(The Catholic Christian Community Bible [first English edition 1997, other translations into Indonesian, Chinese, Cebuano, Chavacano, French, Ilonggo, Korean, Quechuan, Spanish, and Tagalog] “for the Christian Communities of the Third World” uses the following introduction.)
Hosea has come down through history as the prophet deceived by his wife whom he never stopped loving, in spite of her infidelities. God, who called him to speak on his behalf to an idolatrous and materialistic people, wanted his prophet to experience the grief and the shame of a betrayed husband. The prophets reveal a God who feels a love so real and so personal for us that it can be expressed in human words. Hosea was about to carry the same cross as God’s: constantly loving and forgiving a fickle and unfaithful wife. Hosea will also shout God’s indignation at Israel because of their sins.
Hosea began to preach around the year 746, that is to say, at the end of the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II, in the northern kingdom of Israel. Right after that would begin the twenty years of decadence which would conclude with the capture of Samaria and the deportation of its inhabitants (721).
Hosea rises to accuse and threaten the people who are unconcerned. He continues to preach while the kingdom is collapsing and predicts the punishment of the people who are irresponsible and unfaithful to the covenant with their God. He understands that God is an educator and does not allow the misfortunes and even the destruction of the nation without his reasons. Through such means, Israel will again become what they once were when the Lord took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt: they will become a poor and humble people, able to follow their God with faith and love.
The book of Hosea begins with the story of the failure of his married life. From that he draws a lesson for Israel, unfaithful to the Lord (chapters 1-3).
Then in chapters 4–13 we have a mixture of reproaches, threats, invitations to conversion and predictions of the exile. The final passage 14:2-10 offers hope for the future, when the Lord will have taken away all the riches in which Israel had trusted.
Down below are the introductions in the Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Spanish editions.
Nakilala si Oseas sa kasaysayan bilang propetang niloko ng kanyang asawa na patuloy pa rin niyang minahal sa kabila ng mga kataksilan nito. Tinawag siya ng Diyos para magsalita sa ngalan niya sa isang bayang materyalista at maraming dinidiyos na iba. At nais ng Diyos na maranasan din ng kanyang propeta ang sakit at kahihiyan ng isang asawang kinaliwa. Isang Diyos na nakadarama ng pagmamahal sa tao ang ipinakikilala sa atin ng mga propeta; tunay at personal na pagmamahal kayat naipahahayag sa wika ng tao. Pagkatawag ng Diyos sa propeta, tinanggap niya ang pribilehiyong madama at makita ang mga bagay gaya ng Diyos: kayat papasanin din ni Oseas ang parehong krus ng Diyos -- ang laging mahalin at patawarin ang asawang salawahan at taksil. At sa kabilang dako naman, isisigaw rin ni Oseas ang galit ng Diyos sa Israel sa harap ng mga kasalanan nito.
Mga taong 746 nang magsimulang mangaral si Oseas, ibig sabihi’y sa dakong huli ng masaganang paghahari ni Yeroboam II sa hilagang kaharian ng Israel. Pagkatapos na pag-katapos nito’y agad na magsisimula ang dalawampung taon ng pagbagsak at kabulukan na magwawakas sa pagkabihag sa Samaria at pagdedeport sa mga tagaroon (taong 721).
Narito si Oseas para akusahan at babalaan ang bayang nabubuhay nang walang paki-alam. Patuloy siya sa pangangaral samantalang pabagsak naman ang kaharian: ipinahahayag niya ang parusa ng bayang iresponsable at taksil sa pakikipagtipan ng kanilang Diyos. Pero nauunawaan niya na tagapagturo ang Diyos at hindi nito pahihintulutan nang walang dahilan ang mga kapahamakan at kahit na ang pagkawasak ng bansa. Sa ganitong paraan, ang Israel ay magbabalik sa dati nitong kalagayan nang akayin siya ni Yawe at ilabas mula sa Ehipto: siya ay magiging dukha at abang bayan, kayang sundan ang kanyang Diyos nang may pananampalataya at pagmamahal.
Nagsisimula ang libro ni Oseas sa istorya ng kabiguan ng kanyang buhay may-asawa. Naglalahad siya mula rito ng aral sa Israel na taksil kay Yawe (kab. 1-3).
At sa mga kabanata 4-13 naman, sama-sama ang mga panunumbat, babala, paanyaya sa pagbabalik-loob at pagbabalita ng pagkatapon. Isang pag-asa sa kinabukasan ang binubuksan ng huling talata, 14:2-10, sa oras na alisin na ni Yawe sa Israel ang lahat ng kayamanang pinanghawakan nito.
Translation: Cebuano
Si Oseas naila sa kasaysayan nga propetang gibudhian sa asawa apan, wala niya hunongi sa paghigugma bisan pa sa mga kakulangan sa kamatinud-anon. Ang Ginoo nga nagtawag niya sa pagsulti sa Iyang ngalan sa mga matootoohon ug materyalista nga mga tawo, buot nga ang iyang propeta makasinati sa pag-antos ug kaulawan sa gibudhian nga bana. Ang mga propeta nagpadayag sa Ginoo nga mibatig gugma nga tiunay ug suod alang sa katawhan, nga mahimong mapadayag sa tawhanong pinulongan. Human tawga sa Ginoo, ang propeta nakadawat sa pribilihiyo nga mobati ug makakita sa mga butang sama sa Ginoo: Si Oseas magpas-an sa krus sama sa Ginoo: makanunayon sa iyang paghigugma ug pagpasaylo sa mabalhinon ug mabudhion nga asawa. Ug si Oseas sab mopalanog sa kasuko sa Ginoo ngadto sa Israel tungod sa ilang mga sala.
