Isaiah 61:3-9
English Standard Version
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
(A)to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
(B)the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
(C)that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, (D)that he may be glorified.[a]
4 (E)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.
5 (F)Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
6 (G)but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
(H)you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you shall boast.
7 (I)Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.
8 (J)For I the Lord love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong;[b]
(K)I will faithfully give them their recompense,
(L)and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 61:3 Or that he may display his beauty
- Isaiah 61:8 Or robbery with a burnt offering
Isaiah 61:3-9
New English Translation
3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy,[a] instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise,[b] instead of discouragement.[c]
They will be called oaks of righteousness,[d]
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.[e]
4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate;[f]
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
5 [g] “Foreigners will take care of[h] your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,
servants of our God.’[i]
You will enjoy[j] the wealth of nations
and boast about[k] the riches you receive from them.[l]
7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion;[m]
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive.[n]
Yes,[o] they will possess a double portion in their land
and experience lasting joy.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice
and hate robbery and sin.
I will repay them because of my faithfulness;[p]
I will make a permanent covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize that
the Lord has blessed them.”[q]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”
- Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “garment of praise.”
- Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
- Isaiah 61:3 tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
- Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
- Isaiah 61:4 tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
- Isaiah 61:5 sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech.
- Isaiah 61:5 tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.”
- Isaiah 61:6 tn The Hebrew text adds, “it will be said concerning you.”
- Isaiah 61:6 tn Heb “eat” (KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “feed on”; NLT “be fed with.”
- Isaiah 61:6 tc The form in the Hebrew text probably needs to be emended to יִתְאַמְּרוּ (yitʾammeru), a Hitpael from אָמַר (ʾamar), meaning “boast about” (see HALOT 67 s.v. II אמר, HALOT 416 s.v. ימר, and BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר).
- Isaiah 61:6 tn Heb “their glory” (i.e., riches).
- Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
- Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תַחַת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
- Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”
- Isaiah 61:8 tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
- Isaiah 61:9 tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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