1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
8 For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth 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.
<html><b>since the Lord anointed me</b> This anointing is nothing but an expression of nobility and greatness. <b>to declare freedom for the captives</b> That is to say, to bring them the tidings of the redemption. <b>to free from captivity</b> Heb. פְּקַח קוֹחַ. Open their imprisonment and their captivity and release them.</html>
<html><b>a year of acceptance</b> A year of appeasement and good will.</html>
<html><b>the elms of righteousness</b> Heb. אֵילֵי, an expression of trees (אִילָנוֹת). Comp. (supra 1:29) “of the elms (מֵאֵילִים) that you desired.” This is evidenced by the end of the verse, “the planting of the Lord etc.”</html>
<html><b>your plowmen</b> Heb. אִכָּרֵיכֶם, those who lead the plow.</html>
<html><b>priests of the Lord</b> Princes of the Holy One, blessed be He. <b>the possessions of the nations</b> Heb. חֵיל גּוֹיִם, the possessions of the nations [after Jonathan]. <b>you shall succeed [them]</b> Heb. תִּתְיַמָּרוּ [derived from תְּמוּרָה, exchange]. You shall enter in their stead into the glory they have taken until now.</html>
<html><b>Instead of your shame</b> which was twofold, even they would constantly bemoan their disgrace as their lot. That is to say that instead of until now My people were constantly bemoaning disgrace, their lot… There are instances of רִנָּה that is an expression of mourning. Comp. (Lam. 2:19) “Rise, cry (רֹנִּי) at night,” and comp. (I Kings 22:36) “A cry (הָרִנָּה) passed through the camp,” concerning Ahab’s death.</html>
<html><b>For I am the Lord, Who loves justice, hates robbery in a burnt offering</b> Therefore, I do not accept burnt offerings from the heathens (the nations [Parshandatha, K’li Paz]), for they are all results of robbery. <b>and I will give their wage</b> The wage of Israel, which shall be in truth. Alternatively, I will give the reward for the deeds they performed, for they suffered the derisions of the heathens (the nations [Mss. and K’li Paz]) for My honor in truth.</html>
<html><b>like a bridegroom</b> who dons garments of glory like a high priest. <b>and like a bride, who adorns herself with her jewelry</b> Heb. כֵלֶיהָ, [lit. her utensils, in this case,] her jewelry.</html>