Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:15:
- Uma: “All people who hate their relatives, they are the same as killers [emphatic]. And you know, relatives, that murders do not get good life forever.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Whoever hates his fellow-man it is as if he has killed. And you know that a murderer has no everlasting life.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Anyone who acts against his companions, God considers him to be like a murderer; and we (incl.) know that if there is a person who wants to murder, he has not yet come to own life forever.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “For the one who hates his brother/cousin is like the murderer just the same, and we know of course that the murderer, he doesn’t have the life that has no end.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Because whoever ignores/spurns his sibling in believing, he is the same as a murderer of his fellowman. Isn’t it indeed so that you know already that, whoever is a murderer of his fellowman, he really doesn’t have life which is without ending?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “Everyone who hates his brother is like as though he were a murderer. And you know that not one murderer meets up with the new life.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “Any of us if we hate our fellows, before God we are like murderers. And we know that no one who is like that has eternal life.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “He who hates his sibling is a murderer. And you know that there is no murderer who has (possesses) the new life.”
- Tzotzil: “If we hate the brethren, we have already become killers. You know that whoever kills he has not received life forever.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
- Candoshi-Shapra: “One who hates his brother is a murderer (one who kills more than one). Surely you know that in him, that is in a murderer, eternal life does not dwell.”
- Yanesha’: “All these who despise their countrymen, they are killers. You know that those who are killers, in their hearts does not stay life forever.”
- Aguaruna: “He who hates his brother he is like a murderer, and all murderers, they will not live always, that we know.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 5:3:
- Uma: “For if we love God, its meaning, we follow his command(s). Yet his command(s) is/are not difficult to follow.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “The meaning of loving God is, one should follow/obey his commandments. And it is not difficult to follow/obey his commands,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Our true love for God is our obeying His commands, and His commands are not hard to obey” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Because the way we love God, it’s our obeying his commands. And his commands, they aren’t difficult to obey,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “This is what is meant by our holding God dear, we are obedient to his commands. Because as for these commands of his, they are not excessively heavy.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “Because the person who loves God is one who does all that God commands. And what all God commands, he does not look upon as being hard, rather he does it.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “If we love God we will do what he commands. And what he commands is not difficult for us to do.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “If we really love (esteem) God, we will do as he says. And his Word isn’t difficult.”
- Tzotzil: “Because if we love God, we obey his commands. His commands are good. They are like a load that we do not find heavy.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
- Candoshi-Shapra: “If we really love God then we will keep that which God ordered. God’s orders never bother us.”
- Yanesha’: “This is how we love our Father; we reserve in remembrance his put word. His put word does not make it hard for us.”
- Aguaruna: “If we truly love God we will obey His word. His word, obeying it, it is not difficult.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
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.)
In the Yatzachi Zapotec translation of the Gospel of John, any reference to the evangelist and presumed narrator is done in the first person.
The translator Inez Butler explains (in: Notes on Translation, September 1967, pp. 10ff.):
“In revising the Gospel of John in Yatzachi Zapotec we realized from the start that the third person references of Jesus to himself as Son of Man had to be converted into first person references, but only more recently have we decided that similar change is necessary in John’s references to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ As I worked on those changes and questioned the informant about his understanding of other passages in the Gospel, I discovered that the reader misses the whole focus of the book as an eyewitness account unless every reference to the disciples indicates the writer’s membership in the group. In view of that we went back through the entire book looking for ways to cue in the reader to the fact that John was an eyewitness and a participant in a many of the events, as well as the historian.
“When the disciples were participants in events along with Jesus, it was necessary to make explicit the fact that they accompanied him, although in the source language that is left implicit, since otherwise our rendering would imply that they were not present.”
In this verse, the Yatzachi Zapotec says: “He was still talking to the woman when we his disciples arrived back. And we were surprised that he was talking to a woman, but not one of us asked him . . .”
In the Yatzachi Zapotec translation of the Gospel of John, any reference to the evangelist and presumed narrator is done in the first person.
