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to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy,[a] instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise,[b] instead of discouragement.[c]
They will be called oaks of righteousness,[d]
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.[e]
They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate;[f]
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
[g] “Foreigners will take care of[h] your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”
  2. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “garment of praise.”
  3. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
  4. Isaiah 61:3 tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
  5. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
  6. Isaiah 61:4 tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
  7. Isaiah 61:5 sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech.
  8. Isaiah 61:5 tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.”