Isaiah 61

1 The spirit of the Lord is on me, because I am marked out by him to give good news to the poor; he has sent me to make the broken-hearted well, to say that the prisoners will be made free, and that those in chains will see the light again;

The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is on me, because Yahweh has anointed me to proclaim good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison for those who are bound.

2 To give knowledge that the year of the Lord's good pleasure has come, and the day of punishment from our God; to give comfort to all who are sad;

He has sent me to proclaim the year of Yahweh's favor, the day of vengeance of our God, and to comfort all who mourn.

3 To give them a fair head-dress in place of dust, the oil of joy in place of the clothing of grief, praise in place of sorrow; so that they may be named trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, and so that he may have glory.

He has sent me—to give to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a turban instead of ashes, oil of joy instead of mourning, a mantle of praise in place of a spirit of dullness, to call them oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified.

4 And they will be building again the old broken walls, and will make new the old waste places, and will put up again the towns which have been waste for long generations.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the former desolations. They will restore the ruined cities, the desolations from many former generations.

5 And men from strange countries will be your herdsmen, and those who are not Israelites will be your ploughmen and vine-keepers.

Foreigners will stand and feed your flocks, and sons of foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

6 But you will be named the priests of the Lord, the servants of our God: you will have the wealth of the nations for your food, and you will be clothed with their glory.

You will be called the priests of Yahweh; they will call you servants of our God. You will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their riches.

7 As they had twice as much grief, and marks of shame were their heritage, so in their land they will be rewarded twice over, and will have eternal joy.

Instead of your shame you will have double; and instead of dishonor they will rejoice over their share. So they will have a double share of their land; everlasting joy will be theirs.

8 For I, the Lord, take pleasure in upright judging; I will not put up with the violent taking away of right; and I will certainly give them their reward, and I will make an eternal agreement with them.

For I, Yahweh, love justice, and I hate robbery and violent injustice. I will faithfully repay them, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 And their seed will be noted among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples: it will be clear to all who see them that they are the seed to which the Lord has given his blessing.

Their descendants will be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge them, that they are the people whom Yahweh has blessed.

10 I will be full of joy in the Lord, my soul will be glad in my God; for he has put on me the clothing of salvation, covering me with the robe of righteousness, as the husband puts on a fair head-dress, and the bride makes herself beautiful with jewels.

I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh; in my God I will be very glad. For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has clothed me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns himself with a turban, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth puts out buds, and as the garden gives growth to the seeds which are planted in it, so the Lord will make righteousness and praise to be flowering before all the nations.

For as the earth produces its sprouting plants, and as the garden makes its planting grow, so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up in front of all the nations.