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Isaiah 61-63
The Message
Isaiah 61-63
The Message
Announce Freedom to All Captives
61 1-7 The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me
because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness”
planted by God to display his glory.
They’ll rebuild the old ruins,
raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They’ll start over on the ruined cities,
take the rubble left behind and make it new.
You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks
and foreigners to work your fields,
But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,”
honored as ministers of our God.
You’ll feast on the bounty of nations,
you’ll bask in their glory.
Because you got a double dose of trouble
and more than your share of contempt,
Your inheritance in the land will be doubled
and your joy go on forever.
8-9 “Because I, God, love fair dealing
and hate thievery and crime,
I’ll pay your wages on time and in full,
and establish my eternal covenant with you.
Your descendants will become well-known all over.
Your children in foreign countries
Will be recognized at once
as the people I have blessed.”
10-11 I will sing for joy in God,
explode in praise from deep in my soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo
and a bride a jeweled tiara.
For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,
and as a garden cascades with blossoms,
So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom
and puts praise on display before the nations.
Look, Your Savior Comes!
62 1-5 Regarding Zion, I can’t keep my mouth shut,
regarding Jerusalem, I can’t hold my tongue,
Until her righteousness blazes down like the sun
and her salvation flames up like a torch.
Foreign countries will see your righteousness,
and world leaders your glory.
You’ll get a brand-new name
straight from the mouth of God.
You’ll be a stunning crown in the palm of God’s hand,
a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.
No more will anyone call you Rejected,
and your country will no more be called Ruined.
You’ll be called Hephzibah (My Delight),
and your land Beulah (Married),
Because God delights in you
and your land will be like a wedding celebration.
For as a young man marries his virgin bride,
so your builder marries you,
And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride,
so your God is happy with you.
6-7 I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem.
Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out,
reminding God to remember.
They are to give him no peace until he does what he said,
until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise.
8-9 God has taken a solemn oath,
an oath he means to keep:
“Never again will I open your grain-filled barns
to your enemies to loot and eat.
Never again will foreigners drink the wine
that you worked so hard to produce.
No. The farmers who grow the food will eat the food
and praise God for it.
And those who make the wine will drink the wine
in my holy courtyards.”
10-12 Walk out of the gates. Get going!
Get the road ready for the people.
Build the highway. Get at it!
Clear the debris,
hoist high a flag, a signal to all peoples!
Yes! God has broadcast to all the world:
“Tell daughter Zion, ‘Look! Your Savior comes,
Ready to do what he said he’d do,
prepared to complete what he promised.’”
Zion will be called new names: Holy People, God-Redeemed,
Sought-Out, City-Not-Forsaken.
Who Goes There?
63 The watchmen call out,
“Who goes there, marching out of Edom,
out of Bozrah in clothes dyed red?
Name yourself, so splendidly dressed,
advancing, bristling with power!”
“It is I: I speak what is right,
I, mighty to save!”
2 “And why are your robes so red,
your clothes dyed red like those who tread grapes?”
3-6 “I’ve been treading the winepress alone.
No one was there to help me.
Angrily, I stomped the grapes;
raging, I trampled the people.
Their blood spurted all over me—
all my clothes were soaked with blood.
I was set on vengeance.
The time for redemption had arrived.
I looked around for someone to help
—no one.
I couldn’t believe it
—not one volunteer.
So I went ahead and did it myself,
fed and fueled by my rage.
I trampled the people in my anger,
crushed them under foot in my wrath,
soaked the earth with their lifeblood.”
All the Things God Has Done That Need Praising
7-9 I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
love extravagant.
He said, “Without question these are my people,
children who would never betray me.”
So he became their Savior.
In all their troubles,
he was troubled, too.
He didn’t send someone else to help them.
He did it himself, in person.
Out of his own love and pity
he redeemed them.
He rescued them and carried them along
for a long, long time.
10 But they turned on him;
they grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned on them,
became their enemy and fought them.
11-14 Then they remembered the old days,
the days of Moses, God’s servant:
“Where is he who brought the shepherds of his flock
up and out of the sea?
And what happened to the One who set
his Holy Spirit within them?
Who linked his arm with Moses’ right arm,
divided the waters before them,
Making him famous ever after,
and led them through the muddy abyss
as surefooted as horses on hard, level ground?
Like a herd of cattle led to pasture,
the Spirit of God gave them rest.”
14-19 That’s how you led your people!
That’s how you became so famous!
Look down from heaven, look at us!
Look out the window of your holy and magnificent house!
Whatever happened to your passion,
your famous mighty acts,
Your heartfelt pity, your compassion?
Why are you holding back?
You are our Father.
Abraham and Israel are long dead.
They wouldn’t know us from Adam.
But you’re our living Father,
our Redeemer, famous from eternity!
Why, God, did you make us wander from your ways?
Why did you make us cold and stubborn
so that we no longer worshiped you in awe?
Turn back for the sake of your servants.
You own us! We belong to you!
For a while your holy people had it good,
but now our enemies have wrecked your holy place.
For a long time now, you’ve paid no attention to us.
It’s like you never knew us.
Isaiah 61-63
New International Version
Isaiah 61-63
New International Version
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]
2 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)
3 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)
4 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.
5 Strangers(T) will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 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.
7 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.
8 “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.
9 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.
2 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.
3 You will be a crown(AQ) of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 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)
5 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.
6 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)
7 and give him no rest(BA) till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise(BB) of the earth.
8 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;
9 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)
2 Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress?(BX)
3 “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.
4 It was for me the day of vengeance;(CC)
the year for me to redeem had come.
5 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)
6 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
7 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.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,(CM)
children who will be true to me”;
and so he became their Savior.(CN)
9 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
- Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
- Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
- Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
- Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior 9 in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
- Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
- Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.