Isa 61:1-2 | NETfull | STEP | The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the freeing of prisoners,

Isaiah 61:1-2

1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen ^{▼▼ Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.} me. ^{▼▼ The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1–4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).}
He has commissioned ^{▼▼ Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”} me to encourage ^{▼▼ Or “proclaim good news to.”} the poor,
to help ^{▼▼ Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”} the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,
the day when our God will seek vengeance, ^{▼▼ Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.}
to console all who mourn,