Isaiah 61

Isaiah 60 Isaiah 62

Isaiah 61 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

The Good News of Victory

61 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.
²This 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,
³    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.
⁴Then they will rebuild cities
that have been in ruins
    for many generations.

⁵They will hire foreigners
to take care of their sheep
    and their vineyards.
⁶But 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]
⁷They were terribly insulted
    and horribly mistreated;
now they will be greatly blessed
    and joyful forever.

The Lord Loves Justice

⁸I, the Lord, love justice!
But I hate robbery
    and injustice.^[b]
My people, I solemnly promise
to reward you
    with an eternal agreement.
⁹Your 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

¹⁰I 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 a groom.
¹¹The Lord will bring about
justice and praise
    in every nation on earth,
like flowers blooming
    in a garden.