5:12a
In a loud voice they were saying: The Greek words are literally “saying with a loud voice” (as in the Revised Standard Version). They probably all spoke in unison. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
They proclaimed with loud voices (Revised English Bible)
-or-
loudly chanting (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
saying ⌊in unison⌋ with loud voices
5:12b–d
5:12b–d is an exclamation of praise. It is like a song or poem. You may want to translate it like a song or poem.
The angels sang about Jesus using the third person (“he, him”). But Jesus was there (5:8). In some languages it is more natural to use second person (“you”). For example:
The Lamb, you were slain and you are worthy to receive…
5:12b
Worthy is the Lamb: See how you translated the word Worthy in 5:9. Here the word Worthy is emphasized in the Greek and the Berean Standard Bible. If possible, emphasize the word Worthy naturally in your language. For example:
The Lamb is indeed worthy
who was slain: This clause tells the reader more about the Lamb. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other people with the title “Lamb,” and only this one was slain. If that is true in your language, translate this clause so that it tells more about the Lamb. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:
He was slain.
This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. In this verse, the exact people who killed Jesus is not important. For example:
whom ⌊they/people⌋ killed
-or-
⌊They/People⌋ killed him
See how you translated the similar clause “to have been slain” in 5:6.
5:12c
to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength: The Lamb is worthy to have power and riches and wisdom and strength. This phrase is similar to 4:11b where the elders said that God was worthy “to receive glory and honor and power.” Some languages are able to translate in a similar way here. For example:
for ⌊people/everyone⌋ to praise your power and wealth and wisdom and strength
-or-
that we acknowledge your power and wealth and wisdom and strength
-or-
that ⌊all beings⌋ praise your power and wealth and wisdom and strength
power…strength: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as power and strength are similar. They both refer to power, force, and strength. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as power also can refer to ability.
Both words are probably used here to emphasize God’s power. If possible, use two different words for the meaning of “power,” “strength,” “might,” or “ability.”
In some languages, there is only one word that means both power and strength. If that is true in your language, either translate the first as “ability,” or use just the one word for a total of three things in this list. For example:
to receive ability and wealth and wisdom and strength
-or-
to receive power and wealth and wisdom
wisdom: The word wisdom means “be able to understand events and know what should be done.”
In some languages it is more natural to translate wisdom as a phrase. For example:
wise words and actions
-or-
right and just thinking
5:12d
and honor and glory and blessing: These words continue the list that started in 5:12c. The words honor and glory are used in a similar way in 4:11. See how you translated those words there.
In some languages it is more natural to start a new sentence here. For example:
The Lamb is ⌊also⌋ worthy for everyone to honor, glorify, and praise him!
blessing: The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translates as blessing can also be translated as “praise.” It refers to speaking good words about someone or honoring him. The Lamb is worthy of everyone’s blessing/praise.
In some languages it is more natural to translate this noun as a verb. See the above example.
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