MAT 12:18 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen;
⇔  my beloved, in whom my soul was well pleased.
⇔  I will put my Spirit upon him,
⇔  and he will announce justice to the Gentiles.

UST “Consider the one who serves me, whom I selected.
⇔ I love him, and what he does pleases me.
⇔ I will empower him with the Holy Spirit.
⇔ He will declare to the non-Jews that I do what is right.

BSB “Here is My Servant,
⇔ whom I have chosen,
⇔ My beloved,
⇔ in whom My soul delights.
⇔ I will put My Spirit on Him,
⇔ and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

BLB "Behold My servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul has found delight. I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

AICNT “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my spirit upon it, And judgment to the nations[fn] he will proclaim.

12:18, nations: That is Gentiles.

OEB “Here is my chosen servant, who I love and who pleases me! I will breathe my spirit on him, and he will announce a time of judgment to the Gentiles.

WEBBE “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
⇔ my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased.
⇔ I will put my Spirit on him.
⇔ He will proclaim justice to the nations.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET “ Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
⇔  the one I love, in whom I take great delight.
⇔  I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

LSV “Behold, My Servant, whom I chose,
My Beloved, in whom My soul delighted,
I will put My Spirit on Him,
And He will declare judgment to the nations;

FBV “This is my servant whom I've chosen,
¶ The one I love, who pleases me.
¶ I will put my Spirit on him,
¶ And he will tell the foreigners what's right.

TCNT ⇔ “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
⇔ my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased.
⇔ I will put my Spirit upon him,
⇔ and he will declare justice to the Gentiles.

T4T Take note of my servant whom I have chosen, the one whom I love and with whom I am pleased. I will put my Spirit in him, and he will proclaim that God will judge the non-Jews justly.

LEB • “Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased.
• I will put my Spirit on him,
• and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

BBE See my servant, the man of my selection, my loved one in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him, and he will make my decision clear to the Gentiles.

Moff Here is my servant whom I have selected,
⇔ my Beloved in whom my soul delights;
⇔ I will invest him with my Spirit,
⇔ and he will proclaim religion to the Gentiles.

Wymth "This is My servant whom I have chosen, My dearly loved One in whom My soul takes pleasure. I will put My spirit upon Him, and He will announce justice to the nations.

ASV Behold, my servant whom I have chosen;
⇔ My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased:
⇔ I will put my Spirit upon him,
⇔ And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles.

DRA Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul hath been well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

YLT 'Lo, My servant, whom I did choose, My beloved, in whom My soul did delight, I will put My Spirit upon him, and judgment to the nations he shall declare,

Drby Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul has found its delight. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew forth judgment to the nations.

RV Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles.
(Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, And he shall declare judgement to the Gentiles. )

SLT Behold my servant, which I have chosen: my dearly beloved, in whom my soul was contented; I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim judgment to the nations.

Wbstr Behold, my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles.

KJB-1769 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
(Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgement to the Gentiles. )

KJB-1611 Behold, my seruant whom I haue chosen, my beloued in whom my soule is well pleased: I will put my spirit vpon him, and he shall shew iudgement to the Gentiles.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Beholde my childe whom I haue chosen, my beloued in whom my soule well delighteth: I wyll put my spirite vpon him, and he shall shewe iudgement to the gentiles.
(Behold my child whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul well delighteth/delights: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgement to the gentiles.)

Gnva Behold my seruant whom I haue chosen, my beloued in whom my soule deliteth: I wil put my Spirit on him, and he shall shewe iudgement to the Gentiles.
(Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul delighteth/delights: I will put my Spirit on him, and he shall show judgement to the Gentiles. )

Cvdl Beholde, this is my seruaunt, whom I haue chosen: and my beloued, in whom my soule delyteth: I wil put my sprete vpon hi, and he shal shewe iudgment vnto the Heithe.
(Behold, this is my servant, whom I have chosen: and my beloved, in whom my soul delighteth/delights: I will put my spirit upon hi, and he shall show judgement unto the Heathen.)

TNT Beholde my chylde who I have chosen my beloved in who my soule deliteth. I wyll put my sprete on hym and he shall shewe iudgement to the gentyls.
(Behold my child who I have chosen my beloved in who my soul delighteth/delights. I will put my spirit on him and he shall show judgement to the gentiles. )

Wycl my child, whom Y haue chosun, my derling, in whom it hath wel plesid to my soule; Y shal put my spirit on him, and he shal telle dom to hethen men.
(my child, whom I have chosen, my darling, in whom it hath/has well pleased to my soul; I shall put my spirit on him, and he shall tell judgement to heathen men.)

