1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;[1] he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;[2] (Ps 45:7; Ps 146:7; Isa 11:2; Isa 42:1; Isa 45:13; Isa 48:16; Lu 4:18)2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; (Le 25:10; Isa 34:8)3to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.[3] (Ps 45:7; Isa 28:5; Isa 60:21; Isa 61:10; Joh 15:8; Heb 1:9)4They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. (Isa 58:12; Am 9:14)5Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; (Isa 14:2; Isa 60:10)6but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. (Ex 19:6; Isa 60:5; Isa 60:11; Isa 60:16; Joe 1:9; 1Pe 2:9)7Instead 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. (Isa 40:2; Isa 54:7; Zec 9:12)8For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong;[4] I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. (Ps 11:7; Isa 40:10; Isa 49:4; Isa 55:3; Isa 59:15)9Their 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.10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isa 49:18; Isa 59:17; Isa 61:3; Hab 3:18; Zec 3:4; Re 21:2)11For 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 righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. (Isa 60:18; Isa 62:7)