61
Good news for oppressed people
1 The Spirit of Yahweh our Lord is on me;
he has appointed [MTY] me to bring good news to those who are oppressed,
to comfort those who are discouraged,
to free all those who have things in their lives that make them feel as though they are chained [DOU].
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn about those who died in exile
that now is the time when Yahweh will act kindly toward his people,
now the time when our God will ◄get revenge on/punish► their enemies.
3 To all those in Jerusalem who mourn,
he will give flower necklaces instead of ashes;
he will cause them to rejoice instead of being sad;
he will enable them to be [MET] happy instead of despairing.
They will be called 'people who live/behave righteously,
people who are like strong oak trees that Yahweh has planted'
to show others how great he is.
4 Those who return from Babylon will rebuild the cities that the soldiers from Babylon tore down.
Even though those cities have been destroyed and abandoned for a long time,
they will be restored.
5 Foreigners will become the ones who will take care of your flocks of sheep and goats,
and plow your fields and take care of your grapevines
6 But you are the ones who will be like the priests to serve Yahweh,
who do work for God.
You will enjoy goods that are brought from other nations,
and you will be proud that those things have become yours.
7 Previously you were shamed and disgraced,
but now you will have great blessings;
previously your enemies humbled you,
but now you will have great blessings;
you will be happy that you are back in your land again,
and you will rejoice forever.
8 I, Yahweh, love those/judges who make fair decisions;
I hate those who illegally take things from other people.
I will faithfully repay my people
for all that they have suffered in the past.
And I will make an everlasting agreement with them.
9 Their descendants will be honored by people of other nations.
Everyone who sees them will know that they are a nation that Yahweh has blessed.
10 I greatly rejoice because of what Yahweh has done!
I rejoice in my whole inner being,
because he has saved me and declared that I am righteous;
those blessings are like a robe that he has put on me.
I am like as happy as a bridegroom in his wedding suit, or a bride wearing jewels.
11 Just as the soil causes plants to sprout in a garden in [DOU]the Springtime,
Yahweh our God will cause people of all nations to act righteously,
with the result that they will praise him for doing that.
Note: The Old Testament in this translation is still being worked on, and is in draft form. Updates will be posted at eBible.org/t4t/.