Isaiah 61

Isaiah 61

The Good News of Deliverance

1The spirit of the Lord God is upon me[#Ps 45.7; Isa 11.2; 42.7; 57.15; Lk 4.18]

because the Lord has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives

and release to the prisoners,

2to proclaim the year of the Lord ’s favor[#Isa 34.8; 49.8; 57.18; Mt 5.4]

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

3to provide for those who mourn in Zion—[#Ps 45.7; Isa 60.20, 21]

to give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the Lord , to display his glory.

4They shall build up the ancient ruins;[#Isa 49.8; Ezek 36.33]

they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

5Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks;[#Isa 60.10]

foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines,

6but you shall be called priests of the Lord ;[#Isa 60.5, 11; 66.21]

you shall be named ministers of our God;

you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,

and in their riches you shall glory.

7Because their shame was double[#Ps 16.11; Isa 40.2; 54.4; 60.15; Zech 9.12; #61.7 Heb your]

and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot,

therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;

everlasting joy shall be theirs.

8For I, the Lord , love justice,[#Isa 30.18; 55.3]

I hate robbery and wrongdoing;

I will faithfully give them their recompense,

and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9Their descendants shall be known among the nations[#Isa 44.3; 54.3]

and their offspring among the peoples;

all who see them shall acknowledge

that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.

10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord ;[#Isa 12.1, 2; 49.4, 18; Rev 21.2]

my whole being 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 with a garland

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11For as the earth brings forth its shoots[#Ps 72.3; 85.11; Isa 45.23, 24; 55.10; 60.18]

and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

to spring up before all the nations.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, copyright © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Published by: National Council of the Churches of Christ