Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 5:16:

• Uma: “If we see a relative of ours doing sin that doesn’t bring eternal punishment, you must pray for him so that God gives him life. What I say here concerns [lit., strikes] people who do sin(s) that don’t bring eternal punishment. For there is also sin(s) that brings eternal punishment. So, I do not order you to pray for them who do that sin.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
• Yakan: “If there is a person who sees his fellow truster in Isa commit a sin, and his sin is not one that draws God’s wrath (katekkahan mulka’ Tuhanin), he should ask God to forgive that fellow of his. And God will give him life if only/as-long-as he has not committed a sin that draws God’s wrath. There is sin that draws God’s wrath and I am not telling you that you should ask God for people who commit this sin.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
• Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is anyone who has seen his companion sin, but the result of that sin is not death, he must pray about it to God and God will give life without end to that person who has sinned. What I am talking about here is a person who has sinned and the result of that sin of his is not death. There is a sin whose result is death. I do not say that you should pray for the person who has sinned like that.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
• Kankanaey: “If we see a companion of ours who is sinning, let us at-the-same-time pray-for-him so that God will give him the life that has no end. What I mean to say is, let us pray-for-him provided his sin, it is a kind of sin that can be forgiven therefore it will not lead to punishment that has no end. Because there certainly is a sin that cannot be forgiven, but I don’t say that that’s what we should pray for.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
• Tagbanwa: “This too is what I also want to say to you. Supposing you (sing.) see one of your (sing.) siblings in believing who happened to do a sin which can be forgiven by God, it is necessary that you (sing.) pray for him, so that he will be shown-grace/mercy by God that his believing/obeying will be able to revert to being strong again. But there is a kind of sin that God will not forgive, sin which can lead the one doing it to punishment which is without ending. As for the one doing this sin, I can’t say he can be prayed for.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
• Tenango Otomi: “When someone knows that his brother committed a sin which can be forgiven, he should pray to God for him. And God will give the new life, if it was a sin that can be forgiven. Because there is the sin which cannot be forgiven, the person will pass to punishment. This sin now, I do not tell you that you can pray to God for the person in order that he be forgiven.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
• Yatzachi Zapotec: “If we know one of our fellows who trusts in Christ is doing evil, we should ask God to help him, in order that he may be of peace with God again. That is what we should do for people who do evil which is not such that it makes them with their head-hearts like dead people. There is evil which people do which makes them with their head-hearts like dead people. And I do not say we should ask God to help people who do that.”
• Eastern Highland Otomi: “If you see one of your siblings do sin, if he hasn’t for-good taken the evil road, you can ask God’s favor for him. God will cause him to come back, whoever did sin. But if someone has taken the evil road for-good, I don’t say that you ask God’s favor in regards to him.”
• Tzotzil: “If you see there is our brother (Christian) that is seeking sin, if he has not found his sin that he will be lost (eternally) because of it, pray for him. Thus he will still be given life forever. There is sin that we will be lost (eternally) because of it. It is not that I am telling you that you are to pray for those who thus find their sin.”
• Candoshi-Shapra: “Some people who live bad die with their badness. I don’t say talk with God with reference to that. If you see your brother live bad, but not that kind (of badness), then talk with God for him. If you talk with God, because of your talking God will give him life.”
• Yanesha’: “If any one of you sees your countryman sinned, if this his sin is not this therein he dies, he will ask for him thus will our Father cause him to live. Our Father will cause him to live if his sin is not this, therein will he die. Of a truth, there is our sin therein we die. I, I do not tell you that you pray with reference to this.”
• Aguaruna: “Your brother, sin, that which does not arrive one at death, going to, if you see him, you pray to God; if you do that God will give him life, because his sin is not that which arrives one at death. There is sin which arrives us at death. ‘Concerning that you pray,’ I do not say.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
• Sayula Popoluca: “If a man sees that his brother sins that which is not for him to die, he will ask God and he will give him life for the one who doesn’t sin to die. He who sins to die that one I do not say you should ask for him.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)