translations with a Hebraic voice (Genesis 1:2)

Some translations specifically reproduce the voice of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible.

English:
When the earth was wild and waste,
Darkness over the face of Ocean,
Rushing spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters —

Source: Everett Fox 1995

German:
Die Erde aber war Irrsal und Wirrsal.
Finsternis über Urwirbels Antlitz.
Braus Gottes schwingend über dem Antlitz der Wasser.

Source: Buber / Rosenzweig 1976

French:
la terre était tohu-et-bohu,
une ténèbre sur les faces de l’abîme,
mais le souffle d’Elohîms planait sur les faces des eaux.

Source: Chouraqui 1985

For other verses or sections translated with a Hebraic voice, see here.

put God to the test, tempt God

The Greek that is translated as “do not tempt God” or “do not put God to the test” is translated into Huallaga Huánuco Quechua as “don’t push God to do what you want.” Nida (1952, p. 50) says about this translation: “This sentence means more than even the English ‘tempt God,’ for our word ‘tempt’ implies too much the idea of inducing to sin, and the real point is that we should try not to force God.”

The French 1985 translation by Chouraqui translates it as “N’éprouve pas (“Do not test”) .” This follows Chouraqui’s method of translating YHWH in the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament (see tetragrammaton (YHWH)).

See also foolishness of God.

Blessed (in the Beatitudes)

The Greek that is typically translated as “Blessed” in English is translated in the French 1985 translation by Chouraqui as En marche or “Rise up / Forward / Let’s get going.”

The Jewish scholar and inter-religious translator A. Chouraqui explains: “The first word of the Sermon on the Mount is, in most translations, the main obstacle to understanding Yeshua‘s message. Makarioi, the Greek says — “Blessed” — and this word immediately sends commentators off on the wrong track. The ‘Beatitudes’ are assumed to be something that should be possessed from the outset, whereas they will only be fully realized in the kingdom of Adonai. And Jesus did not say makarioi, but ashrei (see Psalm 1:1), an exclamation…from the root ashar which implies, not the idea of a vague and essentially hedonistic happiness, but the idea of uprightness, yashar — the uprightness of the person who is walking on a path clear of obstacles — the path that leads toward Adonai.” (Source: Watson 2023, p. 58)

Note that Psalm 1:1a is translated by Chouraqui as En marche, l’homme qui ne va pas au conseil des criminels — “En marche (see above), the man who doesn’t attend the council of criminals.”

translations with a Hebraic voice (1 Samuel 25:22)

Some translations specifically reproduce the voice of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible.

English:
This may God do to “the enemies of” David, and thus may he add,
if I leave from all that belongs to him, by daybreak [even] one pissing against the wall!

Translator’s notes:

“David’s enemies”: Later scribes have added the word “enemies” here, in order to avoid placing a verbal curse on David.
“One pissing against the wall”: Others, euphemistically, “a single male,” but the imagery is doglike. Unlike most modern translations, Tyndale and the King James Version got it right: “aught / one that pisseth by the wall.”

Source: Everett Fox 2014

German:
so tue Gott Dawids Feinden, so füge er hinzu,
laß ich bis zum Morgenlicht von allem, was sein ist, einen Wandpisser übrig!

Source: Buber / Rosenzweig 1976

French:
Ainsi fera Elohîms aux ennemis de David et ainsi il ajoutera si je laisse,
de tout ce qui est à lui, avant le matin, un pisseur contre un mur !

Source: Chouraqui 1985

For other verses or sections translated with a Hebraic voice, see here.

translations with a Hebraic voice (2 Kings 2:6-11)

Some translations specifically reproduce the voice of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible.

English:
Then Eliyyahu said to him:
Pray stay here,
for Yhwh has sent me to the Jordan.
But he said:
By the life of Yhwh and by your own life, if I should leave you. . . !
Thus the two of them walked on.
Now fifty men of the Sons of the Prophets went
and stood opposite, at a distance,
while the two of them stood by the Jordan.
And Eliyyahu took his mantle, folded it up, and struck the waters,
and they split in half, to here and to there,
and the two of them crossed over on dry-ground.
It was when they crossed that Eliyyahu said to Elisha:
Make-request: what may I do for you before I am taken from beside you?
Elisha said:
Pray let a twofold measure of your spirit be upon me!
He said:
You have made a difficult request.
If you see me being taken from you, it will be thus for you,
but if not, it will not be.
And it was, as they were walking, walking along and speaking
that here, a chariot of fire and horses of fire:
they parted the two of them,
and Eliyyahu went up in the storm to the heavens.

