רוּחַ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה עָלָי יַעַן מָשַׁח יְהוָה אֹתִי לְבַשֵּׂר עֲנָוִים שְׁלָחַנִי לַחֲבֹשׁ לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי־לֵב לִקְרֹא לִשְׁבוּיִם    61:1 דְּרֹור וְלַאֲסוּרִים פְּקַח־קֹוחַ׃

Isai. 61:1   The spirit of my Master, the Lord, is on me,

                           because the Lord has anointed me

                   to bring good tidings to the humble.

                           He has sent me to be a healer to the broken hearted,

                   to proclaim liberty to the captives,

                           and opening the eyes for the bound,

לִקְרֹא שְׁנַת־רָצֹון לַיהוָה וְיֹום נָקָם לֵאלֹהֵינוּ לְנַחֵם כָּל־אֲבֵלִים׃    61:2

Isai. 61:2   to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,

                           and the day of vengeance of our God's,

                   to console all mourners,

לָשׂוּם לַאֲבֵלֵי צִיֹּון לָתֵת לָהֶם פְּאֵר תַּחַת אֵפֶר שֶׁמֶן שָׂשֹׂון תַּחַת אֵבֶל מַעֲטֵה תְהִלָּה תַּחַת רוּחַ    61:3

  כֵּהָה וְקֹרָא לָהֶם אֵילֵי הַצֶּדֶק מַטַּע יְהוָה לְהִתְפָּאֵר׃

Isai. 61:3   to convey to the mourners of Zion,

                           to give garlands to them in place of ashes,

                   oil of rejoicing in place of mourning,

                           a mantle of praise in place of a heavy spirit,

                   so would be given to them

                           the name of Terebinths of Righteousness,

                    to adorn the planting of the Lord.

וּבָנוּ חָרְבֹות עֹולָם שֹׁמְמֹות רִאשֹׁנִים יְקֹומֵמוּ וְחִדְּשׁוּ עָרֵי חֹרֶב שֹׁמְמֹות דֹּור וָדֹור׃    61:4

Isai. 61:4   And they shall rebuild the wastes of old;

                           they shall raise up the former desolate places;

                   and they shall renew the cities of desolation,

                           the desolate places of generation after generation.

וְעָמְדוּ זָרִים וְרָעוּ צֹאנְכֶם וּבְנֵי נֵכָר אִכָּרֵיכֶם וְכֹרְמֵיכֶם׃    61:5

Isai. 61:5   And strangers shall stand and tend your flocks,

                           and the sons of aliens

                   shall be your plowmen and your vine dressers.

וְאַתֶּם כֹּהֲנֵי יְהוָה תִּקָּרֵאוּ מְשָׁרְתֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ יֵאָמֵר לָכֶם חֵיל גֹּויִם תֹּאכֵלוּ וּבִכְבֹודָם תִּתְיַמָּרוּ׃    61:6

Isai. 61:6   And you shall be called priests of the Lord.

                           Ministers of our God, shall be said about you.

                   The wealth of nations you shall eat,

                           and in their splendor shall you delight.

In the preceding verse, this verse, and the first line of the next, Isaiah suddenly switches from third-person plural pronouns, referring indirectly to the survivors who will be happily occupying the land in the future, to second-person plural pronouns, addressing them directly.  There seems to be no apparent reason for this abrupt and momentary change.  I believe the poetry would not be affected if the third-person pronouns had been employed here as in the rest of the chapter.  But Isaiah does this, though, in other parts of his book as well.

תַּחַת בָּשְׁתְּכֶם מִשְׁנֶה וּכְלִמָּה יָרֹנּוּ חֶלְקָם לָכֵן בְּאַרְצָם מִשְׁנֶה יִירָשׁוּ שִׂמְחַת עֹולָם תִּהְיֶה לָהֶם׃    61:7

Isai. 61:7   Instead of your double shame and disgrace,

                           they shall rejoice over their portion;

                   therefore they shall possess double in their land.

                           Joy everlasting shall be theirs.

כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֹהֵב מִשְׁפָּט שֹׂנֵא גָזֵל בְּעֹולָה וְנָתַתִּי פְעֻלָּתָם בֶּאֱמֶת וּבְרִית עֹולָם אֶכְרֹות לָהֶם׃    61:8

Isai. 61:8   “For I am the Lord, Lover of justice,

                          Hater of something plundered to be a burnt offering.

                   So I will give their reward faithfully,

                          and will I make an everlasting covenant for them.”

וְנֹודַע בַּגֹּויִם זַרְעָם וְצֶאֱצָאֵיהֶם בְּתֹוךְ הָעַמִּים כָּל־רֹאֵיהֶם יַכִּירוּם כִּי הֵם זֶרַע בֵּרַךְ יְהוָה׃    61:9

Isai. 61:9   And their seed shall be known among the nations,

                          and their offspring in the midst of the peoples.

                   All seeing them will acknowledge them,

                          that they are the blessed seed of the Lord.

שֹׂושׂ אָשִׂישׂ בַּיהוָה תָּגֵל נַפְשִׁי בֵּאלֹהַי כִּי הִלְבִּישַׁנִי בִּגְדֵי־יֶשַׁע מְעִיל צְדָקָה יְעָטָנִי כֶּחָתָן יְכַ הֵן   61:10   פְּאֵר וְכַכַּלָּה תַּעְדֶּה כֵלֶיהָ׃

Isai. 61:10   Greatly will I rejoice in the Lord.

                           My soul will be joyful in my God,

                      for He puts on me garments of salvation,

                            a cloak of virtue covers me,

                      like a bridegroom might adorn himself,

                            or like a bride might put on her jewels.

כִּי כָאָרֶץ תֹּוצִיא צִמְחָהּ וּכְגַנָּה זֵרוּעֶיהָ תַצְמִיחַ כֵּן אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה יַצְמִיחַ צְדָקָה וּתְהִלָּה נֶגֶד כָּל־   61:11  הַגֹּויִם׃

Isai. 61:11   For as the earth would bring forth its growth,

                            or as a garden would cause its seeds to spring up,

                      so my Master, the Lord, will cause virtue and praise

                            to spring up before all the nations.

[Return to Isaiah Chapters]   [Prev.:  Isai. 60]   [Next:  Isai. 62]