Isaiah 61
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Fifth Servant Song
The Spirit Anoints Him[a]
61
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the afflicted.
He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release for those who are bound,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance for our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion,
to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
a cloak of praise instead of a faint spirit,
so that they will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord to display his beauty.
The Result of the Servant’s Work
4 Then they will rebuild ancient ruins.
They will raise up what was formerly devastated,
and they will renew ruined cities,
which have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will stand and shepherd your flock,
and foreigners will be your farmers and vinedressers.
6 You will be called the Lord’s priests.
You will be named ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
and you will boast about their riches.
7 In place of your shame, you will receive a double portion.
Instead of dishonor, they will rejoice in their share of the land.
In fact, in their land they will inherit a double portion.
Everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 Yes, I am the Lord. I love justice.
I hate robbery in a burnt offering.[b]
I will repay them in faithfulness,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their offspring will be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize
that they are offspring whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord.
My soul will celebrate because of my God,
for he has clothed me in garments of salvation.
With a robe of righteousness he covered me,
like a bridegroom who wears a beautiful headdress like a priest,
and like a bride who adorns herself with her jewelry.
11 For as the earth produces its growth,
and as a garden causes what has been sown to sprout up,
so God the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up
in the presence of all the nations.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 61:1 This song does not contain the title servant, but it is part of the same set of descriptions of the Messiah as the earlier Servant Songs.
- Isaiah 61:8 The translation follows the reading of most Hebrew manuscripts. A variant found in some Hebrew manuscripts and supported by the ancient versions reads with wrongdoing.
Isaiah 61
New International Version
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61 The Spirit(A) of the Sovereign Lord(B) is on me,
because the Lord has anointed(C) me
to proclaim good news(D) to the poor.(E)
He has sent me to bind up(F) the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom(G) for the captives(H)
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor(I)
and the day of vengeance(J) of our God,
to comfort(K) all who mourn,(L)
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(M) of beauty
instead of ashes,(N)
the oil(O) of joy
instead of mourning,(P)
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting(Q) of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.(R)
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins(S)
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers(T) will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests(U) of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(V) of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame(W)
you will receive a double(X) portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(Y) a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy(Z) will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;(AA)
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant(AB) with them.
9 Their descendants(AC) will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”(AD)
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices(AE) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(AF)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(AG) like a priest,
and as a bride(AH) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden(AI) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness(AJ)
and praise spring up before all nations.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
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