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Isaiah 61

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

1 ^aThe Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has ^banointed me
to bring good news to the poor; ^{▼

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Or afflicted}
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and ^dthe opening of the prison to those who are bound; ^{▼

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Or the opening [of the eyes] to those who are blind; Septuagint and recovery of sight to the blind}
2 ^fto proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
^gand the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
^hto give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
ⁱthe oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
^jthat they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord ^kthat he may be glorified. ^{▼

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Or that he may display his beauty}
4 ^mThey shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
5 ⁿStrangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
6 ^obut you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
^pyou shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you shall boast.
7 ^qInstead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.
8 ^rFor I the Lord love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong; ^{▼

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Or robbery with a burnt offering}
^tI will faithfully give them their recompense,
^uand I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.
10 ^vI will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
^wfor he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself ^xlike a priest with a beautiful headdress,
^yand as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause ^zrighteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.