Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 1:2:
- Uma: “The one who gives life, he appeared in this world, and we (excl.) saw [emphatic] him. That’s why we (excl.) make-clear [i.e., explain] to you who he is, and testify that he is the one who gives good life forever. From the first he already was with God the Father, and he appeared to us (excl.).” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “He was shown/revealed in the shape/form of a human/mankind. We (excl.) really saw him therefore we (excl.) witness telling you about the one who gives life which has no end. In the beginning he was there with his Father God, and he was shown/revealed to us (excl.).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “When this source of life came down here to the earth, we (excl.) saw Him, and because of that we will tell you what we have seen. We will explain to you about the One titled Life Without End. He was the companion of our Father God before, and then He was revealed to us (excl.) here on the earth.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Yes indeed, he who is the source of life, he was made evident to us (excl.). We(excl.) really saw him. That’s why we (excl.) now testify about him, and we (excl.) are now teaching you concerning him who is alive without ending. From long ago, he was already there in the presence of God the Father, and now/today, he has been made evident to us (excl.).” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “This one who gives the new life caused it to be known who he was. And we saw him and now we give our witness that we saw him. Now we tell you that this one who gives the new life has no beginning and has no ending to his life. He was living there where his Father is, but he came here so that we saw him.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “He revealed himself to us and we saw him and we say that he lives eternally. And we proclaim to you (pl.) that he is with our (in) father God and how he revealed himself to us.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “And he the Word who gives the new life showed himself to us in that he became a person. And we saw that he really became a person. So that’s what we are telling you now, that he is the one who was living, and lives now, and will never end. He was living with his Father and later came into the world and showed himself to us.”
- Tzotzil: “He showed himself that he is the giver of life. We saw him. Therefore we tell you (pl.) what he is like the giver of everlasting life, who was there with our (inclusive) Father God. Afterwards he came and showed himself before us.”
- Garifuna: “The one who gives life has been shown to us…” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
- Candoshi-Shapra: “For life was revealed (made visible). We ourselves saw him. That is what I’m telling you about. Life, the one who exists forever, always dwelt with the Father. That is what I’m telling you about. I’m talking to you about that one who was revealed to us.”
- Yanesha’: “This, of a truth, we relate to you. Now, of a truth, already it has appeared therein we completely live. We, already we have seen it, we now we reveal about him. Now we relate to you how that not will we be in mortal state, ever. This life completely was where Father was, however, for us, too, completely already it has appeared.”
- Aguaruna: “God caused us to see (know) that life, and because it was so we are those who saw (know) him. Being so, being those who saw, we tell about him, that one who gives always life, the one who lives with our Father God, that one, concerning him we tell. What God caused us to see, concerning that one I tell.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
