Language-specific Insights

complete verse (Matthew 7:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 7:1:

  • Uma: “‘Don’t criticize others, so that God also will not criticize us.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘Do not put-down/criticize your companion so that God will not judge you,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Don’t criticize your companion so that God won’t criticize you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus continued to teach saying, ‘Don’t turn-yourselves-into (lit. cause-your bodies -to-become) those who judge your companions so that God also will not judge and condemn you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus continued his teaching, saying, ‘Put far away the habit of always criticizing your (pl.) companion, so that you won’t be being criticized too.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Do not want to make judgments on what other people do, so that God will not judge you in what you do.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Martu Wangka: “You should not rubbish another person (to make a decision that what they are doing is wrong and talk against them). You should think carefully so that later, the Father does not scold you and send you off. If you think carefully about another person without rubbishing them, the Father later, will think carefully about you without scolding you and sending you off.” (Source: Carl Gross)

complete verse (1 Peter 3:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Peter 3:15:

  • Uma: “Offer our lives to Kristus, and admit/confess that he alone is our Lord. We must make-ready ahead of time our answer to answer people who ask us why we trust in God. But we answer them with smooth/gentle words and with humbleness [lit., a low heart].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “You should respect Isa Almasi in your liver and you should honor him because he is your Lord. Think beforehand what you will answer if someone asks you why you trust in Isa Almasi.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “You must always consider that your master is Christ. You must always prepare an answer if someone asks you why you trust in God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “but rather thoroughly esteem/respect and acknowledge Cristo as the holy Lord. Always be prepared so that if someone questions you concerning the basis of your hope/expectation as a Cristoian, you will be able to answer. But see to it that your way of answering is soft/gentle, showing proper respect.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Rather, concentrate your mind/inner-being to acknowledge Cristo with respect, that he really is your Lord/chief. You must always be ready to explain to whoever will ask you concerning this Good News which you are sure of. But be careful to explain slowly/gently to them and to speak with respect.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Respect Christ because he is your Lord. If someone asks you about your beliefs, always know what to answer them. Act respectfully to those who question you, and when you speak, do so softly.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Martu Wangka: “You should sit true to Christ and think like this, ‘Jesus Christ is my big boss and I will sit true to him only.’ If another person asks you, ‘Why is it that you sit true to Jesus?’ You should carefully report to him Jesus’s talk — you should not speak angrily to him.” (Source: Carl Gross)

complete verse (Matthew 7:24)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 7:24:

  • Uma: “‘Whoever hears my words and follows them, that person is like a smart person who builds his house on top of a strong foundation stone.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘So-then, whoever hears those my words and follows/obeys them, he is like a man who is a real expert in thinking who built his house on stone/rock.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Whoever hears all of these my advices and he carries them out, he is like a wise person. For this wise person, he built a house on a large stone.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘All who hear and believe/obey what I am saying can be compared to a wise/intelligent person who built his house on a rock.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Therefore whoever listens and obeys these things I am teaching, he is like a wise/thinking person who built his house on ground with rocks in it and put-posts-down-deep. (This is what makes a Tagbanwa house sturdy.)” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the person who hears all that I speak and does what I say, such a one is to be compared with a man who is wise and builds his house on rock.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Martu Wangka: “If a person hears/obeys my talk and sits obedient to me, he who belongs to Jesus will be like another, like this working-bloke. This knowledgeable working-bloke will build correctly a house on a big flat rock.” (Source: Carl Gross)

complete verse (1 Peter 3:16)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Peter 3:16:

  • Uma: “And our behavior must not be able to be faulted. Our behavior must be as is fitting for followers of Kristus, so that if there are people who falsely-accuse us, they will just end up be embarrassed instead.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But what you say shall be good when you answer and treat those who ask you according-to-custom/respect them. You shouldn’t do any bad so that you are not troubled in your mind in order that if somebody talks-evil-about/insults you about your good conduct, because you follow Isa Almasi, they will finally become ashamed about what they said.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “You must be respectful as you answer, and you must speak softly. There must be no sin in your breath, as disciples of Christ, for if you have no evil behaviour, the one who criticizes you will become ashamed because of what he says.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Your thoughts/minds should always be clean so that if there are those who speak-evil-of you because of your good behavior as a Cristoian, they will be shamed by their evil words.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And as-has-been-said, make sure that what you are doing always is, only that which you know to be righteous, so that the ones who speak-derogatorily of your serving of Cristo, they will be ashamed of those libels/sarcasms of theirs about you.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “That which you know is good, that is what you must do. Therefore those who speak evil of you because you are believing in Christ will be made ashamed.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Martu Wangka: “And if you continue to sit true to Jesus Christ, maybe another person may scold you for nothing, then that one will become shamed because you sit correctly for Jesus.” (Source: Carl Gross)

complete verse (Revelation 5:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 5:8:

