Translation commentary on Baruch 4:23

Compare Psa 126.6 and Isa 55.12.

Translators may omit the connector For at the beginning of this verse.

I sent you out with sorrow and weeping: This line is almost identical with a line in verse 11. See the comments at that point. Those comments do not entirely agree with the restructuring of Good News Translation here, but notice that the Good News Translation translation of this verse echoes its translation of verse 11, as is proper (similarly Contemporary English Version).

God will give you back to me with joy and gladness for ever: With joy and gladness refers to Jerusalem, not to God or to the exiles. This phrase is parallel to with sorrow and weeping in the previous line. The parallelism is effective, and it would be nice to carry through with it in translation, if possible. A possibility is:

• I shed sorrowful tears when you were taken from me, but I will be joyful forever when God brings you back to me.

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 Letter of Jeremiah 1:9

And sometimes the priests secretly take gold and silver from their gods: The word and, which Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version ignore, is actually emphatic, and can be taken to mean either “It also happens that sometimes the priests…” or “Sometimes the priests even….” We recommend the second of these meanings.

The priests here were the “sacrificers” or “intermediaries” between the Babylonian worshipers and their gods (see the comments on Bar 1.7).

Secretly take better renders the Greek than “steal” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). It is rather like the action described in Bel 13 (New American Bible Dan 14.13). The gold and silver here is presumably that which was used in the manufacture of the idols, and not offerings made by worshipers. A clearer picture of what is involved might be produced by translating “Sometimes the priests even secretly take [some of] the gold and silver off their idols.”

Spend it upon themselves; that is, use it for their own purposes. The Greek verb here actually has overtones of lavish spending.

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 Letter of Jeremiah 1:41

Yet they themselves cannot perceive this and abandon them: Good News Translation renders perceive this as “realize that their gods cannot help.” Abandon them refers to abandoning their gods. Revised Standard Version (also New Revised Standard Version) contains an exceptionally bad ambiguity here. The writer is not saying that the Babylonians (a) cannot perceive this and (b) abandon their gods. It means that the Babylonians cannot perceive this so as to abandon their gods. In fact they do not abandon their gods, because they cannot perceive this. Good News Translation is clear, correct, and unambiguous.

For they have no sense: The Greek noun rendered sense comes from the same root as the verb translated “understand” in the verse above with reference to Bel. Translators should try to preserve this play on words if possible, since the author is saying that Bel’s worshipers are just as brainless as Bel himself. Compare New English Bible: “… as if Bel could understand him. They cannot see the folly of it … because they themselves have no understanding.”

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 Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men 1:1

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 3.24

They: In the context of Dan 3, it is clear to whom they refers. According to Dan 3.22-23, they refers to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If translators include “The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men” as part of Dan 3, they needs no further clarification. But if they translate it as a separate book of the Apocrypha, it would be helpful to identify the three young men referred by this pronoun. If this is done, the forms used in Good News Translation, “Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,” are appropriate. These are the original names of the three men (see Dan 1.6-7).

Walked about in the midst of the flames: Good News Translation interprets the Greek verb form rendered walked about as placing emphasis on the beginning of the action: “started walking around.” In English this makes for a smoother beginning to the narrative, whether as a separate story or as part of Dan 3. In the midst of the flames may be also expressed as “in the flames [or, fire]” (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

Singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord: Any translation must of course make certain that readers will not interpret God and the Lord as two different beings. Good News Translation guards against this with a subtle rephrasing: “singing hymns to God, and praising him as the Lord.” Other options would be to choose just one of the two words, or to use them both together; for example, “the Lord God” (as in verse 3). For a comment on the translation of Lord, see Bar 1.5. Blessing here refers to praise, as Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have taken it. Here it is used as a verb; it will reappear as an adjective as the first word of the prayer itself (see the comments on verse 3). Presumably it is in the singing of hymns that the three are praising God, and this could be made clear by saying “praising God by singing hymns” or “singing hymns of praise to God.”

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 Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men 1:35

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 3.57

With the beginning of a new section, it will be helpful to introduce the three men again. Contemporary English Version does this well with “Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah continued to sing.”

Bless the Lord may be rendered “Praise the Lord” (see the comments on verse 1). These words will be repeated in almost every verse of this section.

All works of the Lord is everything God has created, or as Good News Translation puts it, “all creation.”

Sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever: See the comments on a similar line at verse 30. This line will be repeated in almost every verse in this section.

The content of this opening verse extends over every particular part of creation mentioned in the rest of the psalm.

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 1:12

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 13.12.

They watched eagerly may be rendered “They waited there [in the garden] eagerly hoping” or even “they would wait around, hoping” (Contemporary English Version). For the Greek adverb translated eagerly, compare its use in 2 Macc 2.21, where Revised Standard Version renders it “zealously.”

To see her: The context of the narrative suggests that they wanted to sneak peeks of her, which Good News Translation captures with “to catch sight of her.”

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 1:46

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 13.46.

He cried with a loud voice: See the comments on verse 42.

I am innocent of the blood of this woman is literal. The translator’s goal here is to find a forceful way of having Daniel protest what is about to happen. Good News Translation is good: “I refuse to be a party to her death,” although “… this woman’s death” might be a little better. Other approaches are “I want nothing to do with this woman’s death!” and “I will not have this woman’s death on my conscience!”

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 1:17

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 14.17.

Are the seals unbroken? …: In Greek (and Revised Standard Version), the king asks this question in such a way that the answer Daniel gives is “Yes [They are unbroken].” Good News Translation rewords it so that the answer is No: “ ‘Have the seals been broken, Daniel?’ ‘No.’ ” Translators may go in either direction. Again Contemporary English Version has a clearer translation of seals with “Daniel, has the wax been broken? Has the door been opened?”

O king: See the comments on verse 7.

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.