Matthew 12:15-21

God’s Special Servant

12:15 Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there. Great ¹  crowds ²  followed him, and he healed them all. 12:16 But he sternly warned them not to make him known. 12:17 This fulfilled what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet: ³ 

12:18 “Here is ⁴  my servant whom I have chosen,

the one I love, in whom I take great delight. ⁵ 

I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

12:19 He will not quarrel or cry out,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

12:20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,

until he brings justice to victory.

12:21 And in his name the Gentiles ⁶  will hope.” ⁷ 

[12:15]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[12:15]  ² tc א B pc lat read only πολλοί (polloi, “many”) here, the first hand of N reads ὄχλοι (ocloi, “crowds”), while virtually all the rest of the witnesses have ὄχλοι πολλοί (ocloi polloi, “great crowds”). In spite of the good quality of both א and B (especially in combination), and the testimony of the Latin witnesses, the longer reading is most likely correct; the shorter readings were probably due to homoioteleuton.

[12:17]  ³ tn Grk “so that what was said by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, saying.” This final clause, however, is part of one sentence in Greek (vv. 15b-17) and is thus not related only to v. 16. The participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant and has not been translated.

[12:18]  ⁴ tn Grk “Behold my servant.”

[12:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “in whom my soul is well pleased.”

[12:21]  ⁶ tn Or “the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[12:21]  ⁷ sn Verses 18-21 are a quotation from Isa 42:1-4.