Source: Everett Fox 2014

German:
Elijahu sprach zu ihm:
Verweile doch hier,
denn Er hat mich an den Jordan gesandt.
Er aber sprach:
Sowahr Er lebt, sowahr deine Seele lebt:
verlasse ich dich je, …!
So gingen sie beide.
Mitgegangen aber waren von den Jungkündern fünfzig Mann,
die blieben gegenüber stehn, von fern,
als die beiden am Jordan standen.
Elijahu nahm seinen Mantel,
er ballte ihn
und schlug das Wasser,
das spaltete sich hierhin und hierhin,
auf dem Sandgrund schritten die beiden hindurch.
Es geschah nun, als sie hindurchgeschritten waren,
zu Elischa sprach Elijahu:
Wünsche,
was soll ich dir tun,
ehe ich von dir hinweggenommen werde?
Elischa sprach:
Geschähe doch, daß mir würde von deinem Geistbraus das Erstlings-Doppelteil!
Er sprach:
Schweres hast du erwünscht!
darfst du mitansehn,
wie ich von dir hinweggenommen werde,
wirds dir so geschehn,
sonst aber: wirds nicht geschehn.
Es geschah:
während sie weitergingen, gingen und redeten,
da, Feuergefährt und Feuerrosse,
sie trennten die beiden.
Elijahu stieg im Sturm zum Himmel.

Source: Buber / Rosenzweig 1976

French:
Élyahou lui dit: « Siège donc là, oui, IHVH-Adonaï m’envoie au Iardèn. »
Il dit: « Vive IHVH-Adonaï, vive ton être, je ne t’abandonnerai pas. »
Ils vont, les deux.
Cinquante hommes, des fils des inspirés, vont et se tiennent en face, de loin.
Les deux se tiennent sur le Iardèn.
Élyahou prend sa cape, l’entortille, frappe les eaux.
Elles se divisent, là et là. Ils passent, les deux, à sec.
Et c’est à leur passage, Élyahou dit à Èlisha‘:
« Demande ce que je ferai pour toi, avant que je sois pris loin de toi. »
Èlisha‘ dit: « Que deux bouches de ton souffle soient donc en moi ! »
Il dit: « Tu es dur en demandes.
Si tu me vois pris loin de toi, pour toi, ce sera oui. Sinon, ce sera non. »
Et c’est eux, ils vont, vont et parlent.
Et voici, un char de feu, des chevaux de feu, séparent les deux.
Élyahou monte, dans la tempête, aux ciels.

Source: Chouraqui 1985

For other verses or sections translated with a Hebraic voice, see here.

translations with a Hebraic voice (1 Kings 8:10-11)

Some translations specifically reproduce the voice of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible.

English:
And it was, at the priests’ going out from the Holy-Place,
that the cloud filled the House of Yhwh,
and the priests were not able to stand to attend because of the cloud,
for the Glory of Yhwh had filled the House of Yhwh.

Source: Everett Fox 1995

German:
Es geschah, als die Priester aus dem Heiligtum ausgefahren waren:
die Wolke füllte Sein Haus,
nicht vermochten die Priester zu stehn um zu amten, wegen der Wolke,
denn Seine Erscheinung füllte Sein Haus.

Source: Buber / Rosenzweig 1976

French:
Et c’est à la sortie des desservants du sanctuaire,
la nuée remplit la maison de IHVH-Adonaï.
Les desservants ne peuvent se tenir pour officier en face de la nuée,
oui, la gloire de IHVH-Adonaï remplit la maison de IHVH-Adonaï.

Source: Chouraqui 1985

For other verses or sections translated with a Hebraic voice, see here.

translations with a Hebraic voice (1 Kings 2:3)

Some translations specifically reproduce the voice of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible.

English:
You are to keep the keeping of Yhwh your God,
walking in his ways, keeping his laws, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies,
as it is written in the Instruction of Moshe,
in order that you may cause to prosper all that you do and wherever you face,

Source: Everett Fox 2014

German:
wahre Seine, deines Gottes, Verwahrung,
zu gehn in seinen Wegen,
zu wahren seine Satzungen, seine Gebote und seine Rechtsgeheiße,
und seine Vergegenwärtigungen,
wie in Mosches Weisung geschrieben ist,
damit du ergreifst in allem, was du tust,
in allem, wozu du dich wendest,

Source: Buber / Rosenzweig 1976

French:
Garde à la garde de IHVH-Adonaï, ton Elohîms,
pour aller sur ses routes, pour garder ses règles, ses ordres,
ses jugements, ses témoignages, comme c’est écrit dans la tora de Moshè,
pour que tu sois avisé en tout ce que tu feras,
en tout ce vers quoi tu feras face,

Source: Chouraqui 1985

For other verses or sections translated with a Hebraic voice, see here.

translations with a Hebraic voice (1 Kings 3:9)

Some translations specifically reproduce the voice of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible.

English:
So give your servant an understanding heart
to judge your people, to discern between good and evil.
For who is able to judge this your weighty people?

Source: Everett Fox 1995

German:
so gib deinem Diener
ein hörendes Herz,
dein Volk zu richten,
den Unterschied von Gut und Bös zu unterscheiden,
denn wer vermöchte dies dein gewichtiges Volk zu richten.

Source: Buber / Rosenzweig 1976

French:
Donne à ton serviteur un coeur qui entende,
pour juger ton peuple, pour discerner le bien du mal.
Oui, qui pourrait juger ton peuple, ce poids ? »

Source: Chouraqui 1985

For other verses or sections translated with a Hebraic voice, see here.