Isaiah 61

1 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,

The spirit of My Lord Yahweh, is upon me, —Because Yahweh Hath anointed me to tell good tidings to the oppressed, Hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, To proclaim To captives, liberty, To them who are bound, the opening of the prison;

2 to declare the year of the Lord's grace and the day of our God's punishment, to comfort those who mourn.

To proclaim—The year of acceptance of Yahweh, and The day of avenging of our God: To comfort all who are mourning;

3 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.

To appoint unto the mourners of Zion—To give unto them A chaplet instead of ashes, The oil of joy instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of the spirit of dejection, —So shall they be called The oaks of righteousness, The plantation of Yahweh: That he may get himself glory

4 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.

Then shall they build the wastes of a bygone age, The desolations of former times, shall they raise up, —And they shall build anew—The cities laid waste, The desolations of generation after generation.

5 Foreigners will shepherd your flocks, and take care of your fields, and look after your vineyards.

Then shall strangers stay and feed your flocks, —And, the sons of the foreigner, shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

6 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.

But, ye, the priests of Yahweh, shall be called, The attendants of our God, shall ye be named, —The riches of the nations, shall ye eat, And in their glory, shall ye boast yourselves.

7 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.

Instead of your shame, —double! and Instead of disgrace, they shall shout in triumph over their portion, —Therefore in their own land, shall they possess double, Joy age-abiding, shall be theirs.

8 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.

For, I, Yahweh, am a lover of justice, Hating plunder, for an ascending-sacrifice, Therefore will I give their reward with faithfulness, And an age-abiding covenant, will I solemnise for them.

9 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.

Then shall be known among the nations, their seed, And, their offspring, in the midst of the peoples, —All who see them, shall acknowledge them, That, they, are the seed that Yahweh hath blessed.

10 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.

I will, greatly rejoice, in Yahweh, My soul shall exult in my God, For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, With a robe of righteousness, hath he enwrapt me, —As a bridegroom, adorneth himself with, a chaplet, And as a bride, bedecketh herself with, her jewels.

11 Just as the earth sends up shoots, and plants grow in a garden, so the Lord makes goodness and praise grow before all nations.

For as the earth, bringeth forth her bud, And as, a garden, causeth her seeds, to shoot forth, So, My Lord, Yahweh, will cause to shoot forth Righteousness and praise before all the nations.