Chapter 61 Preach good tidings

1 The Spirit (of the Lord) God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening (of the prison) to them that are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year (of the Lord), and the day (of vengeance) of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment (of praise) for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness (the planting of the Lord) that he might be glorified.

4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons (of the alien) shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

6 But ye shall be named the Priests (of the Lord): men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches (of the Gentiles), and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

8 For I (the Lord) love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments (of salvation), he hath covered me with the robe (of righteousness), [as] a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and [as] a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

11 For [as] the earth bringeth forth her bud, and [as] the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord (God) will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Chapter 62