The translator Inez Butler explains (in: Notes on Translation, September 1967, pp. 10ff.):
“In revising the Gospel of John in Yatzachi Zapotec we realized from the start that the third person references of Jesus to himself as Son of Man had to be converted into first person references, but only more recently have we decided that similar change is necessary in John’s references to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ As I worked on those changes and questioned the informant about his understanding of other passages in the Gospel, I discovered that the reader misses the whole focus of the book as an eyewitness account unless every reference to the disciples indicates the writer’s membership in the group. In view of that we went back through the entire book looking for ways to cue in the reader to the fact that John was an eyewitness and a participant in a many of the events, as well as the historian.
“When the disciples were participants in events along with Jesus, it was necessary to make explicit the fact that they accompanied him, although in the source language that is left implicit, since otherwise our rendering would imply that they were not present.”
In this verse, the Yatzachi Zapotec says: “After he had said that he said to us . . .”
In the Yatzachi Zapotec translation of the Gospel of John, any reference to the evangelist and presumed narrator is done in the first person.
The translator Inez Butler explains (in: Notes on Translation, September 1967, pp. 10ff.):
“In revising the Gospel of John in Yatzachi Zapotec we realized from the start that the third person references of Jesus to himself as Son of Man had to be converted into first person references, but only more recently have we decided that similar change is necessary in John’s references to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ As I worked on those changes and questioned the informant about his understanding of other passages in the Gospel, I discovered that the reader misses the whole focus of the book as an eyewitness account unless every reference to the disciples indicates the writer’s membership in the group. In view of that we went back through the entire book looking for ways to cue in the reader to the fact that John was an eyewitness and a participant in a many of the events, as well as the historian.
“When the disciples were participants in events along with Jesus, it was necessary to make explicit the fact that they accompanied him, although in the source language that is left implicit, since otherwise our rendering would imply that they were not present.”
In this verse, the Yatzachi Zapotec says: “And we his disciples said to him . . .”
In the Yatzachi Zapotec translation of the Gospel of John, any reference to the evangelist and presumed narrator is done in the first person.
The translator Inez Butler explains (in: Notes on Translation, September 1967, pp. 10ff.):
“In revising the Gospel of John in Yatzachi Zapotec we realized from the start that the third person references of Jesus to himself as Son of Man had to be converted into first person references, but only more recently have we decided that similar change is necessary in John’s references to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ As I worked on those changes and questioned the informant about his understanding of other passages in the Gospel, I discovered that the reader misses the whole focus of the book as an eyewitness account unless every reference to the disciples indicates the writer’s membership in the group. In view of that we went back through the entire book looking for ways to cue in the reader to the fact that John was an eyewitness and a participant in a many of the events, as well as the historian.
“When the disciples were participants in events along with Jesus, it was necessary to make explicit the fact that they accompanied him, although in the source language that is left implicit, since otherwise our rendering would imply that they were not present.”
In this verse, the Yatzachi Zapotec says: “Then I said to Peter . . . Then when Simon Peter heard me say to him . . .” The Alekano translation her also uses the first-person: “After that, I, the man Jesus loved, said this to Peter.”
Following are a number of back-translations of John 3:17:
- Chol: “But God did not send his Son here to earth in order to cause the world to be punished; he sent him here in order that they might find their salvation from God’s Son.”
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “God sent his Son to earth here not so that he would decide about humans that they are guilty, but rather so that he would save mankind out of evil.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
- Uma: “It is not God’s purpose to send his Child here to the world in order to punish / condemn men. His intention in sending his Child here is in order to lift men from the punishment of their sins.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “God sent his Son to the world not to drop judgment on mankind but to take away their sins.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for God, he did not send me, his child, here to earth to punish mankind, but rather so that by means of me mankind might be set free.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Because God didn’t send his Child to this world to sentence/condemn people, but rather that they would be saved through him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Because the reason why God caused his Son to come here was not that people be sentenced to punishement, but on the contrary so that he could free/save these people.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “God did not send his son here to earth in order to sentence the people. Rather he sent him here to earth that he save the people.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