Si Oseas nagsugod sa pagwali sa mga tuig 746, sa ato pa, sa kataposan sa mauswagon nga paghari ni Jeroboam II, sa amihanang gingharian sa Israel. Human adto, nagsugod ang 20 ka tuig sa kadunot sa gingharian nga misangko sa pagkabihag sa Samaria ug sa pagpalagpot sa mga lumolupyo (721).
Si Oseas mibarog aron pagsudya ug paghulga sa mga tawo nga walay pagpakabana. Nagpadayon siya sa pagwali samtang ang gingharian nag-anam og kahugno; iyang gitagna ang pagsilot sa mga tawo nga iresponsabli ug dili matinud-anon sa kasabotan tali sa Ginoo. Apan, nakasabot siya nga ang Ginoo magtutudlo ug dili motugot sa kaalaot, bisan sa pagkabungkag sa nasod nga walay mga rason. Pinaagi ini, ang Israel mahisama na pod sa iyang pagkasiya adtong panahon nga gisapwang sila sa kamot sa Ginoo ug gidala gawas sa Ehipto; mahimo silang kabos ug mapaubsanon nga mga tawo, nga nagsunod sa ilang Ginoo uban ang pagtoo ug gugma.
Ang libro ni Oseas nagsugod sa sugilanon sa iyang pakyas nga kaminyoon. Gikan ini, nakakuha siyag pagtulun-an alang sa Israel nga wala magmatinud-anon sa Ginoo (kapitulo 1-3).
Dayon, sa kapitulo 4-13, anaay pagsagol sa panudya, panghulga, pagdapit sa pagbag-o, ug panagna bahin sa pagkabihag. Ang kataposan nga parapo (14:2-10) nagtanyag og paglaom alang sa umaabot, sa dihang gidala na sa Ginoo ang tanang bahandi nga gitagoan sa Israel.
Translation: Spanish
Oseas encabeza a los «Profetas Menores». Menores lo son si se mide por el largo de sus libros. Pero también es cierto que muchos de ellos no han tenido en la tradición el mismo peso que los tres «Grandes». Oseas ha tenido en contra suya que era de Israel, el Reino del Norte, y que todas sus profecías se referían a dicha nación; esto no facilitó su reconocimiento por los judíos de Jerusalén que reunieron los escritos proféticos. Merece, sin embargo, una mención muy especial por ser el primero que conoció a Yavé como el amante de Israel.
Dios lo llamó para advertir en su nombre a un pueblo idólatra y materializado, y le pidió hablar, no sólo el lenguaje de Dios Sabaot, Señor de Israel, sino también el del esposo traicionado. Esa era una gran novedad. Grandes profetas que vinieron después de Oseas: Jeremías, el Segundo-Isaías, Ezequiel iban a retomar esta primera proclamación de Dios-amante. Una nueva visión de la alianza, unión y comunión de Dios con la humanidad, saldría de ahí, pasando a ser uno de los rasgos más decisivos de la fe judía, y luego, cristiana.
Para un tal mensaje, no era suficiente que el profeta supiera expresar con figuras humanas la forma divina de mirar a los hombres. La profecía auténtica no es cosa de palabras y de literatura, y era necesario que el profeta hubiese experimentado en carne propia lo que Dios siente y vive, en cierto sentido, tan realmente como nosotros. El primer profeta de Dios-amante fue un profeta engañado por su esposa, a la que, a pesar de sus infidelidades, no dejó de amar.
Oseas empezó a predicar como en el año 746, es decir, al final del próspero reino de Jeroboam II, en Israel del Norte. Inmediatamente después iban a empezar los veinte años de decadencia que tendrían por conclusión la toma de Samaria y el destierro de sus habitantes (año 721).
— El libro de Oseas comienza con el relato de su problema conyugal. De allí saca una lección para Israel, infiel a Yavé (cc. 1-3).
— Después, en los capítulos 4-13, se mezclan reproches, amenazas, invitaciones a la conversión y anuncio del destierro. Oseas, sin embargo, comprende que Dios es un educador y que no permite sin razón las desgracias y aun la destrucción de la nación. Israel va a volver a ser lo que era cuando Yavé lo tomó de la mano al sacarlo de Egipto: será un pueblo pobre y humilde, capaz de seguir a su Dios con fe y amor: 14,2-10.
(The Catholic Christian Community Bible [first English edition 1997, other translations into Indonesian, Chinese, Cebuano, Chavacano, French, Ilonggo, Korean, Quechuan, Spanish, and Tagalog] “for the Christian Communities of the Third World” uses the following introduction.)
We know almost nothing about the life of the apostle Peter from the Council of Jerusalem, in the year 49 (see Acts 15), until the time he wrote this letter, around the year 64. It is certain that he went to Rome. Being in charge of the entire Church, he, like Paul, had to go to the center of the Roman world, though their motives were different.
A very ancient tradition affirms that he was killed in the persecution of Nero, in 66, and that he was buried on the grounds of the Vatican Hill. Investigations carried out these past years have enabled us to discover a grave and bones with various inscriptions which are, almost certainly, those of the apostle, the first Rock of the church.
Thus it was a short time before his death that he wrote this letter from Rome. Peter had neither the genius nor the literary talent of Paul. Instead, with simple words, he addressed the Christians of the Asian province, where the first persecutions were beginning. Different from Paul, he is not concerned with clarifying or defending the faith. He tries to encourage believers who are suffering by presenting the example of Christ to them and by explaining the consequences of baptism.
In this letter, everything from 1:3 to 3:7 is inspired by the baptismal ceremony in the early Church: hymns, homily on the ritual and on Christian life. For Peter, it is an excellent way to remind his readers that they are Christians.
The end of the letter tells us that Peter wrote through Silvanus, who had been a disciple of Paul. This may be why, in various passages, we find the same topics found in Paul’s letters.
