Isaiah 61
1 The spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me, For Jehovah hath anointed me; He hath sent me to publish good tidings to the distressed, To bind up the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
The Spirit of Yahweh [our] Lord is on me; he has appointed [MTY] me to bring good news to those who are oppressed, to comfort those who are discouraged, to free [all] those who are [as though they are chained/tied] [DOU] [by the wrong things that they continually do].
2 To proclaim the year of mercy from Jehovah, And the day of vengeance from our God; To comfort all that mourn;
He has sent me to tell those who mourn [about the members of their families who died] (OR, [who are still in Babylonia)] that now is the time when Yahweh will act kindly [toward his people]; now is the time when our God will (get revenge on/punish) [their enemies].
3 To give gladness to the mourners in Zion; To give them a beautiful crown instead of ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, So that they shall be called blessed terebinth-trees, The plantation of Jehovah for his glory.
To [all] those in Jerusalem who mourn, he will give flower necklaces [to wear]; instead of ashes [that they put on their heads to show that they are sad]; he will cause them to rejoice [MTY] instead of being sad; he will enable them to be [MET] happy instead of being discouraged. They will be called “people who continually do what is right, people who are [like tall/strong] oak [trees] that Yahweh has planted” to show others that he is very great.
4 They shall build up the old ruins; They shall raise up the ancient desolations; They shall repair the cities laid waste, The desolations of many generations.
[Those who return from Babylon] will rebuild the cities that [the soldiers from Babylon] tore down. [Even though] those cities have been destroyed and abandoned for many years, they will be restored/rebuilt.
5 Strangers shall stand up and feed your flocks, And the sons of the alien shall be your ploughmen and vine-dressers;
Foreigners will be the ones who will take care of your flocks [of sheep and goats], and plow your fields and take care of your grapevines.
6 But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah, Men shall call you the ministers of our God. Ye shall eat the riches of the nations, And in their glory shall ye make your boast.
But you [are the ones who] will be like the priests to serve Yahweh, to work for God. You will enjoy valuable goods [that are brought] from other nations, and you will be happy that those things have become yours.
7 For your shame shall ye have a double reward; And for ignominy ye shall rejoice in your portion; Therefore in your land ye shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be your portion.
Previously you were shamed and disgraced, but now you will have great blessings; previously [your enemies] humbled you, but now you will have many good things; you will be happy because of being in your land again, and you will rejoice forever.
8 For I, Jehovah, love justice, I hate rapine and iniquity, I will give them their reward with faithfulness, And an everlasting covenant will I make with them.
“I, Yahweh, am very pleased with those/judges who decide matters fairly; I hate [those who illegally] take things from other people. I will surely repay my people (for/because of) all that they have suffered [in the past]. And I will make an everlasting agreement with them.
9 Their race shall be illustrious among the nations, And their offspring among the people; All that see them shall acknowledge That they are a race which Jehovah hath blessed.
Their descendants will be honored by people of other nations [DOU]. Everyone who sees them will know that they are a nation that [I], Yahweh, have blessed.”
10 “I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah; My soul shall exult in my God; For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation; He hath covered me with the mantle of deliverance. As the bridegroom decketh himself with his turban, And as the bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
I greatly rejoice because of what Yahweh [has done]! I am happy, because he has saved me and declared that I am righteous; [those blessings are like] [MET] a robe that he has put on me. I am [as happy as] [SIM] a bridegroom in his wedding suit, or a bride wearing jewels.
11 For as the earth putteth forth her shoots, And as a garden causeth its plants to spring forth, So shall the Lord Jehovah cause salvation to spring forth; And praise before all the nations.
Just as [seeds sown in] a garden sprout from the soil and grow [DOU], Yahweh [our] God will cause [people of] all nations to act righteously, with the result that they will praise him for doing that.
