Isaiah 61

The Year of the Lord's Favor

1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, 1 because the Lord has anointed me 1 to bring good news to the poor;[a] 1 he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 1 to proclaim liberty to the captives, 1 and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;[b]

2. to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, 2 and the day of vengeance of our God; 2 to comfort all who mourn;

3. to grant to those who mourn in Zion— 3 to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, 3 the oil of gladness instead of mourning, 3 the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; 3 that they may be called oaks of righteousness, 3 the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.[c]

4. They shall build up the ancient ruins; 4 they shall raise up the former devastations; 4 they shall repair the ruined cities, 4 the devastations of many generations.

5. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; 5 foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;

6. but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; 6 they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; 6 you shall eat the wealth of the nations, 6 and in their glory you shall boast.

7. Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; 7 instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; 7 therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; 7 they shall have everlasting joy.

8. For I the Lord love justice; 8 I hate robbery and wrong;[d] 8 I will faithfully give them their recompense, 8 and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, 9 and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; 9 all who see them shall acknowledge them, 9 that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.

10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; 10 my soul shall exult in my God, 10 for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; 10 he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, 10 as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, 10 and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, 11 and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, 11 so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise 11 to sprout up before all the nations.

Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 61:1: Or afflicted
b. Isaiah 61:1: Or the opening [of the eyes] to those who are blind; Septuagint and recovery of sight to the blind
c. Isaiah 61:3: Or that he may display his beauty
d. Isaiah 61:8: Or robbery with a burnt offering