Down below are the introductions in the Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Spanish editions.
Halos wala tayong nalaman tungkol sa buhay ng apostol na si Pedro mula sa Kunsilyo ng Jerusalem, sa taong 49 (tingnan ang Gawa 15), hanggang nang sulatin niya ang liham na ito, nang dakong taong 64. Ngunit tiyak na nagtungo siya sa Roma. Nangasiwa siya sa buong Iglesya, kaya kailangan niyang puntahan na tulad ni Pablo ang pusod ng daigdig na Romano, bagamat magkaiba ang kanilang layunin.
Tinitiyak ng isang sinaunang tradisyon na napatay siya sa pag-uusig ni Nero, noong 66, at inilibing siya sa burol ng Batikano. Ang mga pagsisiyasat nitong ilang taong nagdaan ay nakatulong upang matuklasan naman ang isang libingan at mga butong pinapatunayan ng mga inskripsyon na mga buto ng apostol, ang unang Bato ng Iglesya.
Samakatwid, malapit na ang kanyang kamatayan nang isinulat niya ang liham na ito mula sa Roma. Hindi angkin ni Pedro ang karunungan o talinong pampanitikan ni Pablo. Sa halip, sa pamamagitan ng mga payak na pangungusap siya nagsasalita sa mga Kristiyano ng lalawigan ng Asia, na pinagsisimulan ng mga unang pag-uusig. Kaiba kay Pablo, hindi siya nababahala sa paglilinaw o pagtatanggol sa pananampalataya. Sinisikap niyang hikayatin ang mga naghihirap na mananampalataya sa pagpapaalaala sa kanila ng halimbawa, na si Kristo, at sa pagpapaliwanag sa mga bunga ng pagbibinyag.
Sa liham na ito, mula sa 1:3 hanggang 3:7, ipinaaalaala ng lahat ang pagdiriwang sa binyag sa sinaunang Iglesya: himno, homiliya sa ritwal at sa buhay-Kristiyano. Kay Pedro, iyon ang pinakamabuting paraan upang mapaalalahanan ang kanyang mga mambabasa tungkol sa kanilang kalagayang Kristiyano.
Nagsasabi ang pagwawakas ng liham na sumulat si Pedro sa tulong ni Silvano na naging alagad ni Pablo. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit makikita sa ilang talata ang gayunding paksa sa mga liham ni Pablo.
Translation: Cebuano
Halos wala tay nahibaw-an sa kinabuhi ni Pedro, ang Apostol, sukad sa konsilyo sa Jerusalem, sa tuig 49 (tan-awa ang Mga Buhat 15) hangtod sa pagsulat ini, sa mga tuig 64. Piho nga miadto siya sa Roma. Isip pangulo sa tibuok simbahan, sama ni Pablo, kinahanglang moadto siya sa ulohan sa Romanong kalibotan bisag lahi ang katuyoan.
Gimatud-an sa karaan na kaayong tradisyon nga gipatay siya sa panglutos ni Nero sa tuig 66. Ug gilubong sa kabuntoran sa Vaticano.
Ang mga pagsusi nga gihimo sa nangaging katuigan makapakitag timailhan, sama sa lubnganan ug mga bukog nga may nagkalainlaing timaan. Napiho ni nga iya ni Apostol Pedro, ang unang Bato sa simbahan.
Gipadala ni gikan sa Roma sa hapit na siya patyon. Wala ni Pedro ang kahait sa salabotan ni ang gasa sa mga pulong ni Pablo. Hinunoa, pinaagi sa yanong pinulongan gisulatan niya ang mga Kristyano sa Asia diin nagsugod ang panglutos. Lahi ni Pablo wala niya tagda ang pagtin-aw o pagpanalipod sa pagtoo. Naningkamot siya pagdasig sa mga magtotoo nga nag-antos pinaagi sa pagpakita nila sa mga sanglitanan ni Cristo ug pagpatin-aw sa mga sangpotanan sa bunyag.
Ining sulata, ang tanan gikan sa 1:3 hangtod sa 3:7 dinasig sa seremonyas sa bunyag sa unang Simbahan: ang mga awit, wali sa rito ug sa kinabuhing Kristohanon. Alang ni Pedro, ang labi ning maayo nga paagi pagpahinumdom sa mga magbabasa sa Kristohanon nilang kahimtang.
Ang kataposan sa sulat nagsulti nga si Pedro nagsulat ni Silvano, nga natinun-an ni Pablo. Makita ni sa sinugdan sa mensahe. Susama sab ang gihisgotan sa mga sulat ni Pablo.
Translation: Spanish
No sabemos casi nada de la vida del apóstol Pedro después de su liberación milagrosa, relatada en He 12. Era el año 44. En los meses siguientes, la muerte de Herodes Agripa no impidió a los sumos sacerdotes que siguieran intentando su muerte. ¿Cuándo partió para el mundo griego? ¿Qué contactos tuvo con las co-munidades fundadas por Pablo? Se sabe que en Corinto una facción se declaraba partidaria de él y que aparentemente lo conocía (1Cor 1,12).
¿Cómo pudo participar en el concilio de Jerusalén el año 49 (He 15)? ¿Cuándo llegó a Roma? Esta carta es un testimonio de su presencia en esa ciudad.
La carta de Pedro tiene numerosos puntos de contacto tanto con la carta de Santiago como con las de Pablo. Al final nos informa que el redactor fue Silvano, o Silas, uno de los responsables de la Iglesia de Jerusalén que luego acompañó a Pablo en sus misiones. Con eso nos confirma la unidad de la fe desde los comienzos de la Iglesia; Pedro, Santiago y Pablo eran los testigos incontestables de Cristo que, lejos de enseñar versiones diferentes del Evangelio, inspiraban una predicación común del misterio cristiano a partir de datos intocables que ya se llamaban “la Tradición” o “la Doctrina”.
Los profetas de la Iglesia, acostumbrados a dar una interpretación cristiana del Antiguo Testamento, iban creando poco a poco un lenguaje cristiano y, como eran itinerantes, ese lenguaje debía necesariamente estar de acuerdo con el testimonio de los apóstoles.
La originalidad de esta carta se nota en los tres puntos siguientes:
– de 1,3 a 3,7 todo está inspirado en la ceremonia del bautismo: los himnos, la homilía sobre el sentido del bautismo y el género de vida que llevarán en el mundo los nuevos bautizados:
– la carta hace el elogio de un nuevo pueblo de bautizados, piedras vivas del templo auténtico y sacerdotes de Dios para un culto espiritual;
– repetidas veces Pedro invita a meditar la pasión de Cristo: su sacrificio está siempre presente en el corazón del pueblo de Dios y la persecución forma parte de su vocación.
Una tradición muy antigua asegura que Pedro fue ejecutado durante la persecución de Nerón y que fue enterrado en unos terrenos de la colina del Vaticano. Excavaciones recientes han permitido descubrir una tumba conteniendo osamentas y marcada con diferentes inscripciones, que es casi con certeza la del apóstol, primera piedra de la Iglesia.
In many, if not most of the languages in the Philippines, proper nouns, such as personal names, are tagged with a marker that signals their grammatical role within a sentence. For Tagalog and the Visayan languages , this typically includes si to mark the proper noun as the actor or subject (nominative case), ni to mark the proper noun as an owner (genitive case), and kay to mark the proper noun as as an indirect object, i.e. the one to or toward whom an action is directed (dative case). All of these also have plural forms — sina, nina and kina respectively — and unlike in the biblical languages or in English, the plural form has to be used when only a single proper name is mentioned but implicitly that proper name includes more than just one.
In this verse, where English translates “Abraham (journeyed),” the Tagalog translation translates “sina Abraham” because the context of the text makes clear that Abraham was not traveling alone. (Source: Kermit Titrud and Steve Quakenbush)
In many, if not most of the languages in the Philippines, proper nouns, such as personal names, are tagged with a marker that signals their grammatical role within a sentence. For Tagalog and the Visayan languages , this typically includes si to mark the proper noun as the actor or subject (nominative case), ni to mark the proper noun as an owner (genitive case), and kay to mark the proper noun as as an indirect object, i.e. the one to or toward whom an action is directed (dative case). All of these also have plural forms — sina, nina and kina respectively — and unlike in the biblical languages or in English, the plural form has to be used when only a single proper name is mentioned but implicitly that proper name includes more than just one.
In this verse, where English translates “he (came out),” the Tagalog translation translates “sina Jesus” because the context of the text makes clear that Jesus came out with his disciples. (Source: Kermit Titrud and Steve Quakenbush)
(The Catholic Christian Community Bible [first English edition 1997, other translations into Indonesian, Chinese, Cebuano, Chavacano, French, Ilonggo, Korean, Quechuan, Spanish, and Tagalog] “for the Christian Communities of the Third World” uses the following introduction.)
When the Sacred books began to be organized, the Mosaic books were followed by a history of Israel that went from the Book of Joshua to the Book of Kings. Their authors shared the prophets’ views that were also those of Deuteronomy: God made a covenant with Israel, gave it the land, provided that Israel would remain faithful to the covenant. In the course of the centuries, there were more and more infidelities and this is why the two kingdoms, Israel and then Judah, lost their land. Yet, after the disaster, there was still hope. God did not go back on his promise: the land of Palestine and the Temple of Jerusalem remain at the center of God’s plan and the conversion of the people will usher in a new age.
In the fifth century, this hope encouraged those who were returning from the Exile, as well as the last prophets. Then, with Zerubbabel, Nehemiah and Ezra, the Temple and the city were rebuilt and the cult was reorganized. Time was passing by and the Jewish community was getting used to being just a province of the Persian Empire: it was satisfied with having imposed its own identity under the leadership of its priests. This is when the books of the royal period seem dated.
People no longer expected anything from the kings and priests had full authority… There was no interest in the history of the kingdom but rather, in the roles that priests had in it. The Mosaic books were rewritten to put the laws dealing with worship in the first place and this type of work continued until the contemporary period, that is to say, Ezra’s reform. The history of Israel will take its readers from Moses, who foresaw everything, to Ezra, who reformed everything, by way of holy King David who established the liturgy.
The Book of Chronicles was written in this setting. The book is full of genealogies since the religious status of priests depended on their family of origin. Therefore, we should not be surprised by the fabulous genealogies at the beginning of the book. It is full of extraordinary numbers (this was also the case of Numbers with the 600,000 men of Exodus). This history is only interested in the Kingdom of Judah as it ignores or condemns a priori everything the others tribes of Israel had experienced.
Did the authors want Chronicles to replace the previous books that we have mentioned? God did not allow that to happen and Chronicles simply completed Samuel and Kings. They even preserved strange traditions that the latter ignored. At times, they show the narrow-mindedness that characterizes people who live for one or two principles. But they also offer us a grandiose vision of the worship of God, a people’s prayer and the conviction that this chosen people can and must have its own identity. Among other things, we will notice this conviction: unity constitutes both the richness and the first obligation of the people of God, that is to say, the condition for our obedience to God to be authentic. This assertion is still valid for the Church of Christ.
Down below are the introductions in the Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Spanish editions.
Para sa mga may gusto sa atin na malaman ang kasaysayan ng Israel, walang itinuturong bago ang Mga Kronika. Muli lamang isinusulat dito ang naisalaysay na sa mga libro ni Samuel at ng Mga Hari. Nasa paraan lamang ng pagpili sa mga pangyayari at sa paglalahad ng mga ito ang kaibahan.
Gustong ipakita ng sumulat ng Mga Kronika na nakasalalay sa katapatan sa Batas ni Moises at sa mga kautusan sa pagsamba ang kinabukasan ng sambayanang Judio.
Dahil sa kanyang panahon, hindi isang bansang malaya ang mga Judio, kundi parang isang malayang probinsya na lamang ng imperyo ng Persia. At may lumalaking pagnanasa sa kanila na maging isang “teokrasya,” na ibig sabihi’y isang kaharian ng Diyos na pinamumunuan ng mga pari sa kanyang pangalan. Sinisikap nilang kalimutan ang mga Persianong tagapamahala na hinayaan silang magkaroon ng sapat na kalayaan, at inoorganisa nila ang buhay ng bansa na sa Templo at sa Batas ni Moises nakasentro. Sa paghihintay nila sa pagdating ng “Anak ni David,” nakagawian na nilang sabihin: “Kung sa buong maghapon ay ganap na susundin ang Batas sa buong bansa, tiyak na darating ang Mesiyas.”
Kaya halos sa kasaysayan lamang ng mga hari ng Juda na mga inapo ni David interesado ang awtor. Bagamat ibinibigay niya sa atin ang listahan ng mga ninuno ni David, na pabalik pa hanggang kay Adan, wala naman siyang binabanggit na kataga man lamang tungkol sa kaharian ng Israel kung saan nabuhay ang karamihan sa bayang pinili, dahil hiwalay ito sa kaharian ni David. Maraming makukulay na detalye ang ibinibigay sa atin ng awtor na wala sa mga libro ni Samuel at ng Mga Hari, pero sa kabuua’y para bang di kapani-paniwala at nakakasawa para sa atin ang kanyang salaysay. Isa pa’y nadadala siya ng masigasig niyang pananampalataya, mahilig siya sa malalaking numero at pagkaminsa’y iniiba niya ang katotohanan para bigyang-diin ang gusto niyang sabihin (paghambingin ang 1 H 22:50 at 2 Kro 20:35, 2 S 12:31 at 1 Kro 20:3).
Ano naman ang mapapala natin sa pagbasa sa aklat na ito? Matutunghayan natin sa bawat pahina ang katiyakan na hindi dapat magkaroon ng ano pa mang ambisyon ang bayang sumasampalataya liban sa pagtupad sa kalooban ng Diyos: darating na lang ang iba pang mga tagumpay bilang regalo. At ipinaaalaala rin nito sa atin na hindi dapat iwala ng bayan ni Kristo ang pagiging orihinal at bukod-tangi, sa kabila ng kawalan nito ng mga nakikitang hangganan at di pamumuhay nang hiwalay sa gitna ng ibang mga tao upang mapalahok sa masa. Hinding-hindi ganap na makakahawig sa di-sumasampalataya ang sumasampalataya, ni maging katulad na katulad sa takbo ng isip. May sarili siyang misyon at iniingatan niya ang nakikitang pagkakaisa ng Iglesya sa paligid ng mga inilagay ng Diyos sa kanila para maging mga kinatawan niya.
Translation: Cebuano
Kon gusto tag dugang pang kasayoran sa kasaysayan sa Israel, ang Kronikas dyotay rag ikatampo: halos tanan nga gisaysay dinhi nasulat na sa Samuel ug sa mga Hari. Ang kalainan lang mao ang paagi sa pagpili sa mga hitabo ug sa pagpadayag ini.
Buot ipadayag sa tagsulat ining basahona nga ang kaugmaon sa katawhang Judio nag-agad sa kamaunongon sa Balaod ni Moises ug sa gilatid nga tulumanon sa pasimba.
Niining panahona, ang mga Judio dili na gawasnong nasod, apan lalawigan sa Persianong imperyo, bisag gihatagan silag dyotayng awtonomiya. Dako kaayo ang ilang pangandoy nga mahimong “Teyokrasya,” sa ato pa, gingharian sa Diyos nga magmando sa ngalan sa Diyos pinaagi sa kaparian. Ilang gisulayan nga dili lang manumbaling sa Persianong administrador nga naghatag nilag kagawasan sa pagpalambo sa nasodnong kinabuhi alirong sa Templo ug sa mga balaod ni Moises. Kanunay silang naglantaw sa pag-abot sa “anak ni David” ug sagad moingon: “kon hingpit lang nga motuman ang tanang katawhan sa Balaod, bisag sa usa ra ka adlaw, nan, moabot gyod ang Mesiyas.”
Mao man gani nga interesado kaayo ang tagsulat sa paghatag og dakong gibug-aton sa kasaysayan sa gingharian sa Juda nga kaliwat ni David. Gihatag sa tagsulat ang taas nga talaan sa katigulangan ni David, sukad ni Adan, apan wala niya hisgoti ang gingharian sa Israel diin namuyo ang kadaghanan sa piniling katawhan, kay ang Israel mibulag man sa gingharian ni David.
Daghang mabulokan nga mga detalye ang gisaysay sa tagsulat nga dili mabasa sa Samuel ug sa Mga Hari, apan sa kinatibuk-an, ang iyang istorya morag sumada ug dili nato katoohan nga mosaysayg dagkong mga numero, usahay tuison ang panghitabo, aron lang paglig-on sa buot niyang ipasabot (itandi ang 1 H 22:30 ug 2 Kro 20:35; 2 S 12:31 ug 1 Kro 20:3).
