## Exaltation of the Afflicted 

###### 1
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, 

###### 2
To proclaim the favorable year of Yahweh And the day of vengeance of our God, To comfort all who mourn, 

###### 3
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. 

###### 4
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. 

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Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks, And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers. 

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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. 

###### 7
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. 

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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. 

###### 9
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. 

###### 10
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. 

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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.