Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 11:8:
- Uma: “As it was written long ago in the Holy Book: ‘God gave them a stubborn [lit., stiff] heart. He closed their eyes so they won’t see the true road. He stopped their ears so they won’t hear the true message. up to the present time.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “There is something the holy-book says about these people whose heads are hard. The holy-book says, ‘God has made their thoughts/minds dull. Until now it is as if they do not see even though they have eyes, it is as if they do not hear even though they have ears.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For there is a written word of God which says, ‘God made their minds to become numb so that they might not understand. And up till now they don’t know what is right and they don’t understand what is proper.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “This very-thing is what God caused-to-be-written is talking-about saying, ‘God made their minds like the mind of a sleeping person. So until today, even though they have eyes, they are not able-to-see and even though they have ears, they are not able-to-hear.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “It says in the Holy Book: God caused that the people do not understand the word they hear. They do not understand about what they see. They will hear the words but will not understand about the words they will hear. This happened in past days and this again is happening now.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Huehuetla Tepehua: “And since that is the way they were done to, it was fulfilled like it is written where it says this: God made their hearts stupid. In this way, even though they read the truth, they don’t understand. And even though they hear the truth, they don’t believe. And that is the way it is even until now.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 1:17:
- Uma: “In the Good news God tells us the way to become straight in his sight. The way is only by faith in God , there is no other way. As is written in the Holy Book long ago: ‘The people who are straight in God’s sight, they are the people who get good life forever because of their faith.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “From this good news we (dual) know as to how (it is/what is needed) in order for God to consider human beings as straight. They must only/simply trust whole-heartedly/entirely in Isa Almasi. It is written in the holy-book about this, saying, ‘Whoever trusts in God, God considers straight and he will live.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For by means of the Good News, God makes known to us the way that he can regard us as righteous. And this way is only by means of faith. For there is a written word of God which says, ‘The person who is made righteous by means of his faith, he is the one who will be given life forever.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Because this good news, it makes-known God’s plan to make-people -righteous in his sight. This righteousness from God, it is based on faith alone. Because this indeed also is what God caused-to-be-written which says, ‘The person whom God has made-righteous on account of his faith, he has life that has no end.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “This good news causes our hearts to understand that God clears the sins of people just by their believing. It is like it says in the Holy Book, it says: ‘He who believes in God is that one who gets his sins cleared and is given a new life.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Central Mazahua: “The good words show us how God can say now we are right (good). That God will say we are right (good) it is necessary that we put (plant) him in our hearts and continually we will believe-obey him. Thus says the good words: the one who will plant God in his heart and God will say he is now right, that one will live always.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
For the Old Testament quote, see Habakkuk 2:4.
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 7:15:
- Uma: “I don’t understand the value/use of this character of mine. The good behavior that I want to do, I don’t end up doing. Behavior that I hate, that’s what I end up doing!” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “I don’t really understand my behavior. Because the good which I want to do I do not do. But that is what I do, the bad which I do not want/like/desire.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And I don’t understand why I do things like this, because the good which I want to do, I can’t do. And the bad things that really disgust me, that’s what I do.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “I am surprised at what I do, because what I want to do, that’s what I don’t do, and at-the-same-time what I don’t-want to do, that’s what I am doing.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “I do not understand how it is what I did, in that concerning the good I wanted to do, I didn’t do it. That which I didn’t look well upon is just what I did.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “I do not do what I want to do. Instead, what I do not want to do is what I do. I am not aware of why I do that way.”
- Central Tarahumara: “And I do not know why I do thus, because I do not do good as I desire to do good. I only do the kinds of deeds that I hate very much.”
- Huehuetla Tepehua: “In my life I don’t understand what I do. The good that I want to do, that is not what I do. Rather, I do that which I detest.” (Source for this and two above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 13:7:
- Uma: “Give to all people what is appropriate to give them, whether it is tax or other payment. Submit to people whom it is appropriate to submit to. Honor people whom it is appropriate to honor.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Therefore pay what is right to be paid, land tax or any tax, and respect/treat-according-to-custom and honor the ones who rule your land/place.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And because of this, it’s necessary that we pay taxes and the other things that the government asks us to pay. And also let us respect the people in the government, and let’s show our great respect for their rank.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “So let us pay the various-kinds of taxes that we are obligated to pay while at-the-same-time we also properly respect those who rule us.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “Concerning all to whom you owe, pay them. Those to whom you owe the taxes, pay your taxes. Respect those who have positions.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Isthmus Zapotec: “Pay everything (or everyone) you owe. Where you owe a hand (that is, a day’s work to help build a house, or town work) give it, and where you owe a tax pay it. Where you owe respect, give it, and where you owe esteem, give esteem.”