Unsay makuha natong kaayohan pagbasa ining basahona? Sa matag panid, makita ang hugot nga pagtoo, nga ang matoohong katawhan kinahanglang walay laing tinguhaon gawas sa pagtuman sa kabubut-on sa Diyos; ang ubang kadaogan naangkon kay gihatag ni isip gasa. Dugang pa, nagpahinumdom ni natong kristyanos nga bisag wala tay makita nga mga utlanan karon, ug wala magpuyo nga himulag sa ubang katawhan, kinahanglang dili ta malimot sa atong sinugdan, aron masagol ta ug dili mahilayo sa katawhan. Kinahanglan nga ang mga magtotoo dili gyod hingpit nga mahisama sa walay pagtoo, ni hingpit nga mahisama ang ilang panghunahuna. Aduna silay kaugalingong misyon, ug maglantaw kanunay alang sa makitang kahiusa sa simbahan, diin gipahimutang sa Diyos ang iyang mga tinugyanan.
Translation: Spanish
INTRODUCCION A LAS CRÓNICAS
En un primer momento las Crónicas parecen no contener muchas cosas que no hayamos leído en los libros anteriores, especialmente en los libros de Samuel y de los Reyes. La diferencia está en la manera de presentar los hechos.
Cuando regresaron los judíos deportados a Babilonia, Judá no era más que una provincia del imperio persa, pero la reforma de Esdras había hecho de los sacerdotes la única autoridad de la provincia judía. Los sacerdotes ahora quieren una historia de Israel que conduzca a sus lectores desde Moisés, que lo ha previsto todo, hasta Esdras, que ha reformado todo, pasando por el santo rey David que ha organizado y codificado la liturgia. Todo gira en torno al templo de Jerusalén y la vocación única del pueblo judío. El autor no quiere negar las faltas del pasado, pero sobre todo se necesitan grandes ejemplos; la vida y la obra de David y de Salomón, pues, recibirán un trato especial y serán escritas como una “vida de santos”, quedándose como figuras ejemplares.
Éste es el marco en que se escribieron las Crónicas. Un libro plagado de genealogías, porque entre los sacerdotes la posición dependía de la familia donde uno había crecido. No deberían extrañarnos, por tanto, las genealogías fabulosas con que comienza la obra: la genealogía de David se remonta ¡hasta Adán! Un libro lleno de cifras fantásticas (como los Números o como los 600.000 hombres del Éxodo). Una historia que sólo se ocupa del reino de Judá, olvidando o condenando a priori todo lo que había pasado en las otras tribus de Israel: en cuanto se separaron del centro elegido por Dios, perdieron el beneficio de sus promesas.
Las Crónicas, redactadas con toda probabilidad al final del siglo cuarto, siempre han sido consideradas como un libro reservado a los estudiosos y apenas encontraron un lugar en la liturgia judía. Hoy en día, para el lector que se toma la libertad de pegar un triple o cuádruple salto por encima de las listas interminables de nombres, deben su sabor a las numerosas tradiciones curiosas que han sabido conservar.
El libro manifiesta a veces una estrechez de espíritu propia de personas que viven de uno o dos principios. Pero también nos ofrece una visión grandiosa del culto de Dios, de la oración de un pueblo, de la convicción que el pueblo elegido debe tener de su propia identidad. Insiste, entre otras cosas, en que la unidad es a la vez la riqueza y la obligación del pueblo de Dios, condición para que la obediencia a Dios sea auténtica. Para nosotros la ciudad de Jerusalén y el Templo único han sido sustituidos por la Iglesia única. Ninguno de los que se buscan iglesias a su gusto podrá leer este libro sin sentirse interpelado.
(The Catholic Christian Community Bible [first English edition 1997, other translations into Indonesian, Chinese, Cebuano, Chavacano, French, Ilonggo, Korean, Quechuan, Spanish, and Tagalog] “for the Christian Communities of the Third World” uses the following introduction.)
Shortly after Haggai and Zechariah, this prophet intervenes to correct several evil customs within the community. Through Malachi, the Lord argues with those who call him to account, but who do not acknowledge his love.
Down below are the introductions in the Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Spanish editions.
Hindi nagtagal at dumating ang propetang ito kasunod nina Ageo at Zacarias para iwasto ang maraming masamang kaugalian ng pamayanan. Sa pamamagitan ni Malakias, nakikipagtalo si Yawe sa mga nangangatwiran at nagpapapanagot sa kanya at di kumikilala sa kanyang pagmamahal: “Sinasabi ninyong...”
Translation: Cebuano
Human dayon ni Ageo ug Zacarias, kining maong propeta nangilabot aron pagtarong sa pipila ka hiwi nga kostumbre sulod sa katilingban. Pinaagi ni Malakias, ang Diyos mibarog atubangan adtong nanawagan kaniya sa pakighusay, apan wala moila sa Iyang gugma: “Miingon ka...”
Translation: Spanish
Poco después de Ageo y Zacarías, este profeta interviene para corregir varias costumbres malas de la comunidad. Por medio de Malaquías, Yavé discute con esos razonadores que le piden cuentas y no reconocen su amor.
Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Aramaic all have one term only that refers to what can be expressed in English as “sky” or “heaven(s)” (as a physical and spiritual entity). While there is a slight overlap between the meaning of the two English terms, “sky” (from Old Norse sky meaning “cloud”) typically refers to the physical entity, and “heaven” (from Old English heofon meaning “home of God”) typically refers to the spiritual entity. While this enriches the English lexicon, it also forces English Bible translators to make decisions that can be found only in the context in the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. Most versions tend to use “heaven(s)” even if the meaning is likely “sky,” but the Contemporary English Version (NT: 1991, OT: 1995, DC: 1999) is an English translation that attempted to be more specific in the separation of the two meanings and was used as the basis for the links to verses used for this and this record (“sky”).
Norm Mundhenk (in The Bible Translator 2006, p. 92ff. ) describes the difficulty that English translations face (click or tap here to see more):
“A number of years ago an old lady asked me a question. What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away’? I do not remember what answer I gave, but I was surprised at how concerned she seemed to be about the verse. It was only later, after I had left her, that I suddenly realized what it was that she was so concerned about. She knew that death could not be far away, and all her life she had looked forward to being with God in heaven. But this verse said that ‘heaven will pass away’! What did that mean for her hopes? In fact, of course, in this verse Jesus was talking about the skies or the heavens, not about Heaven as the place of God’s presence. If I had realized the problem in time, I could easily have set the lady’s mind at rest on this question that was troubling her so much. However, I suspect that she is not the only person to be misled by the wording of this verse. Therefore, it is very surprising to find that even today many English versions (including the New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation) still say ‘heaven and earth’ in verses like Matt 24:35 and its parallels (Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33). The Contemporary English Version (CEV) and Phillips’ translation seem to be aware of the problem, and in Mark 13:31 both of these have ‘earth and sky’ instead of ‘heaven and earth.’ But in some other passages (such as Matt 5:18) the traditional wording is still found in both of those translations. The New Century Version (NCV) does have ‘earth and sky’ more consistently, and the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has ‘sky and earth’ in these passages. (Although ‘sky and earth’ is closer to the Greek, it seems more natural in English to say ‘earth and sky’; but either way, at least the meaning is correct.)
“Louw and Nida’s Lexical Semantics of the Greek New Testament (publ. 1992) suggests that the Greek expression being translated here, ho ouranos kai he ge is ‘a more or less fixed phrase equivalent to a single lexical unit’ and that it means everything that God created, that is, the universe. They then quote Mark 13:31 as an example, using ‘heaven and earth’ in their translation of it. However, they go on to say that there ‘may be certain complications involved in rendering ho ouranos kai he ge as ‘heaven and earth,’ since ‘heaven’ might be interpreted in some languages as referring only to the dwelling place of God himself. The referents in this passage are ‘the sky and the earth,’ in other words, all of physical existence, but not the dwelling place of God, for the latter would not be included in what is destined to pass away.’ In my opinion, English itself is one of the languages where the word ‘heaven’ will be interpreted as referring only to the dwelling place of God himself, and translations into English should not use ‘heaven’ in these passages. It is probably because these passages are so very familiar that translators do not realize the meaning they are giving their readers when they use the expression ‘heaven and earth’ here. In modern English we might talk about a rocket ‘soaring into the heavens,’ but we would certainly not describe it as ‘soaring into heaven,’ because ‘heaven’ is not another way of referring to the sky or to outer space.
“In fact, it is surely important in all languages to have some way of distinguishing the concept of ‘sky’ from the concept of ‘dwelling place of God.’ In these passages translators should never use a term meaning ‘the dwelling place of God.’ It may not be necessary to use a term meaning ‘sky’ either, if there is some other expression in the language which gives the correct meaning of ‘everything that has been created’ or ‘the universe.’ There are of course places in the New Testament where Heaven, as the place where God lives, is contrasted with the earth. In these passages, translators should be careful to give the correct meaning. A good example of this is in the Lord’s Prayer, in Matt 6:10: ‘Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Similarly, 1 Cor 15:47 says that ‘the first man [a reference to Adam] was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.’ Passages like these are referring to Heaven, not to the sky. Other NT passages where heaven refers to God’s dwelling place, in contrast with earth, are Matt 5:34-35, 16:19, 18:18, Acts 7:49, James 5:12, and Rev 5:3.
“Sometimes in the New Testament, the word ‘heaven’ is used because of the Jewish reluctance to use the name of God. ‘Heaven’ in these cases is used in place of ‘God’ and refers to God himself. This is the case in the many references in Matthew to ‘the kingdom of heaven’ where other gospels have ‘the kingdom of God’ (e.g., compare Matt 4:17 with its parallels in Mark 1:15 and Luke 10:9). It is also most likely the case in references like Matt 16:1, Luke 20:4, 5, John 3:27, and even perhaps Col 1:5.
“There are some places, such as Matt 11:25, where God is called ‘Lord of heaven and earth.’ Since God is of course the Lord of Heaven as well as of the universe, it may not matter so much which interpretation is given in these passages (others are Luke 10:21 and Acts 17:24). Nevertheless, the intended meaning here is likely to be ‘the universe.’ This is because this expression in Greek, as Louw and Nida say, is a set expression referring to everything that has been created. Acts 17:24 in fact combines the idea of the creation of the universe with the idea of God as Master or Lord of the universe. (…)
“Old Testament background The use of ‘heaven and earth’ in the New Testament is very similar to what we find in the Old Testament, because it is largely based on the Old Testament.
“The Old Testament begins with the story of creation, which is presented as the creation of the heavens and the earth, with lights to shine in the heavens and give light to the earth. Birds are created to live in the heavens, animals to live on earth, and fish to live in the sea (Gen 1:1-2:4).
“As we can see from the way the creation story is told, it is meant to be understood as the creation of the universe. Although in English the regions above the earth have traditionally been called ‘the heavens’ in the story of creation, they cannot be called ‘Heaven,’ in the sense of the place where God dwells. In terms of modern English, it would probably be better to say ‘the sky and the earth’ or ‘the earth and the sky.’ The story of creation then becomes an important theme throughout the Old Testament. (…)
“In most passages, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, when ‘heaven and earth’ or ‘the heavens and the earth’ are mentioned, the meaning is the created universe. It is not a reference to Heaven, as the dwelling place of God. In English, translators have not been careful to keep this distinction clear, and this is probably true in many other languages as well. However, as we have seen, this can lead to real confusion for ordinary Bible readers. It is better if translators find ways to make the meaning clear in these passages. ‘Heaven’ should be mentioned only in passages which clearly mean the dwelling place of God. In other passages, an expression should be used which means only ‘sky.’ Or else, the whole expression ‘heaven and earth’ can be translated in a way to show that the whole universe is meant.”
Other languages that have a semantic distinction similar to English include (click or tap here to see more):
Mossi: saase — “sky”; nyingeri — “the up above”(source for Loma and Mossi: Bratcher/Nida)
Roviana: mamaṉa — “sly”; maṉauru — “heaven” (an old word, meaning “empty, open space of the sky”) (source: Carl Gross)
Kayaw: mô̄la or “canopy-under”/mô̄khû̄la or “canopy-above-under” — “sky” (atmosphere where there is just air); mô̄khû̄ or “canopy-on/above” — “heaven” (invisible abode of God and angels)
Mairasi: Sinyavi — an indigenous term that is used for both “sky” and heaven”; Surga — loanword from Sanskrit via Indonesian referring to “heaven” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Kupsabiny: “up” for “sky” vs. “God’s Homestead” for “heaven” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
In some languages, such as Yagaria, a term that was originally used as “sky” (gokudana) was adopted by the Christian community as “heaven.” This resulted in a language shift so that now all communities uses “empty space / air” (galogina or hakalogina) as “sky” and gokudana is exclusively used for the Christian concept of heaven. (Source: Renck 1990, p. 133)
Many languages follow the original biblical languages in not making that distinction, such as (click or tap here to see more):
Cherokee: galaladi (ᎦᎸᎳᏗ) or “up” — Bender / Belt (2025, p. 23) note that there is a related term — galvlohi (ᎦᎸᎶᎯ) — that is used “for the upperworld of Cherokee cosmology, [but] was not used, possibly to communicate a sharp distinction.”
In some languages, such as Wandala, the vocabulary for terms for either “heaven” or “sky” is much richer than just to include those two distinction. While zhegela, the term that is specifically used for the physical sky was only used in early translations of the New Testament for “sky,” other terms such as samaya (used for both “sky” and “heaven” — employed for instance in Matthew 10:32f.), zlanna (specifically used for the perfect abode of God and the goal of the faithful, as in Matthew 8:11), kwárá (a locational term used to speak of a chief’s rule [lit., “voice”] such as Matthew 3:2), or sleksire (“chieftaincy,” “kingship,” or “royalty” [originally from slekse “chief”] and used where there are no locational overtones, such as in Matthew 16:28) are used. (Source: Mona Perrin in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 51ff.)
Under the auspices of the Dhama Mate Swe Association , a new Burmese translation of the New Testament was published in 2024 which uses terminology that attempts to overcome “insurmountable barriers to the Buddhist world.” One term that this version uses is ရွှေမြို့တော် (shway myahoettaw) or “Golden City” for “heaven,” referring it to the golden city described in Revelation 21 but at the same time using a Buddhist term for a desired destination that does not have the Buddhist connotation of ကောင်း ကင် (kaungg kain) as being the Trāyastriṃśa (တာဝတိံသာ) heaven, home of Śakra/Indra. This Burmese translation formed the basis of translations of parts of the New Testament into other languages spoken in Burma, including Sumtu Chin, Ekai Chin, Songlai Chin, Danau, Kadu, Kanan, Khün, Lahta Karen, Rakhine, Marma (Northern Rakhine), Riang Lai, Samtao, Shwe Palaung, Tai Laing, Taungyo, Intha, Danu, Tavoyan (Dawei), and Chak (Thet). (Source: Jay Pratt)
The English translation by Sarah Ruden (2021) uses “sky” throughout. Ruden explains (p. li): “The Greek word ouranos refers evenhandedly to the physical sky and the place—often pictured as a royal court — where supreme divinity resides. ‘Sky’ seems generally better, first of all in avoiding the wackier modern imagery that comes with the English ‘heaven.’ And even when a supernatural realm is meant, ‘sky’ will often do, because the divine realm was thought to be located there, in addition to the weather and the heavenly bodies, whereas ‘heaven’ to us is fundamentally a religious term, and the ancients did not tend to separate linguistic domains in this way. I have retained the plural ‘skies’ where I see it in the Greek, because it is a Hebraism familiar in English translations of scripture and (I hope) not too archaic or jarring.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 16:19:
Uma: “I give you (sing.) power/authority to be-elder-over God’s people/subjects. What you (sing.) decide on earth, that also God decides in heaven: If you (sing.) say don’t, [it is] God who has said don’t. If you (sing.) say it may be [i.e., it is permitted], [it is] God who has said it may be.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “I give you authority to proclaim/preach to all mankind the good news about God’s ruling. As if you are figuratively given the key to the door, which leads to the ruling of God. Whatever you forbid here in the world, that will also be forbidden in heaven and whatever you command here on earth, that will also be commanded in heaven.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And I will entrust to you the being in charge when God in heaven rules. And it’s necessary that what you forbid here on the earth, it will already have been forbidden by God in heaven. And what you permit here on earth will be already permitted by God in heaven.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “I give to you (sing.) the key that is for-opening God’s ruling, and whatever you (sing.) forbid here on earth God will also forbid in heaven. Whatever also you (sing.) permit here on earth, God will also permit in heaven.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I will give you (sing.) authority, which is like you will be caused to hold the key of the kingdom of God. By this authority of yours, whatever you forbid through your office/responsibility here in the world, you will be upheld/stood-up-for by God in heaven. And also what you permit here in the world, in the same way you will be upheld by God in heaven.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “I will give you the position that you will have authority there where God rules. You are the representative of God who is in heaven. That which you give people permission to do is what they can do. That which you do not give people here on earth permission to do, they cannot do.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
TagalogAng Biblia, 2001 revision: “I will give you (sg.) the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you (sing.) tie up on land is what was tied up in heaven and whatever you (sing.) untie on land is what was untied in heaven.” (Source: Anicia Del Corro in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 226ff. )