Luth Siehe, das ist mein Knecht, den ich erwählet habe, und mein Liebster, an dem meine SeeLE Wohlgefallen hat; ich will meinen Geist auf ihn legen, und er soll den Heiden das Gericht verkündigen.
(See/Look, the is my servant/farmhand, the I chosen have, and my Liebster, at/to to_him my soul pleasure has; I will my spirit on/in/to him/it place, and he should the heathens the court(n)/justice announce.)

ClVg [Ecce puer meus, quem elegi, dilectus meus, in quo bene complacuit animæ meæ. Ponam spiritum meum super eum, et judicium gentibus nuntiabit.[fn]
([Behold child mine, which I_chose, beloved mine, in/into/on where well I_was_pleasedt soul my. Ponam spirit mine over him, and judgement nations nuntiabit. )

12.18 Animæ meæ. Per animam omnis affectus demonstratur.

12.18 Animæ my. Per the_soul everyone with_feelings demonstratur.

UGNT ἰδοὺ, ὁ παῖς μου ὃν ᾑρέτισα, ὁ ἀγαπητός μου εἰς ὃν εὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου. θήσω τὸ Πνεῦμά μου ἐπ’ αὐτόν, καὶ κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγελεῖ.
(idou, ho pais mou hon haʸretisa, ho agapaʸtos mou eis hon eudokaʸsen haʸ psuⱪaʸ mou. thaʸsō to Pneuma mou ep’ auton, kai krisin tois ethnesin apangelei.)

SBL-GNT Ἰδοὺ ὁ παῖς μου ὃν ᾑρέτισα, ὁ ἀγαπητός μου ⸂εἰς ὃν⸃ εὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου· θήσω τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπʼ αὐτόν, καὶ κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγελεῖ.
(Idou ho pais mou hon haʸretisa, ho agapaʸtos mou ⸂eis hon⸃ eudokaʸsen haʸ psuⱪaʸ mou; thaʸsō to pneuma mou epʼ auton, kai krisin tois ethnesin apangelei.)

RP-GNT Ἰδού, ὁ παῖς μου ὃν ᾑρέτισα· ὁ ἀγαπητός μου εἰς ὃν εὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου· θήσω τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπ' αὐτόν, καὶ κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγελεῖ.
(Idou, ho pais mou hon haʸretisa; ho agapaʸtos mou eis hon eudokaʸsen haʸ psuⱪaʸ mou; thaʸsō to pneuma mou ep' auton, kai krisin tois ethnesin apangelei.)

TC-GNT ⇔ Ἰδού, ὁ παῖς μου ὃν ᾑρέτισα·
⇔ ὁ ἀγαπητός μου [fn]εἰς ὃν εὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου·
⇔ θήσω τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν,
⇔ καὶ κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγελεῖ.
( ⇔ Idou, ho pais mou hon haʸretisa;
⇔ ho agapaʸtos mou eis hon eudokaʸsen haʸ psuⱪaʸ mou;
⇔ thaʸsō to pneuma mou ep auton,
⇔ kai krisin tois ethnesin apangelei. )

12:18 εις ¦ — WH

Key for above GNTs: red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:15–21: Jesus is the Servant whom God chose

About seven hundred years before Jesus was born, God told the prophet Isaiah that the Christ would be kind and gentle and would announce God’s way of saving people and making them righteous (Isaiah 42:1–4). And Jesus fulfilled that prophecy (12:17–21).

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

God’s Chosen Servant (NIV)

Jesus Is God’s Chosen Servant (NCV)

Jesus fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah had said

12:18a

“Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen,

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, (ESV)
“This one here is my servant. I chose him,

As mentioned above, God is the one who spoke through Isaiah. In some languages, it will be natural to make this explicit at the beginning of the quote. For example:

God said

Here is My Servant: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Here is literally “Look.” This word focuses attention on what follows and indicates that it is important, unexpected, or amazing. In this context, this word introduces the main character of the quote from the Old Testament.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Here is my servant (NIV)

This one is my servant

My Servant: A Servant is someone who works for another person and is submissive to him. God called the Christ (the Messiah) his servant to show that he is humble and submissive to God. The term you use in your translation should include these qualities of humility and submission.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

my humble worker

the one who serves me

the one who does my will

whom I have chosen: This is a relative clause. It further describes the person whom God called his servant. Be careful to translate this clause in a way that does not imply that God has another servant whom he did not choose.

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this relative clause as a separate sentence. For example:

I have chosen him.

12:18b

My beloved, in whom My soul delights.

the one I love, and I am very pleased with him.
I love him, and I am very delighted/happy with him.

