Isaiah 61

Chapter 61

Exaltation of the Afflicted

¹The ^aSpirit of the Lord ¹God is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed me

To ^bbring good news to the ^2cafflicted;

He has sent me to ^dbind up the brokenhearted,

To ^eproclaim liberty to captives

And ³freedom to prisoners;

²To ^aproclaim the favorable year of the Lord

And the ^bday of vengeance of our God;

To ^ccomfort all who mourn,

³To ^agrant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a garland instead of ashes,

The ^boil of gladness instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called ^1coaks of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

⁴Then they will ^arebuild the ancient ruins,

They will raise up the former devastations;

And they will repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

^5aStrangers will stand and pasture your flocks,

And ¹foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

⁶But you will be called the ^apriests of the Lord;

You will be spoken of as ^bministers of our God.

You will eat the ^cwealth of nations,

And in their ¹riches you will boast.

⁷Instead of your ^ashame you will have a ^bdouble portion,

And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.

Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,

^cEverlasting joy will be theirs.

⁸For I, the Lord, ^alove justice,

I hate robbery ¹in the burnt offering;

And I will faithfully give them their recompense

And make an ^beverlasting covenant with them.

⁹Then their offspring will be known among the nations,

And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.

All who see them will recognize them

Because they are the ^aoffspring whom the Lord has blessed.

¹⁰I will ^arejoice greatly in the Lord,

My soul will exult in ^bmy God;

For He has ^cclothed me with garments of salvation,

He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

And ^das a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

¹¹For as the ^aearth brings forth its sprouts,

And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,

So the Lord ¹God will ^bcause ^crighteousness and praise

To spring up before all the nations.