The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to announce good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

to proclaim an acceptable year of the Lord, and a day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

to appoint to those who mourn in Żiyyon, to give to them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of the spirit of heav­iness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall renew the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your ploughmen and your vine­dressers.

But you shall be named, Priests of the Lord: men shall say of you, Ministers of our God. You shall eat the riches of the nations, and you shall gain grandeur by their wealth.

Instead of your shame, you shall have a double portion; and instead of dishonour they shall rejoice in their lot: therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs.

For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery with burnt offerings; and I will give them their reward in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their off­spring among the peoples: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful 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 with a garland, and as a bride adorns her­self with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth her growth, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.