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 we left and went to a village called Ephraim which is near the desert. And we stayed there with 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 Peter and I went to the cave-grave.”
Note that the English Living Bible (publ. 1971) translates the same way.
Following are a number of back-translations of John 10:17:
- Aguaruna: “I will die on behalf of my sheep saying, ‘I will arise from the dead again.’ Therefore my Father loves me.”
- Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “My Father loves me because I give my life and I take it again.”
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “I give up myself for people to kill me, but afterwards I will come to life again. And my Father loves me more because I am pleased to do that.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
- Uma: “‘My Father loves me, because I give my life in order to find my life again.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “‘I am really loved by my Father God because I submit to dying so that I will be made alive again.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason that my father’s breath is very big toward me is because I will allow myself to be killed in the stead of those people who belong to me and he will raise me up again from the dead.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “‘My Father, he loves me, because I will give my life so that I will then come-alive again.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “I am really held dear by my Father because of this, that I will give my life/breath so that I may reclaim it again.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “My Father loves me because I give up my life for my sheep. And then I can again be alive.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 2:1:
- Uma: “My children, the reason I write this is so we won’t do sins. But if there is someone who commits sin, there is the one who acts-as-middle-man-for us before God the Father. He is Yesus Kristus the upright one.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “My children-grandchildren, I write this to you so that you don’t sin. But if there-is-someone who-does-sin, there is a go-between putting-us (dual)-right/reconciling us (dual) with our (dual) Father God. This go-between is Isa Almasi the straight/righteous one.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for you who are like my children, the reason I am writing to you is: so that your faith might be drawn tight and so that you might not sin. However, if there is anyone of us (incl.) who sins, we (incl.) have a datu who helps us before God our Father. Our datu is Jesus Christ who is very righteous.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “You who are my children, I have written this to you so you don’t sin. But if there is one of us who sins, there is (reassurance particle) Jesu Cristo who has absolutely no sin who speaks-with God the Father for us.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “You who are like my children, I am writing these things to you so that (emphatic) you no longer do sin. However, sometimes we do indeed happen-to-do-sin, but let us bear-in-mind that there is someone standing up for us there with God the Father. Jesu-Cristo, he being really righteous, he is this one who is standing up for us.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “Listen, my children, I write you this word here in order that you will not commit sin. But if there be one who has the misfortune to commit sin, there is our spokesman there where the Father is. This one is Jesus Christ and he has no sin.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “My little children, these things I write you in order that you will not do evil. But if any of us should do evil, there is a person who speaks in favor of us before our father God, he is Jesus Christ the person who walks straight (is righteous).”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “My dear children who are believers, I am writing this paper to you. I’m telling you not to do sin. But if a believer does sin, there is our Helper, who is Jesus Christ, the Good-person, he will speak to the Father about us when we sin.”
- Tzotzil: “My children, I wrote thus to you in order that you not anymore sin. If there are those of you who have sinned, remember that Jesus Christ talks for us (on our behalf) before our Father God. He (Jesus Christ) has a straight heart.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
- Murui Huitoto: “You are as if you were my own children, therefore I am writing to you lest you do sin.”
- Candoshi-Shapra: “In order that you children not live bad, for that purpose I am writing this. However, if we live bad, there is a defender (one whose profession is to defend) for us at the Father’s. His name is Jesus Christ, the straight one.”
- Yanesha’: “My little ones, these things I write to you thus not will you sin. However, if when anyone sins, the one who speaks in the presence of Father for us, there is. That one is Jesus Christ who completely fitting is whatever he does.”
- Aguaruna: “My little children, I write to you. ‘That they not go to sin,’ saying; but when failing you go to sin, there is one who defends (saves through speaking) on your behalf, Jesus Christ, the blameless one. that one. He will defend, on your behalf, to our Father.” (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 3:4:
- Uma: “All people who do sins break God’s commands. For this is what is called sin, breaking God’s commands.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Whoever sins, breaks God’s law, because if we (dual) sin we (dual) already break God’s law.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If someone sins, he has transgressed the Law of God, for behaviour which is called sin is any kind of behavior which is a transgression of the Law of God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Whoever sins, he has broken God’s law, because sin is breaking the law just the same.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “As for the one who does sin, he is fighting/breaking the laws of God. Because what is meant by sin is, fighting/breaking the laws of this God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “All who commit sin break God’s law. Because sin means that one breaks the law.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “Each one of us if we (are accustomed to) do evil we do not receive from (obey) the law because the evil we are doing goes contrary to the law.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “He who does sin, he just disobeys what God says. When we disobey the law of God, it is sin.”
