Add parallel Print Page Options

The Good News of Victory

61 (A)(B) The Spirit of the Lord God
    has taken control of me!
The Lord has chosen and sent me
to tell the oppressed
    the good news,
to heal the brokenhearted,
and to announce freedom
    for prisoners and captives.
(C) This is the year
    when the Lord God
will show kindness to us
    and punish our enemies.

The Lord has sent me
to comfort those who mourn,
    especially in Jerusalem.
He sent me to give them flowers
    in place of their sorrow,
olive oil in place of tears,
and joyous praise
    in place of broken hearts.
They will be called
    “Trees of Justice,”
planted by the Lord
    to honor his name.
Then they will rebuild cities
that have been in ruins
    for many generations.

They will hire foreigners
to take care of their sheep
    and their vineyards.
But they themselves will be
priests and servants
    of the Lord our God.
The treasures of the nations
will belong to them,
    and they will be famous.[a]
They were terribly insulted
    and horribly mistreated;
now they will be greatly blessed
    and joyful forever.

The Lord Loves Justice

I, the Lord, love justice!
But I hate robbery
    and injustice.[b]
My people, I solemnly promise
to reward you
    with an eternal agreement.
Your descendants will be known
    in every nation.
All who see them will realize
that they have been blessed,
    by me, the Lord.

Celebrate and Shout

10 (D) I celebrate and shout
    because of my Lord God.
His saving power and justice
    are the very clothes I wear.
They are more beautiful
than the jewelry worn
    by a bride or groom.
11 The Lord will bring about
justice and praise
    in every nation on earth,
like flowers blooming
    in a garden.

Footnotes

  1. 61.6 and … famous: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  2. 61.8 But … injustice: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit(A) of the Sovereign Lord(B) is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed(C) me
    to proclaim good news(D) to the poor.(E)
He has sent me to bind up(F) the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom(G) for the captives(H)
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor(I)
    and the day of vengeance(J) of our God,
to comfort(K) all who mourn,(L)
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(M) of beauty
    instead of ashes,(N)
the oil(O) of joy
    instead of mourning,(P)
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting(Q) of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.(R)

They will rebuild the ancient ruins(S)
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
Strangers(T) will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
And you will be called priests(U) of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(V) of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of your shame(W)
    you will receive a double(X) portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(Y) a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy(Z) will be yours.

“For I, the Lord, love justice;(AA)
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant(AB) with them.
Their descendants(AC) will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”(AD)

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices(AE) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(AF)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(AG) like a priest,
    and as a bride(AH) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden(AI) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness(AJ)
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind