The Spirit of the Lord YAHWEH1 is on me; because YAHWEH has anointed2 me to preach the Injil to the humble; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2to proclaim the year of YAHWEH’s favour,3 and the day of vengeance of our God;4 to comfort all who mourn; 3to provide for those who mourn in Al-Quds,5 to 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, the planting of YAHWEH, that he may be glorified.
4They shall build the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. 5Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers. 6But you shall be named the priests of YAHWEH; men shall call you the ministers of our God: you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast yourselves. 7Instead of your shame you shall have double honour, and instead of dishonour they shall rejoice in their inheritance. Therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion, and everlasting joy shall be theirs. 8“For I, YAHWEH, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity; and I will give them their reward in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9Their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which YAHWEH has blessed.”
10I will greatly rejoice in YAHWEH, 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. 11For as the earth brings forth its bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord YAHWEH will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
- 61:1 YAHWEH, the name God revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.” ↩︎
- 61:1 anointed – Hebrew masah, to anoint, smear; the verb form of Messiah, Anointed One, or MASIH in Arabic. ↩︎
- 61:1-2 Quoted in the Injil, Luke 4:18-19. Prophet ‘ISA Ibn Maryam read this passage publicly and then claimed that it spoke about him. Luke 4:16-21 says: He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Shaya was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, Because he has anointed me to preach the Injil to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to the captives, Recovering of sight to the blind, To deliver those who are crushed, And to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ↩︎
- 61:2 God, English translation of elohim. Elohim (Hebrew) is related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 61:3 Al-Quds, meaning “the Holy (City).” The Hebrew text reads Zion, a synonym for Jerusalem. It originally referred to Mount Zion, one of the hills of Jerusalem. ↩︎