Isaiah 61 (NASB2020)

Exaltation of the Afflicted

1The Spirit of the Lord 61:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered LordGod is upon me,

Because the Lord anointed me

To bring good news to the humble;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim 61:1 Or libertyrelease to captives

And 61:1 Lit opening to those who are boundfreedom to prisoners;

2To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a garland instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness instead of mourning,

The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.

So they will be called 61:3 Or terebinthsoaks of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

4¶Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,

They will raise up the former devastations;

And they will repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

5Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,

And 61:5 Lit sons of the foreignerforeigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

6But you will be called the priests of the Lord;

You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.

You will eat the wealth of nations,

And you will boast in their 61:6 Or gloryriches.

7Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,

And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.

Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,

Everlasting joy will be theirs.

8For I, the Lord, love justice,

I hate robbery 61:8 Or with malicein the burnt offering;

And I will faithfully give them their reward,

And make an everlasting covenant with them.

9Then their offspring will be known among the nations,

And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.

All who see them will recognize them

Because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.

10¶I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,

My soul will be joyful in my God;

For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,

He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,

As a groom puts on a turban,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11For as the earth produces its sprouts,

And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,

So the Lord 61:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered LordGod will cause righteousness and praise

To spring up before all the nations.

Understand Isaiah 61

A verse-by-verse study of Isaiah 61: what the chapter is doing, and what three commentaries say about it. Written to be readable if this is new to you.

Read the Isaiah 61 commentary