 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. Because the Lord has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God. To comfort all who mourn; 3 to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness. So that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified. 4 They will build the old wastes. They will raise up the ruins of former times. They will repair the waste cities, the ruins of many generations. 5 Strangers will stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the stranger will be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6 But you will be named the priests of the Lord. It will be said of you, Ministers of our God. You will eat the riches of the nations and revel in their glory. 7 For your shame you will have double. For disgrace they will rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their own land they will possess double. Everlasting joy will be theirs. 8 For I the Lord love judgment. I hate robbery for burnt offering. I will direct their work in truth. I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the people. All who see them will acknowledge that they are the descendants whom the Lord has blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul will be joyful in my God. For He has clothed me with the robes of salvation. He covered me with the robe of righteousness like a bridegroom adorns himself with ornaments and like a bride adorns herself with jewels. 11 For as the earth comes out with its bud and as the garden causes what is sown to grow, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to grow before all the nations.
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