The Good News of Salvation
“The aSpirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord bhas anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me cto heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim dliberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 aTo proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And bthe day of vengeance of our God;
cTo comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
aTo give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
bThe planting of the Lord, cthat He may be glorified.”
4 And they shall arebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
5 aStrangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 aBut you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
bYou shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
7 aInstead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
8 “For aI, the Lord, love justice;
bI hate robbery for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
cAnd will make with them an everlasting covenant.
9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
And their offspring among the people.
All who see them shall acknowledge them,
aThat they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.”
10 aI will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For bHe has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
cAs a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause arighteousness and bpraise to spring forth before all the nations.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved.