Isaiah 61

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61^sThe Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has ^tanointed 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 ^uthe opening of the prison to those who are bound;²

^2vto proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

^wand the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

³to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

^xto give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

^ythe oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

^zthat they may be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the Lord, ^athat he may be glorified.³

^4bThey shall build up the ancient ruins;

they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

^5cStrangers shall stand and tend your flocks;

foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;

^6dbut you shall be called the priests of the Lord;

they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;

^eyou shall eat the wealth of the nations,

and in their glory you shall boast.

^7fInstead 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.

^8gFor I the Lord love justice;

I hate robbery and wrong;⁴

^hI will faithfully give them their recompense,

ⁱand I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

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.

^10jI will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

my soul shall exult in my God,

^kfor he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself ^llike a priest with a beautiful headdress,

^mand as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

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 ⁿrighteousness and praise

to sprout up before all the nations.