Isaiah 61

¹The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor ; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted , to proclaim liberty to the captives , and the opening of the prison to those who are bound ;

²to proclaim the year of the Lord ’s favor , and the day of vengeance of our God ; to comfort all who mourn ;

³to grant to those who mourn in Zion — to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes , the oil of gladness instead of mourning , the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit ; that they may be called oaks of righteousness , the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified .

⁴They shall build up the ancient ruins ; they shall raise up the former devastations ; they shall repair the ruined cities , the devastations of many generations .

⁵Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks ; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers ;

⁶but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God ; you shall eat the wealth of the nations , and in their glory you shall boast .

⁷Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion ; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot ; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion ; they shall have everlasting joy .

⁸For I the Lord love justice ; I hate robbery and wrong ; I will faithfully give them their recompense , and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

⁹Their offspring shall be known among the nations , and their descendants in the midst of the peoples ; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed .

¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God , for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation ; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness , as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress , and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels .

¹¹For as the earth brings forth its sprouts , and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up , so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations .