Following are a number of back-translations of 2 John 1:13:
Uma: “Many greetings from all the children of your (sing.) female relative here, who is chosen by God. Finish here.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The children of your sibling send word that they love/remember you. Wassalam” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The children of your sister here who are also chosen by God send you greetings.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The children of the woman who is your (sing.) sibling/cousin whom God also chose greet you (pl.). Only this is what I am able to say.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “You (sing.) are greeted by the children of your (sing.) sister who also has been chosen by God like you (sing.).” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Also greeting you are the sons of our sister who also is chosen by God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “The children of your sister, greet you. Your sister also and her children have been chosen and God has saved them. Amen.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “They send their greetings the children of your sister (a woman’s sister), she also chosen of God. This is what I tell you now.”
Isthmus Zapotec: “The children of your sister (term for spiritual sister, not relative) whom God chose send greetings to you (sg.). Amen.”
Garifuna: “Your (younger) sister’s children/offspring greet you, the one (feminine) whom God chose. Here is the end of my writing to you. (A closing greeting that is used in the culture).” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:18:
Uma: “My children, let’s not be loving in lips only, let’s not say that we love our relatives and we not do anything to help them. We [should be] loving with our behavior, for that is really true love.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “My children-grandchildren, don’t let us (incl.) just love with words/speech. But if we (dual) say we (dual) love our (dual) fellow-man, we (dual) should make our (dual) words true/confirm/verify them and cause good deeds to accompany (the words) toward them (the fellow-men).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “My dear children, it’s necessary that our love for our companions is not just mere words, but rather it is necessary that we show our love for them by means of our actions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “You who are my children, our manner-of-loving our companions, it should not be merely in our words only, but rather it should be from-the-heart and it should be shown in what we are doing.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “You who are like my children, what is good is, we are not just saying that we value one other, but rather we are showing through what we are doing that this valuing of ours is true.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Listen, my children, only let it not come from your mouths that we love our fellowmen, rather let it be apparent that we truly love, let us help our fellowmen.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “My little children, we must not love our fellows just with words. We should not just say we love our fellows, but we must love them wholeheartedly and help our fellows.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “My dear children, let us not just talk about love, but let us really do it.”
Tzotzil: “My children, don’t let it be in vain we say that we love each other, don’t let’s lie. Let our work appear that we love each other really and truly.”
Garifuna: “My children. Let us love each other, not just that which is speaking nor just that which we say. Let us love one another genuinely, that which we show by means of what we do.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of 3 John 1:1:
Uma: “This letter is from me the Elder, I send it to my friend Gayus, whom I truly love.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “This letter/writing is from me the Elder of the trusters in Isa Almasi, I send this to you Gayus, my friend whom I love.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for me the old person, I write to you, Gaius, my friend whom I hold very dear.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “My esteemed Gaius, I who have written this, it’s Juan who is a leader of the believers. My love for you (sing.) who are my friend is from-the-heart. May your (sing.) life there be good and your (sing.) body also be strong like the strength of your (sing.) faith.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “My friend Gayo whom I truly hold dear, there-with-you is my letter, I who am the senior-elder.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “I lead in relation to God’s word, I greet you my dear friend Gayo. I truly love you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “I in my old age am writing to you dear Gayo. Truly I love you.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “I am the Old-Man Leader, I am sending this paper to you, dear Gaius, loved one. And also I love you in regards to the true Word which we (dual) believe.”
Isthmus Zapotec: “I am an old man. I am writing this letter to a friend of mine, (whose) name is Gayo, whom I truly love.”
