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.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 61: CEV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 61
61
The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People
1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen#tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task. me.#sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
He has commissioned#tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.” me to encourage#tn Or “proclaim good news to.” the poor,
to help#tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].” the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,
the day when our God will seek vengeance,#tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.
to console all who mourn,
3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy,#tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.” instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise,#tn Heb “garment of praise.” instead of discouragement.#tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
They will be called oaks of righteousness,#tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.#tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate;#tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
5#sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech. “Foreigners will take care of#tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.” your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,
servants of our God.’#tn The Hebrew text adds, “it will be said concerning you.”
You will enjoy#tn Heb “eat” (KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “feed on”; NLT “be fed with.” the wealth of nations
and boast about#tc The form in the Hebrew text is probably a corruption of יִתְאַמְּרוּ (yit’ammÿru), a Hitpael from אָמַר (’amar), meaning “boast about” (see HALOT 67 s.v. II אמר, HALOT 416 s.v. ימר, and BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר). the riches you receive from them.#tn Heb “their glory” (i.e., riches).
7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion;#tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive.#tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תָחָת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
Yes,#tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.” they will possess a double portion in their land
and experience lasting joy.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice
and hate robbery and sin.
I will repay them because of my faithfulness;#tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
I will make a permanent covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize that
the Lord has blessed them.”#tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”
10 I#sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration. will greatly rejoice#tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis. in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God.#tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication.#tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;
I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry.#tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.
11 For just as the ground produces its crops
and a garden yields its produce,
so the sovereign Lord will cause deliverance#tn Or perhaps, “righteousness,” but the context seems to emphasize deliverance and restoration (see v. 10 and 62:1). to grow,
and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations.#tn Heb “and praise before all the nations.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1996 - 2007 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC