Isaiah 61

The Voice

61 The Spirit of the Lord, the Eternal, is on me.
    The Lord has appointed me for a special purpose.
He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
    He has sent me to repair broken hearts,
And to declare to those who are held captive and bound in prison,
    “Be free from your imprisonment!”
²He has sent me to announce the year of jubilee, the season of the Eternal’s favor:
    for our enemies it will be a day of God’s wrath;
For those who mourn it will be a time of comfort.^[a]
³As for those who grieve over Zion,
    God has sent me to give them a beautiful crown in exchange for ashes,
To anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow,
    to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise instead of depression and sadness.
People will call them magnificent, like great towering trees
    standing for what is right.
They stand to the glory of the Eternal
    who planted them.

⁴And they will rebuild this place from its ancient ruins;
    they will restore the ages-old, once-splendid structures;
They will renew Israel’s ruined cities
    from the ashes and debris that laid untouched for many generations.
⁵And people will come from all over to serve you:
    Outsiders will tend your flocks, plough your fields, and prune your vines.
⁶You will be known as the ones specially chosen by the Eternal as priests;
    people will speak of you as ministers of our God.
    And the wealth of nations will come to you for your delight and enrichment.
⁷Many called you disgraced and defiled and said that shame should be your share of things.
    Yet you suffered doubly and lived in disgrace;
So double will be your share, and with joy everlasting.

⁸Eternal One: For I, the Eternal, love justice.
        I hate stealing and all manner of wrongdoing.
    In faithfulness to those who do justice, I promise they will be rewarded for their work;
        and I will establish an everlasting covenant with them.
⁹    Furthermore, I will promise them My support for their children,
        so that all nations and everyone around
    Will see that they are the children blessed by the Eternal God.

¹⁰I am filled with joy and my soul vibrates with exuberant hope,
    because of the Eternal my God;
For He has dressed me with the garment of salvation,
    wrapped me with the robe of righteousness.
It’s as though I’m dressed for my wedding day,^[b]
    in the very best: a bridegroom’s garland and a bride’s jewels.
¹¹The whole earth sprouts newness and life in the springtime,
    and green shoots break through the well-seeded garden soil.
That’s what it is like with the Eternal’s victory—
    the Lord will cause justice and praise to sprout up before all the nations, for all peoples to see.