Isaiah 61
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61*The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
****because the Lord has anointed me
****to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
****to proclaim freedom for the captives
****and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2*to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
****and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3*****and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
****instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
****instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
****instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
****a planting of the Lord
****for the display of his splendor.
4*They will rebuild the ancient ruins
****and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
****that have been devastated for generations.
5*Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
****foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6*And you will be called priests of the Lord,
****you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
****and in their riches you will boast.
7*Instead of your shame
****you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
****you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
****and everlasting joy will be yours.
8*“For I, the Lord, love justice;
****I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
****and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9*Their descendants will be known among the nations
****and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
****that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
10*I delight greatly in the Lord;
****my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
****and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
****and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11*For as the soil makes the sprout come up
****and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
****and praise spring up before all nations.