Translation commentary on Susanna 1:25

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 13.25.

The accusation that Susanna was with a lover would be believable only if the gates were open, since the nonexistent young man would have had to make a getaway. When one of the men runs to open them, it shows that their plan has been thoroughly thought through; the trap is closing on Susanna. Translators should indicate clearly that the garden doors are the “the gates” that lead out onto the street. Contemporary English Version shows this with “One of them ran to the main gates of the garden and opened them.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Susanna 1:57

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 13.57.

This is how you both have been dealing with the daughters of Israel, and they were intimate with you through fear …: This is a puzzling statement since Susanna has been referred to as a daughter of Israel in verse 48. Some scholars suspect that this may reflect some bias on the part of the Babylonian exiles, who were mostly people of Judah, or bias on the part of the writer against his own northern neighbors, the Samaritans. More likely, however, the writer does not consider Israel and Judah mutually exclusive, though he obviously considers Judah to be a more specific and elevated term than Israel. Good News Translation gives a good representation of what Daniel is saying in this verse, but perhaps the first half could be clarified as follows: “You are used to forcing our Israelite women to sleep with you because they have been afraid of you.” Contemporary English Version reorders the clauses with “You two men have been frightening women from Israel into sleeping with you.”

But a daughter of Judah would not endure your wickedness: Daughter of Judah may be rendered “this Jewish woman here.” Wickedness here is literally “lawlessness,” which in the context would mean disregard for the Law of Moses. An alternative model for this clause is “but this woman is a Jew, and she would not tolerate your contempt for the Law.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Bel and the Dragon 1:28

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 14.28.

When the Babylonians heard it; that is, they heard about the destruction of the snake-god.

They were very indignant and conspired against the king: There are two verbs here, one expressing anger and the other expressing a coming together of people. New English Bible says it well: “they gathered in an angry crowd to oppose the king.” Good News Translation “they staged an angry demonstration against the king” is surely the way the scene would be reported in today’s newspapers.

The king has become a Jew: He had not, of course. Even at the climax of the book when he confesses Daniel’s God, it is not said that he becomes a Jew. The citizens are agitated because the king’s close adviser has caused the destruction of Bel, its temple, its priests, and the snake-god. New English Bible captures the accusatory tone of the crowd with “The king has turned Jew!” The word “turned” in this sense says not only that the king has become a Jew, but that it was a traitorous thing to do.

He has destroyed Bel, and slain the dragon, and slaughtered the priests: Destroyed is literally “pulled down,” which in the case of a large statue, is what would have to be done to destroy it. Slaughtered translates a vigorous verb. In verse 22 it is reported that the king “killed” the priests, but the mob expresses it in stronger language here. (And of course they are right!) Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version put the events here in chronological order: First he killed the priests, and then the dragon. The idiom in Good News Translation (“First he … and now he has…”) expresses extreme impatience on the part of the mob, and requires the chronological arrangement. On the other hand, the original order (Revised Standard Version) makes the killing of the priests the climax of the series, and such a mass murder would surely have been a memorable, spectacular event, likely to cause more anger in a community than the destruction of a building or the killing of a big snake—even a holy building or a sacred snake. Translators may take their choice, but the Handbook slightly prefers the Revised Standard Version order. To build in the angry mood, we could say “He destroyed Bel! He killed our dragon! He slaughtered the priests!”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on The Prayer of Manasseh 1:13

I earnestly beseech thee: Two verbs are used here in Greek, which is literally “I beseech, begging you.” Revised Standard Version restructures this line with one verb modified by an intensifying adverb. Good News Translation uses two main verbs as well as an adverb—it is not too much: “I beg you, Lord, I earnestly pray.” (“Lord” is brought up from the next line.) Revised English Bible has “I beg and beseech you.”

Forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!: This is the echo of “I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned” in verse 12. The ordinary Greek word for “forgive” is not used here. The word here encompasses in its meaning “let go, release, send forth, let alone, relax [of a bowstring].” It is used in the Greek Old Testament with the meaning “forgive” numerous times, but it is also used in these situations:

Exo 23.11, of letting the land rest and lie fallow
Jdg 8.3, of anger abating
1 Sam 11.3, of a few days respite from execution of a sentence
1 Chr 21.15, of staying one’s hand

It can be seen from this that there is a range of meanings here to choose from. There is nothing wrong with simply “please forgive me” (Contemporary English Version). But New English Bible “spare me” has something to commend it. Since the writer has spoken about being bowed down with heavy weights, the word may carry a some sense of “let go, lighten up, ease off, release the pressure.”