Garifuna: “I, an elderly person, write to my friend the one named Gayo (necessary to avoid the connotation of writing to a rooster), the one whom I love. I love you with all my heart (genuine love).” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:19:
Uma: “If we love our relatives, that is a sign so that we really know that we are God’s children, with the result that our hearts will be still/quiet to face him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “If we (dual) truly love our (incl.) fellow-men that is a sign that we (dual) follow the true teaching therefore it is peaceful in our (dual) livers in the presence of God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For if we do this, we (incl.) can know that we really are sons of the true God. And because of that, it is no longer necessary for us to be ashamed in his presence,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “If that is how we love-one-another, that’s how we know that it’s true that we have been joined to God. And even if our minds accuse us, we can nonetheless cause-our minds -to-be-peaceful so that we will not be ashamed to pray to him. For we know that God’s thoughts are higher/more-important than our thoughts and he totally knows everything. He knows that we have been joined to him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Therefore herein we will know that as for us, we are under the jurisdiction of truth which comes from God. And therein also, our heads will not now be troubled when approaching him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “If we truly love our fellowmen, then we know for sure that we do what is said in what is truly God’s word. Then we have peace of heart because God will not be angry with us.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “We know that we are children of God, if we love our fellows with all our hearts. And if there are times when we think in our head-hearts that we are not worthy for God to say”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “And if we really have love, we will know that we follow the true Word. And our hearts will rest before the face of God.”
Tzotzil: “Because if we love each other thus we know that we have really and truly believed. Therefore we are one-hearted (at peace) in the presence of God.”
Garifuna: “If we love each other thus, then we know that we are in (progressive) (united to) the true belief (faith). Also then there is tranquillity with our hearts before God. (we are not worried, upset).” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of 3 John 1:6:
Uma: “They are the ones who talk-about your love here to all our one-faith relatives. Thus/So, I hope/trust you give them a good send-off, so that they can continue their journey. Send-them-off like is fitting to God’s messengers, so that God is happy.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “They told here to the gathering of the trusters in Isa Almasi about your love to them. When they come by again help them please so that they can continue in their walking/journey. That is what pleases God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “They told the believers here when we (excl.) gathered together that your kindness to them was very great. If they stop by there again, help them again in a way which pleases God so that they might proceed on their journey.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When they were here, they also related to the congregation of believers your (sing.) good way-of-loving them. If there are ones like these who again stop-over there, be-so-kind-as to continue please to help them and give to them what they need for the trail. If it is possible also, see to it that your (sing.) help to them is appropriate to their valuable service to God.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “They testified here to the gathering of believers concerning this valuing by you. It would also be good if you can give them help with their planned-journey when they go from you, that help which is worthy of people whom God has set up in their work.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “There have returned some of our brothers from where you live. When we had gathered, they told us that you very much love them. And now, when they go back to you again, please help them in what they need so that they continue on the road. Do just like God wants you to do.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “They reported to us who are gathered together worshipping God how you love them. And we ought to do good to our brethren, giving to them what they may need while they are journeying, That is what we must do with all the people who speak God’s Word.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “Some of the siblings who have returned from you (where you are) spoke in regard to you. When we (ex) were gathered together, they told us you have love. Please look after them when they arrive there again, giving them what they need. And when we help them, we help God’s work like he tells us.”
Isthmus Zapotec: “They were telling the brethren here how very much you love them. You do well if you help them when they leave your house so they can go on to another town. This is the way it is necessary for us to help those who are doing God’s work.”
Garifuna: “In the believers’ gathering together, those strangers spoke good words (messages) about your love. You do good when you help them concerning their travel/trip. Help you them well because they are working with God.” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
The Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “circumcise” or “circumcision” in English (originally meaning of English term: “to cut around”) are (back-) translated in various ways:
Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “put the mark in the body showing that they belong to God” (or: “that they have a covenant with God”)
Indonesian: disunat — “undergo sunat” (sunat is derived from Arabic “sunnah (سنة)” — “(religious) way (of life)”)
Ekari: “cut the end of the member for which one fears shame” (in Gen. 17:10) (but typically: “the cutting custom”) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Hiri Motu: “cut the skin” (source: Deibler / Taylor 1977, p. 1079)
Garifuna: “cut off part of that which covers where one urinates”
Bribri: “cut the soft” (source for this and the one above: Ronald Ross)
Amele: deweg cagu qoc — “cut the body” (source: John Roberts)
Eastern Highland Otomi: “cut the flesh of the sons like Moses taught” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
Newari: “put the sign in one’s body” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
