Follow the links below to find a selection of message illustrations for the first reading and psalm

• Genesis 28:10: Artwork depicting Jacob's dream: Japanese stencil print by Sadao Watanabe (1965), traditional Chinese painting by He Qi, and traditional Indian artwork by Sister Marie Claire.
• Genesis 28:12: “A ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven” is translated in Newari (Nepal) as “a ladder linking heaven and earth.”
• Genesis 28:12: “Ladder” or "stairways" is translated in Apali as “path for going up and down” if one is below the ladder in Apali (Papua New Guinea), if one is above the ladder, it is “path for going down and up."
• Genesis 28:14: “Shall be blessed” is translated in Hausa (Nigeria / Niger et al.) as “you will become to them a means of blessing.”
• Genesis 28:15: Complete verse in Newari (Nepal): “I am with you. No matter where you go I will be caring for you. And I will bring you back here. I will not leave you until the work of my promise to you has been fulfilled.”
• Genesis 28:16: "Is in this place" is translated in Japanese with a deeply reverent form of "to be present" that shows that God is the agent.
• Genesis 28:17: "How awesome is this place!" Awesome is literally “to be feared.” Jacob experiences the dread, fear, awesomeness of being in the presence of the LORD. Other words used in English are “awe-inspiring,” “fearsome,” “terrifying.” In some languages it may be necessary to use a figurative expression; for example, “How this place makes my heart quiver,” “This place melts my liver.” In others all of the sense of awe and fear is conveyed by saying “this is a sacred [taboo] place.” (See the Translation commentary on Genesis 28:17)
• Genesis 28:18: "Poured oil": The different terms for “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” are translated in Kwere (Tanzania) with only one term.

• Psalm 139:10: "Your right hand shall hold me fast": Drawing by Jewish artist Ismar David.
• Psalm 139: 1594 paraphrase into Elizabethan poetry by Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke.

Follow the links below to find a selection of message illustrations for the second reading

• Romans 8:12: Complete verse in Uma (Papua New Guinea): “So, relatives, we have a debt. Our debt is, we must follow God now. Don’t follow the evil desires of our hearts.”
• Romans 8:12 (et al.): "Flesh" is translated as “like other men” (Highland Totonac / Mexico), “character that is inclined to evil things” (Chichewa / Malawi), or in a number of other ways. See the text record for detailed information or in simplified graphic format.
• Romans 8:13: Complete verse in Kankanaey: “Because if we are obeying our human minds, it is unavoidable (lit. forced) that we be separated from God forever. But if we accept the help of the Holy Spirit in order to turn-our-backs on the evil that we are doing, we will have the life that has no end.”
• Romans 8:15 (23): “Adoption” is translated in Makonde (Tanzania) as “chosen by God to be his children” since there is no formal process of adoption in that part of the world.
• Romans 8:15: The Aramaic “Abba” is transliterated into Mandarin Chinese as ābà (阿爸). This is interesting because bà (爸) is the regularly-used term of endearment for “father” (“daddy”) and even the very combination of ābà (阿爸) is used in some dialects as the equivalent of “daddy” which is exactly the meaning of the Aramaic.
• Romans 8:16: The word for God's Spirit and "our spirit" is identical in Greek. “Our spirit” is translated in one German New Testament translation “our innermost.” The translators explain: “This concerns the invisible part of humans beings that is turned toward God and open for God. The Greek pneuma is used for that as well (just as for the Holy Spirit).”
• Romans 8:17: "Heir" is translated in Sayula Popoluca (Mexico) as “will receive all that God has for us.” See also other translations in languages that don't know the concept of "heir."
• Romans 8:17: "Glorified with him" is translated in Hopi (USA) as “live in God’s light” and in Tzeltal (Mexico) as “receive our well-being in heaven.”
• Romans 8:19: "Wait with eager longing" is emphasized in Gbaya (Cameroon etc.) lɛk-lɛk, a word that appeals to the senses and that is used in this context as an image associating the burning of a flame with the burning in their hearts.
• Romans 8:19 (20, 21): "Creation" is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that signifies creating out of nothing.
• Romans 8:20 (24, 25): "Hope" is translated in Berom (Nigeria) as “direct one’s liver toward,” in Anjam (Papua New Guinea) as “looking through the horizon,” or in Yucateco (Mexico, Belize) as "on what it hangs." See the text record for many other translations or in a simplified graphic format.
• Romans 8:21: "Bondage to decay" as “the hand of rottenness” in Isthmus Zapotec (Mexico) and as “every animal must die, every tree must decay, every herb must dry up” in Chicahuaxtla Triqui (Mexico).
• Romans 8:23: "Have the first fruits of the Spirit” is translated as “received the Good Spirit of God so that therefore we should know well that a little later we should be completely saved” in Central Tarahumara (Mexico).

Follow the links below to find a selection of message illustrations for the Gospel

• Matthew 13:24 (43): "Kingdom of heaven” can have various shades of meanings in the New Testament. One German translation translates it here as "God’s new world" (as opposed to "God’s rule" and "God's finalized creation in the future" elsewhere -- see below).
• Matthew 13:24: "Parable" is translated in British Sign Language with a sign that combines the signs for “tell-a-story” and “compare.” See many other translations, including a graphical overview.
• Matthew 13:25 (et al.): "Grain" / "wheat": The many different ways that needs to be adopted in translations into languages where other kinds of food is used.
• Matthew 13:28: "An enemy" is translated in Uma (Papua New Guinea) as "our [including the slaves] enemy" whereas in other languages it is just the enemy of the master.
• Matthew 13:36: "Went into his house" is translated in a German translation as "went into his house." Capernaum, where Jesus is staying at this point is his home base where, according to the translators, he could have possibly owned a home.
• Matthew 13:37 (41): "Son of Man" is a common phrase to be used as a self-reference or reference to another person in African languages. Also many other translations from around the world.
• Matthew 13:38: "Kingdom of heaven” is translated in one German translation here as "God’s rule” (see above).
• Matthew 13:38: "World” - the term used in the Chinese Bible became the commonly used word today used in Chinese. Bible translations have a deep impact in many languages. (See also "weeping and gnashing of teeth" in Matthew 13:42.)
• Matthew 13:39: "Devil” -- the word that is used in Lak and Shughni (both Russia) is grammatically feminine -- how does a translator deal with that? Also many other translations for "devil."
• Matthew 13:39 (40): "End of the age” is translated in Amele (Papua New Guinea) as “the end of the world time.”
• Matthew 13:41: "Kingdom of heaven” is translated in one German translation here as "God's finalized creation in the future” (see above).
• Matthew 13:43: "If you have ears, hear!” can't be directly translated in sign languages. Costa Rican Sign Language has “If you want to understand, understand!”