- Tzotzil: “If we seek our sin, we break his commandments. When we break his commandments we sin.”
- Candoshi-Shapra: “The one habitually lives bad is oblivious to God’s orders. What is (characteristically) sin? When one throws away God’s orders that is sin.”
- Yanesha’: “All whoever sins, that one disobeys the words which are thus put (by God). If we disobey words which are thus put, that is sin.”
- Aguaruna: “He who works sin, God’s word which is to be obeyed, he doesn’t obey it. A sinner is one who disobeys God’s word.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
- Sayula Popoluca: “Whoever sins, he doesn’t obey God’s law. Because when we sin, we don’t obey God’s law.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 4:13:
- Uma: “This is a sign so we can know that we remain in harmony with God and God with us: because he has given us his Spirit who is holy.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “We (incl.) are assured that we (incl.) are one with God and God also remains/is-steadfastly with us (incl.) because God has given us (incl.) his Spirit.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He has caused the Holy Spirit to inspire us, and because of that we can tell that we have been made one with Him and that the Holy Spirit lives here in us.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “The way we know for-sure that we remain in God and he also remains in us, he gave us his Spirit.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “And we know that we are holding fast to God and that as for him, he is also holding fast to us, because we are always being helped by the Espiritu Santo whom he caused to indwell our body.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “God sent the Holy Spirit in order for us to know that we walk with God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “We know that we are constantly with him and he is constantly with us because he sent his Spirit in order that he is in our head-hearts.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “We know that we live with God, and God resides in our hearts. This we know because he gave us his Good Spirit.”
- Tzotzil: “On account of (through) the Holy Spirit that he has given us thus we know that we are in the presence of God. We know also that God is in our hearts.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
- Candoshi-Shapra: “We abide in Him. He also abides in us. We come to know (learn) this by the fact that He put His own Spirit in us.”
- Yanesha’: “He, he went and gave us his Spirit, that’s why we know that we, already we are at one.”
- Aguaruna: “We are in him and he is in us, that we know, because He gave his spirit to us.” (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 2 John 1:3:
- Uma: “God the Father and Yesus Kristus his Child bless us from his white insides [i.e., grace], show us his love, and give us goodness of life [i.e., peace, well-being]. All this is our portion with a heart that is upright and loving.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “May we (incl.) be cared for and be given mercy/pity by our (incl.) Father God and by Isa Almasi, his Son and may they cause peace in our (incl.) livers. All this is for us (incl.) who follow/obey the truth and love each other.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for our Father God and Jesus Christ His Son, may They show kindness to us (incl.), may They show us mercy, and give us a peaceful situation. This can be because we (incl.) have held tight to the true doctrine, and we (incl.) love our companions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “If we continue to follow the true teaching and to love-one-another, we will gain/enjoy the help, mercy/grace/kindness and peace that come-from God our Father and Jesu Cristo his Child.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “And the truth is, the grace/mercy, pitying help and peace/protection of mind/inner-being which God the Father and his Son (lit.Child) Jesu-Cristo give can always be ours. As for these things, God will really give them to those who have now recognized/acknowledged the truth and who value one another.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “May God our Father and also his Son Jesus Christ give us a blessing and have mercy on us, and give us peace of heart. They will cause that we will follow the true word and that we will love our fellow-believers.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “I ask before our father God and his son our Lord Jesus Christ that they will help you and pity you and cause you to be well off in your head-hearts (be at peace) because you are acquainted with what is true and you love your fellows each of you the other.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “My siblings, we all believe the same true Word, and also we love one another. And will remain in our hearts God’s blessing, and God’s favor, and continually will rest our hearts God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.”
- Isthmus Zapotec: “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to us and will have pity on us and quiet ourhearts. And truly they love us.”
- Garifuna: “From within the true belief and love, God the one who is (our) Father will give kindness to you, pity/compassion, and tranquility (peace). Also (our) owner (our Lord) Jesus Christ the one who is (our) Father’s offspring will give it.” (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: “. . . and we his disciples trusted in him.”
