Esias 61
1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind;
The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to announce liberation to the captives, to set the prisoners free,
2 to declare the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of recompence; to comfort all that mourn;
to declare the year of the Lord's grace and the day of our God's punishment, to comfort those who mourn.
3 that there should be given to them that mourn in Sion glory instead of ashes, the oil of joy to the mourners, the garment of glory for the spirit of heaviness: and they shall be called generations of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for glory.
The Lord will give to everyone who mourns in Zion a crown instead of ashes on their head, the oil of happiness instead of mourning, clothes of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of integrity, planted by the Lord to reveal his glory.
4 And they shall build the old waste places, they shall raise up those that were before made desolate, and shall renew the desert cities, [even] those that had been desolate for [many] generations.
They will rebuild the old ruins; they will restore places abandoned long ago; they will restore towns that were destroyed, places left desolate for generation after generation.
5 And strangers shall come and feed your flocks, and aliens [shall be your] ploughmen and vine-dressers.
Foreigners will shepherd your flocks, and take care of your fields, and look after your vineyards.
6 But you shall be called priests of the Lord, the ministers of God: you shall eat the strength of nations, and shall be admired because of their wealth.
You will be called priests of the Lord, identified as ministers of our God. You will enjoy the wealth of nations and be proud that you have it.
7 Thus shall they inherit the land a second time, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head.
Instead of shame you will receive a double blessing; instead of insults, you will be happy to have a double amount of land given to you, and your joy will last forever.
8 For I am the Lord who love righteousness, and hate robberies of injustice; and I will give their labour to the just, and will make an everlasting covenant with them.
I, the Lord, love what is right. I hate robbery and injustice. I will faithfully reward my people and make an everlasting agreement with them.
9 And their seed shall be known amongst the Gentiles, and their offspring in the midst of peoples: every one that sees them shall take notice of them, that they are a seed blessed of God;
Their descendants will be acknowledged among the nations, and their children among the peoples. Everyone who sees them will agree that they are people that the Lord has blessed.
10 and they shall greatly rejoice in the Lord. Let my soul rejoice in the Lord; for he has clothed me with the robe of salvation, and the garment of joy: he has put a mitre on me as on a bridegroom, and adorned me with ornaments as a bride.
I will happily celebrate in the Lord! My whole being will shout praises to my God. For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation, and has wrapped around me in a robe of goodness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for the wedding, like a bride wearing her jewels.
11 And as the earth putting forth her flowers, and as a garden its seed; so shall the Lord, [even] the Lord, cause righteousness to spring forth, and exultation before all nations.
Just as the earth sends up shoots, and plants grow in a garden, so the Lord makes goodness and praise grow before all nations.
