Isaiah 61
61
Chapter 61
Good news of salvation
1The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is on me,
because he has chosen me to serve him. #61:1 The Lord's special Servant is speaking in verses 1-4. See Isaiah 42:1-4; 42:7; 49:9; 50:4.
He has sent me to tell good news to poor people.
He has sent me to comfort people who are very upset.
He has sent me to tell prisoners that they are now free.
They can go out of their prisons!
2He has sent me to say,
‘This is the year when the Lord will be kind to his people.’
It is the time when our God will punish our enemies.
He has sent me to comfort people who are weeping
because they are sad.
3In that way, the people in Zion who are sad
will become strong again.
They will not put ashes on their heads any more. #61:3 People put ashes on their heads when they were very sad and upset.
Instead, they will wear beautiful hats.
Instead of weeping,
they will have olive oil to show their joy.
They will not feel upset,
but they will sing happy songs to praise God.
People will call them ‘Strong trees that show God's righteousness’.
They will be like trees that the Lord himself has planted
to show how great he is.
4God's people will build again their towns
that became heaps of stones a long time ago.
Once again, they will live in the cities
that have been empty for so long.
5The Lord says to his people,
‘Foreign people will take care of your sheep for you.
They will work on your farms,
and they will take care of your vines. #61:5 God's people would be able to pay foreigners to work for them.
6People will call you
“The Lord's priests who are servants of our God”.
You will enjoy valuable things from other nations.
You will boast about all the riches
that you receive from them.
7You will not be ashamed any more.
Instead, you will receive twice as much blessing.
People will not say that you are useless.
Instead, you will live happily on your own land.
Yes, my people will have twice the crops from their land,
And so they will always be very happy.
8I, the Lord, love justice.
I hate it when people rob others,
or they do other wrong things.
Because I am faithful,
I will give help to my people.
I will make a covenant with them
that will continue for ever.
9Their descendants will be famous
among the other nations.
Everyone who sees them will know
that the Lord has blessed them.’
10I am very happy,
because of what the Lord, my God, has done. #61:10 In verses 10-11, it is probably Zion (Jerusalem) that is speaking on behalf of the nation of God's people.
I have so much joy!
He has given salvation to me,
like clothes that I can wear all the time.
I have his righteousness as my coat!
He makes me handsome,
like a bridegroom who wears a priest's hat.
He makes me beautiful,
like a bride who wears her jewels.
11The Almighty Lord will cause his righteousness
to grow everywhere.
It will grow like crops in the fields,
and like plants that grow in a garden.
Then his people will praise him,
and all the nations will see it!
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Isaiah 61: EASY
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Isaiah 61
61
The Good News of Victory
1 #
Mt 11.5; Lk 7.22. #Lk 4.18,19. The Spirit of the Lord God
has taken control of me!
The Lord has chosen and sent me
to tell the oppressed
the good news,
to heal the brokenhearted,
and to announce freedom
for prisoners and captives.
2 #
Mt 5.4. This is the year
when the Lord God
will show kindness to us
and punish our enemies.
The Lord has sent me
to comfort those who mourn,
3especially in Jerusalem.
He sent me to give them flowers
in place of their sorrow,
olive oil in place of tears,
and joyous praise
in place of broken hearts.
They will be called
“Trees of Justice,”
planted by the Lord
to honor his name.
4Then they will rebuild cities
that have been in ruins
for many generations.
5They will hire foreigners
to take care of their sheep
and their vineyards.
6But they themselves will be
priests and servants
of the Lord our God.
The treasures of the nations
will belong to them,
and they will be famous.#61.6 and … famous: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7They were terribly insulted
and horribly mistreated;
now they will be greatly blessed
and joyful forever.
The Lord Loves Justice
8I, the Lord, love justice!
But I hate robbery
and injustice.#61.8 But … injustice: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
My people, I solemnly promise
to reward you
with an eternal agreement.
9Your descendants will be known
in every nation.
All who see them will realize
that they have been blessed,
by me, the Lord.
Celebrate and Shout
10 #
Rev 21.2. I celebrate and shout
because of my Lord God.
His saving power and justice
are the very clothes I wear.
They are more beautiful
than the jewelry worn
by a bride or groom.
11The Lord will bring about
justice and praise
in every nation on earth,
like flowers blooming
in a garden.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.