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.
(M)Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And [e]foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
But you will be called the (N)priests of the Lord;
You will be spoken of as (O)ministers of our God.
You will eat the (P)wealth of nations,
And you will boast in their [f]riches.
Instead of your (Q)shame you will have a (R)double portion,
And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,
(S)Everlasting joy will be theirs.
For I, the Lord, (T)love justice,
I hate robbery [g]in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their reward,
And make an (U)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 (V)offspring whom the Lord has blessed.

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

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
  5. Isaiah 61:5 Lit sons of the foreigner
  6. Isaiah 61:6 Or glory
  7. Isaiah 61:8 Or with malice
  8. Isaiah 61:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord

The Good News of Deliverance

61 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me
    because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and release to the prisoners,(A)
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
    to comfort all who mourn,(B)
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.(C)
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.(D)

Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks;
    foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines,(E)
but you shall be called priests of the Lord;
    you shall be named ministers of our God;
you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,
    and in their riches you shall glory.(F)
Because their[a] shame was double
    and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot,
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
    everlasting joy shall be theirs.(G)

For I, the Lord, love justice,
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing;[b]
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.(H)
Their descendants shall be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge
    that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.(I)
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my whole being shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.(J)
11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to spring up before all the nations.(K)

Footnotes

  1. 61.7 Heb your
  2. 61.8 Or robbery with a burnt offering