  • Uma: “When he took that letter/paper, the four living things and the twenty-four elders lay prostrate, worshipping that Lamb. Each of them held a harp and a golden basin full of fragrant stuff called incense. That incense means the prayers of people who are the portion of God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When he took it, immediately the four different-kind-of angels and twenty four elders prostrated towards him, that is praising him. Each one of the elders held a harp and a golden censer full of incense. Because the fragrance of that incense is a sign of the prayers of the people belonging to God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when He took the scroll, the four creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down on their faces in front of the young sheep to worship Him. Each one of the elders had a harp (arpa), and they were holding golden bowls full of sweet smelling stuff which is burned to make sweet smelling smoke. The meaning of this is the prayers of the people who belong to God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Upon his taking it, the four creatures and the twenty four leaders, they knelt face-down in front of him. Each of the leaders, he had a harp (loan arpa) which he was strumming and he was holding a gold bowl full of incense (loan insinso) which are the prayers of God’s people.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When he took hold of it, those four created living beings and those twenty four elders bowed down with their faces down low, each of them (the elders) holding a stringed-instrument which was an alpa, and also holding a gold bowl full of incense. What was meant by that was the prayers of God’s people.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When he took the paper, the four who stood at each corner of the throne and also the twenty-four who sat in the chairs all kneeled before the Lamb. Each of them had a stringed instrument named harp and each held a bowl of gold in which burned incense. This stands for the prayers to God made by the people who are in the hand of God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Martu Wangka: “Then after that, those same four and the twenty four old men, they went to that young sheep and they lay face down to praise him. They had guitars, each one of them, in their hands and they each had a billy/bowl in their hand and there was smoke rising from those. A long time back the Father’s relatives (God’s people) were praying to the Father from the earth. As they were praying to the Father, then their talk would become smoke, and I saw smoke rising from those bowls.” (Source: Carl Gross)

complete verse (Matthew 25:40)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 25:40:

  • Martu Wangka: “I am saying the truth to you all. My new relative was sitting hungry, and then you all gave food and meat to him, you satisfied him. Like that you all gave to my relative, and as a result of that I was happy because that one belongs to my family. If I contrary to fact would have been there hungry, you all would have felt sorry for me as well, and given to me contrary to fact.” (Source: Ken Hansen in Notes on Translation 1998/2, p. 11ff.
  • Uma: “‘And I the King, I’ll answer them: ‘So that you know: what you did to help these relatives of mine here, even just one of my relatives whose life is small, it means it’s the same as you did it to me.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then I, the ruler, answer them, I say, ‘Truly I tell you, whenever you did this to my disciples of low status you did it really to me.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then I, the king, I will answer, ‘I tell you that if you did this even to one of these my siblings, which is to say, those who believe in me, even though he is very low in rank, you inadvertently did it to me.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Then I who am king, I will say to them, ‘This that I tell you is true that when you were doing (things) like these to even one of the least-important (lit. lowest) of these who are my brothers, you have done it to me.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And then I their King will say, ‘What I will say to you really is true. When you did these things to even the most insignificant/low-class who is like my sibling, of course I am the one to whom you did it.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The ruler will then say to the people: ‘Truly I tell you that concerning what all you have done for my brethren here, even though they are not respected by people, with the help you have given them, you have helped me too.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (Matthew 5:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 5:13:

  • Uma: “‘You who follow me can be compared to salt, which brings goodness [broad word sometimes used to mean salvation] to mankind. But if you do not follow my teaching, you are like salt that is tasteless, it cannot be made salty again, and there is no longer its usefulness, with the result that it is discarded and stepped on.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘You who follow me are like salt for all mankind. But when/if the salt has no more taste, it will not become salty again. There is no use for it anymore. Then it is just thrown out and the people walk over it.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “You, my disciples, you are like salt which is that which makes food good, because you are the means of making all-mankind good. However if the flavor is removed from salt, there is no way to bring its flavor back, and there is no use to salt which no longer has any flavor. It is thrown out and people inadvertently walk on it.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus continued to teach and said, ‘You are what-can-be-compared to salt for the people on this earth. But if salt becomes-tasteless it is impossible to return its saltiness (same word as sour/bitter). It is useless, therefore it will be thrown-away and people will step on it.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus continued his teaching saying, ‘You (pl.) who obey the will of God, an illustration of you is salt, that being really necessary here in the world. Well suppose this salt becomes tasteless, how can its saltiness be caused to return again? Isn’t it useless now? Of course it will just be thrown away. What will happen to it is that it will just be being trodden on by people.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Salt has the work that when it is put on something it keeps it from spoiling. You must do like this in the world so that because you live here it will keep down the evil which people do. But when salt has lost its strength, it is not able to salt anything again. Then it is worth nothing, it is then thrown away, people step on it.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Martu Wangka: “Jesus told them a small talk like this, ‘Meat becomes good from salt. That salt is good. Salt which has laid around on the ground becomes bad and then becomes bad rubbish. You all sit like good salt — you who are my relatives. Others, when they see you sitting well, they will gather together with you and they will follow me, Jesus. You will sit like good salt.'” (Source: Carl Gross)

complete verse (John 6:56)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 6:56:

  • Uma: “The people who eat my body and drink my blood, they stay in-harmony [lit., mutual-life] with me, and I with them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains with me and I remain with him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He who eats my body and drinks my blood never leaves me, and I also never leave him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The one who eats my body and drinks my blood, he is in me continually, and I also, I am in him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, it’s like we (excl.) are now one body.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood is in fellowship with me.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Martu Wangka: “If a person eats my body, and drinks my blood, as a result of that, we two will sit together as relatives.” (The idea of sitting together as relatives is good.) (Source: Carl Gross)