Isaiah 61

English Standard Version

The Year of the Lord's Favor

61 ^(A)The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has ^(B)anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;^[a]
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and ^(C)the opening of the prison to those who are bound;^[b]
²^(D)to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    ^(E)and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
³to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    ^(F)to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
^(G)the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
^(H)that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, ^(I)that he may be glorified.^[c]
⁴^(J)They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.

⁵^(K)Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
    foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
⁶^(L)but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
    they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
^(M)you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
    and in their glory you shall boast.
⁷^(N)Instead 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.

⁸^(O)For I the Lord love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrong;^[d]
^(P)I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    ^(Q)and 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.

¹⁰^(R)I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
^(S)for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself ^(T)like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    ^(U)and 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 ^(V)righteousness and praise
    to sprout up before all the nations.

Footnotes

Isaiah 61:1 Or afflicted
Isaiah 61:1 Or the opening [of the eyes] to those who are blind; Septuagint and recovery of sight to the blind
Isaiah 61:3 Or that he may display his beauty
Isaiah 61:8 Or robbery with a burnt offering