Esaias

61

1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent ✡ me to preach glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind;

2 to declare the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of recompence; to comfort all that mourn;

3 that there should be given to them that mourn in Sion glory instead of ashes, the *oil of joy to the mourners, †the garment of glory for the spirit of heaviness: and they shall be called generations of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for glory.

4 And they shall build the old waste places, they shall raise up those that were before made desolate, and shall renew the desert cities, even those that had been desolate for many generations.

5 And strangers shall come and feed thy flocks, and aliens shall be thy ploughmen and vine-dressers.

6 But ye shall be called priests of the Lord, the ministers of God: ye shall eat the strength of nations, and shall be admired because of their wealth.

7 Thus shall they inherit the land a second time, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head.

8 For I am the Lord who love righteousness, and hate robberies of injustice; and I will give their labour to the just, and will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring in the midst of peoples: every one that sees them shall ‡take notice of them, that they are a seed blessed of God;

10 and they shall greatly rejoice in the Lord.

Let my soul rejoice in the Lord; for he has clothed me with the robe of salvation, and the garment of joy: he has put a mitre on me as on a bridegroom, and adorned me with ornaments as a bride.

11 And as the earth putting forth her flowers, and as a garden its seed; so shall the Lord, even the Lord, cause righteousness to spring forth, and exultation before all nations.