Do not destroy me with my transgressions: This means “When you obliterate the evil I have done, do not destroy me along with it.” Compare a similar usage in Gen 19.15. It does not mean “Do not let me die unforgiven, in a state of sin,” as New English Bible would seem to indicate with “destroy me not with my transgressions on my head.” Good News Translation shifts the focus to say “Do not destroy me because of my sins,” but it is certainly in no conflict with the writer’s meaning. We may also reorder the line as follows: “Even though I have sinned, please don’t destroy me.”

Do not be angry with me for ever or lay up evil for me is literally “neither having become angry forever, keep evil things for/to me.” Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and Contemporary English Version appear to interpret this line in such a way that “evil things” refers to punishments God might bring on the sinner with whom he is angry (compare Psa 103.9). In some languages the expression lay up evil or “store up punishment” (Good News Translation) will be unnatural. In such cases we may say “keep on punishing me.”

Do not condemn me to the depths of the earth: The depths of the earth is literally “the lowest parts of the earth.” The reference is to Sheol, the realm of the dead, which Good News Translation consistently renders “the world of the dead” (see Psa 63.9). Ryle suggests in his commentary that this line means “Do not condemn me when I am in the lowest parts of the earth.” The Greek can certainly be understood that way, but Good News Translation‘s interpretation would be judged more likely by most scholars. Another way to express this is “Do not send me down to where dead people stay.”

For thou, O Lord, art the God of those who repent: This line echoes the first line of verse 8, where God was referred to as “God of the righteous.” It also recalls verse 1, where he is the God of the patriarchs’ “righteous posterity.” Good News Translation could have reflected the parallel with verse 8 by translating here “for you, Lord, are the God of those who repent,” or we may say “Because you, Lord, accept those who turn back to you.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

Forgive me, O Lord, I beg you;
please forgive me.
I have sinned;
please don’t destroy me!
Do not stay angry with me forever,
and please don’t keep on punishing me.
Do not send me down
to where dead people stay.
Because you, Lord, accept those who repent [or, turn back to you].

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see

Translation commentary on Baruch 1:21

Verse 21 is similar to Jer 26.5.

We did not heed the voice of the Lord our God in all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us: The restructuring in Good News Translation here misses the point that it was God who sent the prophets; it expresses the general idea by saying that the Lord spoke through the prophets. A way of keeping this idea might be to say “The Lord our God spoke to us in what the prophets said—the prophets he sent to us. But we paid no attention.” “But we paid no attention” renders We did not heed. It is moved to the end of the statement here to make for an easier connection with what follows.

But we each followed …: Neither Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation has a verse 22 (it is included in verse 21), but New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New English Bible, and New American Bible follow editions of the Greek text which have verse 22 beginning with these words. We recommend following their example and marking verse 22 at this point.

The Greek introduces verse 22 with a simple “and,” but a stark comparison is being made between the word of God through the prophets and what the people actually did. Revised Standard Version but is appropriate, but “Instead” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) is not at all too strong.

We each followed the intent of his own wicked heart tightly compresses two ideas: “each of us went our own way” and “what we wanted to do was wicked.” Good News Translation expresses this clearly with two simpler clauses: “we all did as we pleased and went on our own evil way.” “Went on our own evil way” preserves the original imagery of following a path. In some languages the image of a path will be meaningful; for example “we followed our own evil paths” or “we followed the paths that led us to do evil.”

By serving other gods and doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God: This last half of verse 22 gives more detail about what the people did. It does not describe something new, but fills in the content of “our evil way.”

Serving other gods is literally what the Greek text says. Good News Translation renders this as “turned to other gods,” which focuses on the beginning of their service to these gods. Turning to these gods is certainly part of the meaning, but the focus is on their continuing to serve them. Contemporary English Version is better with “worshiped other gods.”

There is no connective in the Greek joining the verbs serving and doing. It is not wrong to insert and, but the Greek can also be interpreted to mean that the people served these other gods by doing what was evil in God’s sight. This latter interpretation may be intended since an unusual Greek verb is used for serving. Instead of the expected and idiomatic word, a verb is used which has a sense of “working for.” The intent may be “We were working for other gods by doing things the Lord our God hates.”

Good News Translation neglects to use the full form the Lord our God which occurs here. It should in fact be used, since there is a contrast between the God who is really their God (the Lord they should serve), and those gods they were actually serving.

