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Chapter 42

The Servant of the Lord

Here is my servant[a] whom I uphold,
    my chosen one with whom I am pleased.
Upon him I have put my spirit;
    he shall bring forth justice to the nations.(A)
He will not cry out, nor shout,
    nor make his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed[b] he will not break,
    and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.
    He will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow dim or be bruised
    until he establishes justice on the earth;
    the coastlands[c] will wait for his teaching.

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Footnotes

  1. 42:1–4 Servant: three other passages have been popularly called “servant of the Lord” poems: 49:1–7; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12. Whether the servant is an individual or a collectivity is not clear (e.g., contrast 49:3 with 49:5). More important is the description of the mission of the servant. In the early Church and throughout Christian tradition, these poems have been applied to Christ; cf. Mt 12:18–21.
  2. 42:3 Bruised reed…: images to express the gentle manner of the servant’s mission.
  3. 42:4 Coastlands: for Israel, the world to the west: the islands and coastal nations of the Mediterranean.

I, the Lord, have called you for justice,
    I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
    as a covenant for the people,
    a light for the nations,(A)
To open the eyes of the blind,
    to bring out prisoners from confinement,
    and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

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