The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD
is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the
poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom
for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to
proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our
God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion
-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a
spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting
of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Therefore, my dear brothers,
stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the
work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in
vain.
"But if serving the LORD seems
undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will
serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and
my household, we will serve the LORD."
For I command you today to love
the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands,
decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God
will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
