Exaltation of the Afflicted

61 The (A)Spirit of the Lord [a]God is upon me,
Because the Lord anointed me
To (B)bring good news to the (C)humble;
He has sent me to (D)bind up the brokenhearted,
To (E)proclaim [b]release to captives
And [c]freedom to prisoners;
To (F)proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the (G)day of vengeance of our God;
To (H)comfort all who mourn,
To (I)grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The (J)oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called [d](K)oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Then they will (L)rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  2. Isaiah 61:1 Or liberty
  3. Isaiah 61:1 Lit opening to those who are bound
  4. Isaiah 61:3 Or terebinths

Good News of Deliverance

61 “The Spirit of the Lord[a] is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed
    and[b] to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives,
    and release from darkness[c] for the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
    the[d] day of vengeance of our God;
        to comfort all who mourn;
to provide for those who grieve in Zion—
    to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

“Then people will call them[e] “Oaks of Righteousness”,
    “The Planting of the Lord”,
        in order to display his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
    they will restore the places long devastated;
they will build again the ruined cities,
    they will build again[f] the places devastated for many generations.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 So 1QIsaa 1QIsab LXX; 4QIsam MT read the Lord God
  2. Isaiah 61:1 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lacks and
  3. Isaiah 61:1 Or prison; or and opening of the eyes
  4. Isaiah 61:2 So 1QIsaa LXXms; 4QIsab MT LXX read and the
  5. Isaiah 61:3 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read they will be called
  6. Isaiah 61:4 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lacks again