Isaiah 61:1-11
61 The spirit of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is upon me,+ for the reason that Jehovah has anointed me+ to tell good news to the meek ones.+ He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,+ to proclaim liberty* to those taken captive+ and the wide opening [of the eyes] even to the prisoners;+
2 to proclaim the year of goodwill on the part of Jehovah+ and the day of vengeance on the part of our God;*+ to comfort all the mourning ones;+
3 to assign to those mourning over Zion, to give them a headdress instead of ashes,+ the oil of exultation+ instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of the downhearted spirit;+ and they must be called big trees of righteousness,+ the planting of Jehovah,+ for [him] to be beautified.+
4 And they must rebuild the long-standing devastated places;+ they will raise up even the desolated places of former times,+ and they will certainly make anew the devastated cities,+ the places desolate for generation after generation.
5 “And strangers will actually stand and shepherd the flocks of YOU people,+ and the foreigners*+ will be YOUR farmers and YOUR vinedressers.+
6 And as for YOU, the priests of Jehovah YOU will be called;+ the ministers*+ of our God* YOU will be said to be.+ The resources of the nations YOU people will eat,+ and in their glory YOU will speak elatedly about yourselves.+
7 Instead of YOUR shame there will be a double portion,+ and instead of humiliation they will cry out joyfully over their share.+ Therefore in their land they will take possession of even a double portion.+ Rejoicing to time indefinite is what will come to be theirs.+
8 For I, Jehovah, am loving justice,+ hating robbery along with unrighteousness.*+ And I will give their wages in trueness,+ and an indefinitely lasting covenant I shall conclude toward them.+
9 And their offspring* will actually be known even among the nations,+ and their descendants in among the peoples. All those seeing them will recognize them,+ that they are the offspring whom Jehovah has blessed.”+
10 Without fail I shall exult in Jehovah.+ My soul will be joyful in my God.+ For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;+ with the sleeveless coat of righteousness he has enwrapped me,+ like the bridegroom who, in a priestly way, puts on a headdress,+ and like the bride who decks herself with her ornamental things.+
11 For as the earth itself brings forth its sprout, and as the garden itself makes the things that are sown in it sprout,+ in like manner the Sovereign Lord Jehovah* will cause the sprouting of righteousness+ and of praise in front of all the nations.+
Footnotes
^ Or, “release; manumission [of slaves].”
^ “On the part of our God.” Heb., lEʼ·lo·hehʹnu.
^ Lit., “sons of a foreign (country).”
^ “Our God.” Heb., ʼElo·hehʹnu.
^ “The ministers of.” Heb., meshor·thehʹ; Gr., lei·tour·goiʹ; Lat., mi·niʹstri.
^ “Along with unrighteousness,” by a slight change of vowel pointing of M in agreement with LXX and five Heb. mss; Sy, “and unrighteousness”; MVg, “in whole burnt offering.”
^ Lit., “seed.”
^ “The Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” Heb., ʼAdho·naiʹ Yehwihʹ; 1QIsaTSyVg, “Jehovah God”; LXX, “Jehovah.” See App 1E.
