Language-specific Insights

Ephesians 1 in Jamaican Sign Language and Jamaican Country Sign Language

Following is the translation of Ephesians 1 into Jamaican Sign Language, intermixed with Jamaican Country Sign Language (see here for Country Sign ):


Source: Jamaican Sign Language Bible Translation

1:1-2 I am Paul. God chose me as his apostle under Jesus Christ who is God’s anointed.
I write this letter to the people of the church of Ephesus, who are Christians — believers and followers of Jesus Christ.
Peace and grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:3-4 Ah, look — long before the heavens and the earth were created God already knew us and chose us to be united with Christ. He chose us to be holy and without fault in his eyes. He embraces us with love as His holy people. Look — all the spiritual blessings that He has given us [love, peace, grace, patience] freely in abundance. Come, let us give praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1:5-8 This is all according to His plan — for us to be united with Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, through whom He has adopted us as His children, His sons and daughters. So we praise God for the wonderful grace that He has given us because we are united with Jesus Christ.
Long ago we were detached from Jesus Christ but He forgave us and united us. As Christians were saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. Amazing! His grace overflows, He has showered us with His kindness.

1:9-11 God’s plan is for everything in heaven and on earth to be united under Jesus Christ. He has revealed to us his mysterious plan in order that we may understand how everything connects to Jesus Christ. God is wise and everything is just according to His plan. When we are united to Jesus Christ He will reward us with His inheritance.

1:12-14 We Jews were the first to hope in Jesus Christ and we were chosen to bring praise and glory to God. Now you people of the church of Ephesus have been taught the truth of Jesus Christ which is salvation through unity with Christ. In Christ, God has given you the Holy Spirit which is His guarantee that we will get the things God promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. We will bring praise and glory to Him.

1:15-18 I have heard of your faith in Jesus and your love for all Christians which has moved me to give God thanks for you. I pray for you constantly, I ask God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you spiritual wisdom so that you may grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that you will have greater understanding in your heart, then you will know the hope that God has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised His holy people are rich and glorious.

1:19-20 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe in Him. This is the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at His right hand in heaven.

1:21-23 God has made Jesus more powerful than all rulers, authorities, powers and kings. He is more powerful than anything in this world or in the next world. God has put everything under Jesus’ authority and has made him ruler over all things for the church. The church is the body and Jesus is the head; he counsels us Christians and we are made full and complete by him, he makes everything complete in every way.

Back-translation by Amakedia Wallen, coordinated by Tashi Widmer

Ephesians 2 in Jamaican Sign Language and Jamaican Country Sign Language >>

Ephesians 2 in Jamaican Sign Language and Jamaican Country Sign Language

Following is the translation of Ephesians 2 into Jamaican Sign Language, intermixed with Jamaican Country Sign Language (see here for Country Sign ):


Source: Jamaican Sign Language Bible Translation

2:1-3 I am Paul. To the people of the church in Ephesus. Remember when you were not yet Christians, when you used to live in sin just like the rest of the world. You were dead. You were controlled by the unseen spirit of the Devil- that same spirit now working in the people who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate and selfish desires of our sinful nature. We should have faced God’s anger because of our sinful ways.

2:4-5 But God is merciful and he loves us very much, even though we were dead because we were detached from Him and lived in sin just like the rest of the world. He has given us a new life and has united us with Him through Jesus Christ. It is only by God’s grace that we have been saved.

2:6-7 Just as God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him in heaven, so will He raise us from the dead and seat us in heaven because we are united with Jesus Christ. God did this so He can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

2:8-10 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. You can’t take credit for this because it is a gift from God. We are saved only by His grace through Jesus Christ. We are God’s precious creations, His masterpiece, made new in Jesus Christ so that we can live the right way according to the plan that He had for us long ago.

2:11-13 Remember that you non-Jew used to be outsiders. You were called uncircumcised by Jews who were circumcised. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

2:14-16 Jesus united Jews and non-Jews into one people when, in his own body on the cross he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and non-Jews by creating in himself one new people from the two groups, united in peace and harmony with each other and God.

2:17-18 The non- Jews [who were called outsiders] and the Jews [who were called Christians] were now united in peace. Now all of us can come to God the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

2:19-22 So now you non-Jews are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are now members of God’s family. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. Just like a house is built on a solid foundation, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles who spread the word of God. The cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. In him, we become a holy temple for the Lord. In Christ we are built together [Jews and non-Jews] and are made into a holy place where God lives through the Spirit.

Back-translation by Amakedia Wallen, coordinated by Tashi Widmer