My beloved: This phrase means “the person whom I love.” It is yet another way to describe the person whom God also called “My Servant” in 12:18a.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

he is the one whom I love

I love him (CEV)

in whom My soul delights: The phrase My soul here refers to one’s self. In this case, it refers to God himself.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

I am very pleased with him

he pleases me (CEV)

my heart is very glad with him

Some languages have idioms to translate this clause.

12:18c

I will put My Spirit on Him,

I will give him my Spirit,
I will send my Spirit to him to help him,

I will put My Spirit on Him: The words put My Spirit on Him refer to giving the servant power. God will cause the Holy Spirit to help the servant to know things and do miracles.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

I will give him my Spirit (CEV)

I will send my Spirit to him to do the deeds that I want him to do

12:18d

and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

and he will announce to all people the message of my right/correct judgment.
and he will tell all nations that I will judge people fairly/honestly.

He will proclaim: The Greek word that the BSB translates as proclaim means “make known publicly.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

announce (GNT)

declare (JBP)

tell (NCV)

justice: The Greek word that the BSB translates as justice also means “judgment” (as in the GNT). This word does not only imply punishment. It refers to judging and rewarding those who accept God, and judging and punishing the wicked. God is fair and will act rightly. His judgment is honest and without corruption. For this reason, many English versions translate this word as justice.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

my justice (NCV)

true/right judgment

that my/God’s judgment is honest

that I/God will judge honestly

that my government is honest/fair

the nations: There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the BSB translates as nations:

It is used in its most wide sense to refer to all people groups, including Jews. Jesus came to proclaim justice to all nations. For example:
all people (NCV) (BSB, NIV, GNT, NJB, NLT, GW, CEV, NET, REB, NCV)
It is used in its restricted sense to refer to all people groups except the Jews. When a Jew referred to other people groups, he used this word. In those cases English versions translate it as “Gentiles.” For example:
the Gentiles (RSV) (RSV, NASB, JBP, ESV, KJV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Jesus came to proclaim God’s justice to everyone, especially the Jews.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἰδοὺ, ὁ παῖς μου

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἰδού ὁ παῖς μού ὅν ᾑρέτισα ὁ ἀγαπητός μού ὅν ηὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μού Θήσω τό Πνεῦμα μού ἐπʼ αὐτόν καί κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγελεῖ)

The word Behold draws the attention of the audience and asks them to listen carefully. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express Behold with a word or phrase that asks the audience to listen, or you could draw the audience’s attention in another way. Alternate translation: [Look, my servant] or [Think about my servant]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ὁ ἀγαπητός μου

the the beloved (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἰδού ὁ παῖς μού ὅν ᾑρέτισα ὁ ἀγαπητός μού ὅν ηὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μού Θήσω τό Πνεῦμα μού ἐπʼ αὐτόν καί κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγελεῖ)

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [the one whom I love]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

εἰς ὃν εὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [who pleases my soul]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

εὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου

God is using my soul to represent himself. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your culture or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [I myself am well pleased]

Note 5 topic: translate-tense

εὐδόκησεν

The past tense indicates that God was well pleased with the servant and continues to be well pleased. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use whatever tense makes this clear. Alternate translation: [is well pleased] or [has been well pleased]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

θήσω τὸ Πνεῦμά μου ἐπ’ αὐτόν

God speaks as if the Spirit were an object that he will put on the servant. He means that he will give the Spirit to the servant so that the servant can act with power. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable metaphor or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [I will give him my Spirit] or [I will enable him to act by the power of my Spirit]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τὸ Πνεῦμά μου

The phrase my Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [my Holy Spirit]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν

justice ˱to˲_the pagans

The word justice could indicate that: (1) God does what is just. Alternate translation: [to the Gentiles that God is just] or [to the Gentiles that God does what is just] (2) God will judge justly. Alternate translation: [just judgment to the Gentiles] or [to the Gentiles that God will judge]

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν

justice ˱to˲_the pagans

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of justice, you could express the same idea in another way. Make sure that your translation fits with the interpretation of justice that you chose in the previous verse. Alternate translation: [to the Gentiles that God will act justly]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τοῖς ἔθνεσιν

˱to˲_the pagans

The words translated as to the Gentiles could refer to: (1) people who are not Jewish. Alternate translation: [to Gentile people] (2) all people, including Jewish people. Alternate translation: [to the nations] or [to all peoples]

Parallel MAT 12:18

Section 12:15–21: Jesus is the Servant whom God chose

12:18a

12:18b

12:18c

12:18d