An alternative translation model for verse 22 is:

• Instead, we did what we wanted, and followed the paths that led us to do evil. We were working for other gods by doing things the Lord, our own God, hates.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Baruch 2:32

They will praise me in the land of their exile: The word “There” in Good News Translation (also Contemporary English Version) does not correspond to any word in the Greek text. But with it Good News Translation makes an effective opening. It makes clear to the reader the standpoint from which God is speaking (in Israel) and builds an element of emotion into “the land of your exile” by pointing out that that land is not here, where you belong, but there. The land of their exile may be rendered “the land where you have been taken captive” or simply “the nation where you are living” (Contemporary English Version).

Remember my name: Good News Translation simply has “remember me.” But remember my name must not be understood to mean that the Israelites have forgotten what God’s name is or even that they have forgotten about God. New English Bible “turn their thoughts to me” is very close to the sense, and “turn their thoughts back to me” would be a bit closer still. There are other possibilities, such as “honor me once again as their God” or “take me [or, my commands] seriously once again.” New American Bible takes a different approach, saying “invoke my name.” This suggests the following rendering for the whole verse:

• There in the land of their exile they will praise me and once again call upon me [or, honor me] as their God.

We believe the New American Bible approach is better and suggest that translators follow it. Such a translation can be effectively joined to the first clause of the next verse, as is suggested in the comments on the next verse.

We should note at this point that the word remember, as used here in verses 32-33, is going to be found repeated at Bar 3.5 in a striking manner.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Baruch 3:29

At this point the poem returns to the theme of verses 15-21: people cannot attain wisdom on their own. This subsection (verses 29-37), like verses 15-21, begins with questions the answer to which is “No one.” As in the previous passage, Good News Translation restructures the questions as statements, which conveniently happens to be the way verse 31 is literally expressed in the Greek. The idea of Wisdom dwelling among the clouds in the sky is found also in Sir 24.4-5; compare also Pro 30.4. Good News Translation renders the first occurrence of the pronoun her as “Wisdom,” and many translators will need to do this. The restructuring by Good News Translation is good, but a bit out of focus. It is not that no one has ever gone up in order to get Wisdom and bring her down, but that no one has ever succeeded—no one has gone up, gotten her, or brought her down. So translators may express the verse as follows:

• No one has ever been able to go up into heaven and bring Wisdom down to earth.

Heaven can sometimes refer simply to the sky, and at other times to the place where God lives. There was no difference between the two places for the ancient writer, so only one word was used. Translators who have to make a distinction may go in either direction here. “Sky” would fit in with imagery of clouds, while “the place where God lives” would be consistent with the idea that Wisdom lives with God. Our model above lessens the difficulty by translating down from the clouds as “down to earth.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Baruch 4:24

As the neighbors of Zion have now seen your capture: This means “just as, at the present time, the neighboring cities are aware [or, have seen] that you have been taken captive.” It does not mean that they have just now seen it, or that the capture has just now taken place. Good News Translation renders it well by not expressing now (similarly Contemporary English Version). In languages that do not have the passive voice, we may say, for example, “The neighboring cities also watched as your enemies forcibly took you away.” For the neighbors of Zion, see the comments on verses 9 and 14. This verse is referring back particularly to verse 14.

They soon will see your salvation by God: Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version bring the Everlasting up from the last line and combine it with God here to form “the Eternal God.” Many translators will find this helpful. A possible restructuring is “Soon they will see the Eternal God [or, the God who lives forever] rescue you.”

Which will come to you with great glory and with the splendor of the Everlasting: Translators who do not structure these two lines as poetry may combine them in a way similar to Good News Translation or say something like “as he comes with great power and shining light.” We may compare the picture in this verse with that in Isa 60.1-3. The glory and splendor of the Lord, which is to accompany the exiles on their westward trek homeward, is like the sun rising in the east. Jerusalem will see the glory and splendor of the Lord when she looks eastward and sees her returning children.

The last three lines of this verse are effectively combined in Good News Translation, but with one problem. The Good News Translation restructuring has the neighboring cities seeing God. What they will actually see, according to the text, is the rescue (which is what salvation means here) of the exiles by God. The wording of Good News Translation is not a problem, unless someone takes it literally. The translator may wish to guard against this by perhaps translating as follows:

• Just as the neighboring cities saw you taken captive, they soon will see you returning home when the Eternal God comes with great power and shining light [or, splendor] to rescue you.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.