1:29a–31

In this list of evil deeds, the Greek does not have a connecting word between each item. The Berean Standard Bible copies what the Greek does here. In some languages it is more natural to have an “and” between each item. Use the most natural way of connecting items in a list in your translation.

1:29a–b

every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity:
The phrase every kind of applies to all four words: wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. Make that clear in your language. For example:

all manner of these things: unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, and malice
-or-
all kinds of unrighteousness and all kinds of evil and all kinds of covetousness and all kinds of malice

wickedness: This word refers to deeds that are not right to do. Here are other ways to translate this word:

deeds that are not upright/straight

1:29a

They have become filled with: The Greek tense indicates that earlier these people became full of the bad deeds listed below and at that time were still full of them. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

They are full of
-or-
Their lives became full of (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages using a past tense indicates that it is no longer true in the present. Translate in a way that indicates that they were still doing these things at that time.

have become filled with: This is a figurative way of saying that a person thinks of something often or all the time. Some languages cannot use have become filled when referring to sins. Here are other ways to translate this meaning:

They continually are thinking of
-or-
All of…arose in their insides
-or-
These kinds of bad thoughts are very much among them ⌊all the time⌋ :

1:29b

evil: The Greek word refers to a person having no moral values. Anything is okay to think or do if he wants to. Satan is called “the evil one” (Matthew 5:37, John 17:15, Ephesians 6:16, and other verses). He is the best example of this way of thinking. Here are other ways to translate this word:

wickedness (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
sinfulness

greed: This word refers to always wanting to have more. It often implies more than that person needs or more than other people. Here are other ways to translate this word:

covetousness (English Standard Version)
-or-
grab-after what is not theirs
-or-
They want to increasingly multiply what they own

depravity: This word refers to wanting to do things that hurt other people or hurting them on purpose when doing bad things to them. Here are other ways to translate this word:

hate (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the desire to hurt others
-or-
They are mean (God’s Word)

1:29c

They are full of envy: The Berean Standard Bible adds the words They are. In Greek the list just continues but repeats the idea of full of. For example:

full of envy (New Jerusalem Bible)

In some languages it is more natural to add “also” when repeating the idea full of here. For example:

They are also full of envy
-or-
and also full of envy

envy: This word refers to being upset with someone because that person is in a better situation than him in some way. Here are other ways to translate this word:

jealous of their companions
-or-
resentment
-or-
They want what others have (Contemporary English Version)

The word here does not refer to sexual jealousy (for example, a husband upset with his wife because she talked to another man and he is worried about her liking the other man more than him).

murder: This word refers to killing another person. It usually implies killing someone on purpose and against the law.

1:29d

strife: This word refers to conflict of any kind: arguments, fighting over a difference of opinion, or rivalry over a job or position. Here are other ways to translate this word:

fighting (Good News Translation)
-or-
arguing
-or-
rivalry (Revised English Bible)

deceit: The Greek word here refers to misleading people in order to gain some benefit or advantage. Here are other ways to translate this word:

cheat (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
defraud people of their things
-or-
tricksters

malice: This word refers to an attitude of wanting to hurt other people. It is similar to the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “depravity” in 1:29b, but the word here refers to an ongoing attitude. Here are other ways to translate this word:

always hateful
-or-
the attitude of hurting others
-or-
being habitually mean

In some languages one word or phrase covers both “depravity” and malice. If that is true in your language, use only that one word or phrase in this verse.

1:29e

They are gossips: The Berean Standard Bible adds the words They are here. The Greek changes case to indicate that the next twelve items are not grouped with “full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice,” but in a separate group. Paul was still describing these people. For example:

deceit, malignity, they are gossips, (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
They gossip (Good News Translation)
-or-
and they also gossip

gossips: The Greek word here is literally “whisperers.” It refers to a person who, quietly, in the ear of someone else, says bad things about others and passes on information or rumors about them that are hurtful. Here are other ways to translate this Greek word:

whisperers-behind-doors (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
talk-behind-the-back

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