61
Exaltation of the Afflicted
1 The Spirit of the Lord Goᴅ is upon me,
Because the Loʀᴅ has anointed and commissioned me
To bring good news to the humble and afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives
And freedom to prisoners, [Rom 10:15]
2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Loʀᴅ,
And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God,
To comfort all who mourn, [Matt 11:2-6; Luke 4:18, 19; 7:22]
3 To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:
To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],
The oil of joy instead of mourning,
The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],
The planting of the Loʀᴅ, that He may be glorified.
4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up and restore the former desolations;
And they will renew the ruined cities,
The desolations (deserted settlements) of many generations.
5 Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6 But you shall be called the priests of the Loʀᴅ;
People will speak of you as the ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
And you will boast of their riches. [Ex 19:6; 1 Pet 2:5; Rev 1:6; 5:10; 20:6]
7 Instead of your [former] shame you will have a double portion;
And instead of humiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore in their land they will possess double [what they had forfeited];
Everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 For I, the Loʀᴅ, love justice;
I hate robbery with a burnt offering.
And I will faithfully reward them,
And make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants among the peoples.
All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize and acknowledge them
That they are the people whom the Loʀᴅ has blessed.
10 I will rejoice greatly in the Loʀᴅ,
My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has covered me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom puts on a turban,
And 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 spring up,
So the Lord Goᴅ will [most certainly] cause righteousness and justice and praise
To spring up before all the nations [through the power of His word].