The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is transliterated “Levites” in English (only the Contemporary English Version translates it as “temple helpers”) is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “temple caretakers,” Yatzachi Zapotec as “people born in the family line of Levi, people whose responsibility it was to do the work in the important church of the Israelites,” in Alekano as “servants in the sacrifice house from Jerusalem place,” in Tenango Otomi as “helpers of priests” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.), in Chuj as “family of Levi,” and in Desano as “grandchild of Levi” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In American Sign Language with a sign that combines “temple” + “servant.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Levite” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
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 when the day arrived that he came alive from the dead, we remembered what he had said. And we believed what the written word of God says, that Jesus would come to life from the dead. And likewise we believed what he had told 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: “We were walking together with Jesus when he saw . . .”
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: “I was sitting beside him because he loved me very much.”
Note that the EnglishLiving Bible (publ. 1971) translates the same way.
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: “There were many miracles that Jesus did where we were, but I did not write them (all) here.”
Following are a number of back-translations of John 1:18:
Aguaruna: “Truly God is one who is not seen, but his Son, his beloved, the only one, that one is the one who causes us to know his Father.”
Yatzachi Zapotec: “No one has ever yet seen God. His only Son whom God loves has taught mankind what God is like.”
Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “The one who is the only Son of God since they love one another, that one has shown us how God is.”
Huehuetla Tepehua: “God truly loved his only Son. He is the one who showed how God is. “
Ojitlán Chinantec: “Very much his Father loved that only Son. That Son has pointed out God the Father.”
Chol: “. . . who is close to the Father’s heart, this is the one who has caused the Father to become known.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Uma: “There is no-one who has seen God. But his Only Child, Who lives always at his side, He is the one who explains / makes-clear God to us.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Nobody has seen God, but God is made known to mankind by his only Son, for he is really God and he is one with his Father. So-then there were people who went to Yahiya while he was bathing people on the other side of the river Jordan at the village Betani.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “No human being has ever seen God, however his only son, he has caused us to know his father God, because they are always companions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “No one has-been-able-to-see God, but his only Child who is his Father’s companion continually, it is he who has made-him-known.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Really from long ago, there’s no one at all who has seen God the Father. But now it’s like we have seen him now, because concerning this God the Father has been made clear to us by this one-and-only Son of his whom he holds-very-dear.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Never has anyone seen God. The only Son of God who lives where the Father lives has told us about God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “No person whosoever[intensifier] has seen God the Father. But he was-made-known to us (incl.) by the one of a kind God who is always a companion with the Father.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Mairasi: “No person at all has seen Great Above One, but His Only Child. He lives in equality with His Father and He Himself lives right with Him in the palm of His Hand. He Himself is the One Who reveals His Father’s Name and glory to us. ” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)
Bariai: “Previously and since, no one saw God, yet that only-one God, who was living at his Father’s side, his mouth followed concerning to us (incl.) about God.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Kupsabiny: “There is no person who has seen God, but this child who derives from God is the one who has seen him. He was together with his Father and he revealed to us how God is.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 7:11:
Uma: “Upon my hearing the Lord’s Law, sin ended up having opportunity to work in my heart. We can say like this: from the Lord’s Law, sin ended up causing my downfall with the result that I am fit to be punished with death and separated from God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “It is as if I were deceived by sin because I cannot follow/obey the law of God. And the result of it is (that) I die and I go to hell.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “It’s as if evil activity deceived me, because by means of evil activity which was against the Law, I finally understood that I was sentenced to death without end.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “I was admittedly deceived on account of my hereditary sinfulness, because I indeed thought that it was possible for me to attain life by means of my obeying the law, but the truth of it was that I was breaking it (particle of realization), so I was condemned to be separated from God forever.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the sin I had, it caused that I was deceived in my mind, I thought I could do what all the law said. But there in the law I found that it said I would go to punishment because of my sin.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “The evil which was in my head-heart deceived me and caused me not to listen to the law, and for that reason I began to be guilty.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 2:16:
Uma: “For all that is in this world–like the evil desires of our hearts, what we see and we desire, whatever makes-high [i.e.,, haughty] our hearts–all that sort of thing is not from our Father, it is from the world [emphatic].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Because all that belongs to this world, that means the bad things that ones (dual) body/person craves, and (the things) that one (dual) sees and craves and (the things) that mankind boasts-about, all these (things) are only of this world and are not from our (dual) Father God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For as for any kind of evil behaviour here on the earth, like evil desires or the evil things which are seen and desired by people, or their causing themselves to be praised because of the possessions they have acquired, these things do not come from our Father God, rather they just come from here on the earth.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because all that are like these: the bad-things that sinful people love/want, their coveting (lit. grabbing-after) what they see, and their boasting about their possessions and their status, it is not God our Father who is their source but rather they are from this earth.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Because as for all the evil here under the heavens, it really is opposed to God. Like the habit of indulging our own desire which is evil, the habit of wanting to get everything one sees, and the habit of being conceited about the things in our lives. These ways/habits didn’t come from God the Father, but rather they come from here under the heavens.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Because all the evil here in the world is not the decision of God, rather it is the decision of people themselves. People do their own pleasures. What all they see, they want to own it all. And they pride themselves about how they live.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “All these things people do who are in this world: they do evil which their evil head-hearts desire intensely, and they do evil which they want to do by reason of what they see, and they are proud of their possessions. The people who do like that think only of what happens on this earth. They do not do what our father God wants.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “Because all the deeds of the world, God didn’t cause (prescribe, ordain) them like doing one’s own will, and the sins which one’s heart likes, and when one is proud because of what he possesses. But doings like these originated here in the world.”
Tzotzil: “The people (unbelieving) who are here in the world, their hearts are taken up with what their bodies want and what looks nice to their eyes, and what they are proud about (raise themselves up about), our (in) Father God does not want that we (in) still do this also like the people do.”
Sayula Popoluca: “Because all that is in this world, the evil our heart begs for, and we want that evil we see, and if we boast because of our possessions, these things our father doesn’t give, but this world gives them.” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Candoshi-Shapra: “All that exists in the world is not really related to the Father. Some things belong to the world. The strong desire of the body, the looking at and wanting things, that by which one glorifies (praises) one’s own life doesn’t issue from God. All of these are part of the world.”
Yanesha’: “All what there is on earth, like what our flesh (body) wants, like what our eyes cause us to see, it also, like thus we want them to think well of us, completely vainly, all these things are not from the Father, these are earth-originated things.”
Aguaruna: “The wanting by the body, the wanting for things seen, our thinking forwarding ourselves (selfishness, concern for ourselves), these belong to this world here, not coming from Our Father, they are from this world here.
Murui Huitoto: “…the bad desires of the heart are things of the earth. The bad desires of the eyes are things of the earth. The pride of things (possessions) are things of the earth.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
