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The Year of Yahweh’s Favor

61 The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me,
    because Yahweh has anointed me,
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,[a]
to proclaim[b] release to the captives
    and liberation to those who are bound,
to proclaim[c] the year of Yahweh’s favor,
    and our God’s day of vengeance,
to comfort all those in mourning,
    to give[d] for those in mourning in Zion,
to give them a head wrap instead of ashes,
    the oil of joy instead of mourning,
    a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.
And they will be called[e] oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.
And they shall build the ancient ruins,
    they shall erect the former deserted places.
And they shall restore the devastated cities,[f]
    the deserted places of many generations.[g]
And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,[h]
    and foreigners[i] shall be your farmers and vinedressers.
But[j] you shall be called the priests of Yahweh,
    you will be called[k] servers of our God.
You shall eat the wealth of the nations,
    and you shall boast in their riches.
Instead of your shame, a double portion,
    and instead of insult, they will rejoice over their portion.
Therefore they will take a double portion in their land;
    they shall possess everlasting joy.[l]
For I, Yahweh, love justice,
    hate robbery and[m] injustice,
and I will faithfully[n] give their reward,
    and I will make[o] an everlasting covenant with[p] them.
And their descendants[q] will be known among the nations,
    and their offspring in the midst of the peoples.
All those who see them shall recognize them,
    that they are descendants[r] whom Yahweh has blessed.
10 I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh;
    my being shall shout in exultation in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation,
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns himself with a head wrap like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewelry.
11 For as the earth produces[s] its sprout,
    and as a garden makes its plants sprout,
so the Lord Yahweh will make righteousness sprout,
    and praise before all the nations.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 Literally “those broken of heart”
  2. Isaiah 61:1 Literally “call”
  3. Isaiah 61:2 Literally “call”
  4. Isaiah 61:3 Literally “place”
  5. Isaiah 61:3 Literally “it will be called to them”
  6. Isaiah 61:4 Literally “cities of devastation”
  7. Isaiah 61:4 Literally “generation and generation”
  8. Isaiah 61:5 Hebrew “flock”
  9. Isaiah 61:5 Literally “sons of a foreign country”
  10. Isaiah 61:6 Or “And”
  11. Isaiah 61:6 Literally “it shall be said of you”
  12. Isaiah 61:7 Literally “possession of joy everlasting shall be for them”
  13. Isaiah 61:8 Or “in”
  14. Isaiah 61:8 Literally “in the faithfulness”
  15. Isaiah 61:8 Literally “cut”
  16. Isaiah 61:8 Literally “to”
  17. Isaiah 61:9 Hebrew “descendant”
  18. Isaiah 61:9 Hebrew “descendant”
  19. Isaiah 61:11 Literally “brings out”

Chapter 61

A Message of Consolation

    [a]The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me
    because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to announce good news to the oppressed,
    to strengthen the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom to those held in captivity
    and release to those who have been imprisoned,
to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favor
    and a day of vengeance for our God,
    to comfort all who mourn,
to give to all those who mourn in Zion
    a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    a glorious mantle instead of a spirit of despair.
And they will be called oaks of righteousness
    planted by the Lord to show forth his glory.

Israel’s Reward

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and raise up sites that have long been desolate.
They will restore the ruined cities
    that for generations have been merely ravaged wastes.
Strangers will come forth to shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will farm your land and dress your vines.
But you will be called priests of the Lord;
    and you will be named ministers of our God.
You will enjoy the wealth of the nations,
    and their former glory will be yours.
Because you endured a double measure of shame
    and were regarded as deserving of dishonor and disgrace,
you will receive a double portion,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.
For I, the Lord, love justice,
    and I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will be faithful in rewarding such victims,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants will be renowned among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who behold them will acknowledge
    that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I rejoice in the Lord with all my heart;
    my soul exults in my God.
For he has clothed me in garments of salvation
    and wrapped me in a robe of saving justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a garland
    or a bride bedecked with her jewels.
11 As the earth puts forth its shoots
    and a garden causes its seeds to sprout,
so the Lord God will cause his justice and praise
    to spring up in the sight of all the nations.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord rests on human beings who are destined to bear witness to true salvation: for example, on the infant Messiah (Isa 11:2) and on the Servant (Isa 42:1). He also energizes a prophet who is witness to the difficult years of the return. In the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus will read this passage and declare that it is fulfilled in him (Lk 4:18-19).