1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,[1]2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,3and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour.4They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.5Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.6And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.7Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.8‘For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them.9Their descendants 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.’10I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.11For as the soil makes the young plant come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
Isaiah 61
English Standard Version
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;[1] 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;[2] (Ps 45:7; Ps 146:7; Isa 11:2; Isa 42:1; Isa 45:13; Isa 48:16; Lu 4:18)2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; (Le 25:10; Isa 34:8)3to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.[3] (Ps 45:7; Isa 28:5; Isa 60:21; Isa 61:10; Joh 15:8; Heb 1:9)4They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. (Isa 58:12; Am 9:14)5Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; (Isa 14:2; Isa 60:10)6but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. (Ex 19:6; Isa 60:5; Isa 60:11; Isa 60:16; Joe 1:9; 1Pe 2:9)7Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. (Isa 40:2; Isa 54:7; Zec 9:12)8For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong;[4] I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. (Ps 11:7; Isa 40:10; Isa 49:4; Isa 55:3; Isa 59:15)9Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isa 49:18; Isa 59:17; Isa 61:3; Hab 3:18; Zec 3:4; Re 21:2)11For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. (Isa 60:18; Isa 62:7)