Isaiah 61 - 63

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Exaltation of the Afflicted

The Spirit of Lord Yahweh is upon me

Because Yahweh has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim release to captives

And freedom to prisoners,

To proclaim the favorable year of Yahweh

And the day of vengeance of our God,

To comfort all who mourn,

To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a headdress instead of ashes,

The oil of rejoicing instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

The planting of Yahweh, that He may show forth His beautiful glory.

Then they will rebuild the ancient waste places;

They will raise up the former desolations;

And they will make new the ruined cities,

The desolations from generation to generation.

Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,

And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

But you will be called the priests of Yahweh;

You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.

You will eat the wealth of nations,

And in their glories you will boast.

Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,

And instead of dishonor they will shout for joy over their portion.

Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land;

Everlasting gladness will be theirs.

For I, Yahweh, love justice,

I hate robbery in the burnt offering;

And in truth I will give them their recompense

And cut an everlasting covenant with them.

Then their seed will be known among the nations,

And their offspring in the midst of the peoples.

All who see them will recognize them

Because they are the seed whom Yahweh has blessed.

I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh;

My soul will rejoice in my God,

For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,

He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom decks himself with a headdress,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its branches,

And as a garden causes the things sown in it to branch out,

So Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise

To branch out before all the nations.

Zion’s Glory and New Name

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,

And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,

Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,

And her salvation like a torch that is burning.

The nations will see your righteousness,

And all kings your glory;

And you will be called by a new name

Which the mouth of Yahweh will designate.

You will also be a crown of glory in the hand of Yahweh,

And a turban of royalty in the hand of your God.

It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”

Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;

But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”

And your land, “Married”;

For Yahweh takes pleasure in you,

And to Him your land will be married.

For as a young man marries a virgin,

So your sons will marry you;

And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,

So your God will rejoice over you.

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;

All day and all night they will never keep silent.

You who remind Yahweh, take no rest for yourselves;

And give Him no rest until He establishes

And sets Jerusalem as a praise in the earth.

Yahweh has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm,

“I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies;

Nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”

But those who collect it will eat it and praise Yahweh;

And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.

Go through, go through the gates,

Clear the way for the people;

Build up, build up the highway,

Remove the stones, raise up a standard over the peoples.

Behold, Yahweh has announced to the end of the earth,

Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes;

Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”

And they will call them, “The holy people,

The redeemed of Yahweh”;

And you will be called, “Sought out, a city not forsaken.”

Vengeance of Yahweh

Who is this who comes from Edom,

With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,

This One who is majestic in His clothing,

Marching in the greatness of His power?

“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

Why is Your clothing red,

And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

“I have trodden the wine trough alone,

And from the peoples there was no man with Me.

I also trod them in My anger

And trampled them in My wrath;

And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,

And I stained all My clothes.

For the day of vengeance was in My heart,

And My year of redemption has come.

I looked, and there was no one to help,

And I was astonished, and there was no one to uphold;

So My own arm brought salvation to Me,

And My wrath upheld Me.

I trod down the peoples in My anger

And made them drunk in My wrath,

And I brought down their lifeblood to the earth.”

Remember the Lovingkindness of Yahweh

I shall bring to remembrance the lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, the praises of Yahweh,

According to all the ways that Yahweh has dealt bountifully with us,

And the abundant goodness toward the house of Israel,

Which He has dealt bountifully to them according to His compassion

And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.

And He said, “Surely, they are My people,

Sons who will not deal falsely.”

So He became their Savior.

In all their distress He was distressed,

And the angel of His presence saved them;

In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,

And He lifted them and carried them all the ancient days.

But they rebelled

And grieved His Holy Spirit;

Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy;

He fought against them.

Then His people remembered the ancient days, of Moses.

Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock?

Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them,

Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,

Who split the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,

Who led them through the depths?

Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble;

As the cattle which go down into the valley,

The Spirit of Yahweh gave them rest.

So You led Your people,

To make for Yourself a glorious name.

Prayer for Mercy and Help

Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation;

Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds?

The tumults within You and Your compassion are restrained toward me.

For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us

And Israel does not recognize us.

You, O Yahweh, are our Father,

Our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name.

Why, O Yahweh, do You cause us to stray from Your ways

And stiffen our heart from fearing You?

Return for the sake of Your slaves, the tribes of Your inheritance.

Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while;

Our adversaries have trodden it down.

We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,

Like those who were not called by Your name.

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