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,(K) where John was baptizing.

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:19 The Greek term traditionally translated the Jews (hoi Ioudaioi) refers here and elsewhere in John’s Gospel to those Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus; also in 5:10, 15, 16; 7:1, 11, 13; 9:22; 18:14, 28, 36; 19:7, 12, 31, 38; 20:19.
  2. John 1:23 Isaiah 40:3
  3. John 1:26 Or in; also in verses 31 and 33 (twice)

19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

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