The Good News of Salvation

61 “The (A)Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord (B)has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me (C)to [a]heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim (D)liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
(E)To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And (F)the day of vengeance of our God;
(G)To comfort all who mourn,
To [b]console those who mourn in Zion,
(H)To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
(I)The planting of the Lord, (J)that He may be glorified.”

And they shall (K)rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
(L)Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
(M)But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
(N)You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
(O)Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

“For (P)I, the Lord, love justice;
(Q)I hate robbery [c]for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
(R)And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
And their offspring among the people.
All who see them shall acknowledge them,
(S)That they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.”

10 (T)I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For (U)He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
(V)As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause (W)righteousness and (X)praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 Lit. bind up
  2. Isaiah 61:3 Lit. appoint
  3. Isaiah 61:8 Or in

Besorah for the Brokenhearted

61 The Ruach of Adonai Elohim is on me,[a]
because Adonai has anointed me
    to proclaim Good News to the poor.[b]
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound,
to proclaim the year of Adonai’s favor
    and the day of our God’s vengeance,
to comfort all who mourn
to console those who mourn in Zion,
to give them beauty for ashes,
    the oil of joy for mourning,[c]
    the garment of praise
        for the spirit of heaviness,
    that they might be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of Adonai,
    that He may be glorified.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins.
They will restore former desolations.
They will repair the ruined cities,
the desolations of many generations.
Strangers will stand and shepherd your flocks,
children of foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.
But you will be called the kohanim of Adonai,
They will speak of you as the ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations
    and boast in their abundance.

Instead of your shame, double portion.
instead of disgrace they will sing for joy.
Therefore in their land they will inherit a double portion;
    they will have everlasting joy.
For I, Adonai, love justice.
I hate robbery in the burnt offering.
In faithfulness I will reward My people
and cut an eternal covenant with them.
Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
their descendants among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them,
    for they are the seed that Adonai has blessed.

10 I will rejoice greatly in Adonai.
My soul will be joyful in my God.
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me in a robe of righteousness—
like a bridegroom wearing a priestly turban,
like a bride adorning herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes things sown to spring up,
so Adonai Elohim will cause justice and praise
    to spring up before all the nations.

Good News for the Oppressed

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
    for the Lord has anointed me
    to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
    and to proclaim that captives will be released
    and prisoners will be freed.[a]
He has sent me to tell those who mourn
    that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,[b]
    and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel,[c]
    he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
    festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
    that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
    repairing cities destroyed long ago.
They will revive them,
    though they have been deserted for many generations.
Foreigners will be your servants.
    They will feed your flocks
and plow your fields
    and tend your vineyards.
You will be called priests of the Lord,
    ministers of our God.
You will feed on the treasures of the nations
    and boast in their riches.
Instead of shame and dishonor,
    you will enjoy a double share of honor.
You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

“For I, the Lord, love justice.
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering
    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants will be recognized
    and honored among the nations.
Everyone will realize that they are a people
    the Lord has blessed.”

10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
    For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
    and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding
    or a bride with her jewels.
11 The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world.
    Everyone will praise him!
His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring,
    with plants springing up everywhere.

Footnotes

  1. 61:1 Greek version reads and the blind will see. Compare Luke 4:18.
  2. 61:2 Or to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
  3. 61:3 Hebrew in Zion.

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!”
He 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]
As 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.

And 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.
And people will come from all over to serve you:
    Outsiders will tend your flocks, plough your fields, and prune your vines.
You 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.
Many 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.

Eternal 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.
    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.

10 I 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.
11 The 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.

Footnotes

  1. 61:1–2 Luke 4:18–19
  2. 61:10 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.