They will rebuild the ancient ruins;(A)
they will restore the former devastations;
they will renew the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,
and foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.(B)

But you will be called the Lord’s priests;(C)
they will speak of you as ministers of our God;
you will eat the wealth of the nations,
and you will boast in their riches.
In place of your shame, you will have a double portion;(D)
in place of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share.
So they will possess double in their land,(E)
and eternal joy will be theirs.

For I the Lord love justice;(F)
I hate robbery and injustice;[a]
I will faithfully reward my people
and make a permanent covenant(G) with them.
Their descendants will be known among the nations,
and their posterity among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.

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Footnotes

  1. 61:8 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read robbery with a burnt offering

And they shall build the ancient ruins,
    they shall erect the former deserted places.
And they shall restore the devastated cities,[a]
    the deserted places of many generations.[b]
And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,[c]
    and foreigners[d] shall be your farmers and vinedressers.
But[e] you shall be called the priests of Yahweh,
    you will be called[f] 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.[g]
For I, Yahweh, love justice,
    hate robbery and[h] injustice,
and I will faithfully[i] give their reward,
    and I will make[j] an everlasting covenant with[k] them.
And their descendants[l] 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[m] whom Yahweh has blessed.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:4 Literally “cities of devastation”
  2. Isaiah 61:4 Literally “generation and generation”
  3. Isaiah 61:5 Hebrew “flock”
  4. Isaiah 61:5 Literally “sons of a foreign country”
  5. Isaiah 61:6 Or “And”
  6. Isaiah 61:6 Literally “it shall be said of you”
  7. Isaiah 61:7 Literally “possession of joy everlasting shall be for them”
  8. Isaiah 61:8 Or “in”
  9. Isaiah 61:8 Literally “in the faithfulness”
  10. Isaiah 61:8 Literally “cut”
  11. Isaiah 61:8 Literally “to”
  12. Isaiah 61:9 Hebrew “descendant”
  13. Isaiah 61:9 Hebrew “descendant”