- Teutila Cuicatec: “All authorities who ask taxes of you, pay them, and all officials and authorities respect and love them.” (Source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 3:13:
- Uma: “‘Their words are dirty and shameful, Deceiving words appear on their lips.’ ‘Their words hurt the hearts of others, like the bite of a dalimoo’ [small poisonous snake].'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Their words are not good, like figuratively a grave not covered having a rotten odor. They always lie. Their words when they slander their companions are very venomous like a snake’s venom when it strikes, because their words really destroy.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “What they talk about is very ugly and filthy. It’s like the stink from a grave that has not been covered up. They are liars, and what they say is like the sting of a snake, because it causes their companion’s breath to be very painful (it hurts the feelings of their companions).” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Their mouths are like stinking graves, because the words they utter (lit. cause-to-come-out) are filthy. They use their words to deceive their fellows and what they say is destructive like the poison of a snake.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “When people speak, it is like there has been opened up where a corpse is placed. Like this is the badness of the word they speak. All is lies they speak. Death accompanies their words, like a poisonous snake when it bites a person has poison where it bites.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Hopi: “Their throat is like an open grave. Dirty words come therefrom. By their tongue they deceive people. Their words are like the poison of rattlesnakes.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
For the Old Testament quote, see Psalm 140:3.
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 9:33:
- Uma: “That stumbling of their is foretold beforehand in the Holy Book long ago. God said like this: ‘Really-really I say: The king I have placed on Sion Mountain I compare-figuratively to a stone. Many people stumble at that stone with the result they fall-flat. But whoever believes in Him, they will not be-made-to-fall.’ [a term used when someone you were counting on "lets you down"]” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “God hep says in the holy-book, ‘There at the town Siyon I place a stone for the people there to stumble against so that they fall-over. But whoever trusts in this stone they will not regret because of their trust in him.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For there is a written word of God which says, ‘I will place there in the town of the Jews, which is Zion, a stone. The people will accidentally kick against this and stumble. However, if there’s anyone who trusts in this stone, the place where he ends up will be very good.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “This is what that which God caused-to-be-written is talking-about which says, ‘Look, I have erected a stone in Zion which people will be-offended-at and will stumble-over. But whoever believes in him will absolutely not be shamed.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “There in the Holy Book is written the word which God said: ‘I will put in Sion a stone on which people will stumble. It will be a rock that causes people to fall. But whoever will believe in this stone, never will he have reason to say that it was bad for him to believe.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Huehuetla Tepehua: “Just like it says in God’s Word where it is written. This is what it says: In the town of Zion I have placed the Christ. He is like a stone that one stumbles over. And when one stumbles over him, that one is really lost. It is just as if he fell flat on the ground. But anyone who puts his confidence in the Christ won’t change his mind afterwards.”
- Isthmus Zapotec: “As it is written on that paper where God spoke: I am placing one who will trip the Jews, the people of Zion, but those who believe him will not be disappointed.” (Source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
For the Old Testament quote, see Isaiah 28:16.
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 4:5:
- Uma: “But our connection/relationship with God is not that. For it is not because of our behavior that God receives us. If we believe in God, even though we are wrong/guilty, he says we are straight in his sight just because of our faith in him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “If/when a person does good so that, he says/thinks, God will forgive his sin and God will consider him straight, he is really wrong/mistaken. For it is not because of our (dual) good deeds but because of our (dual) trusting God, the one who forgives sins, that we (incl.) are forgiven and considered straight by God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And God’s considering us (incl.) righteous is not like that because it’s just His favor to us. The reason God considers us (incl.) to be righteous is not because we carried out what He told us to do, but rather only because we believed in Him who is able to make transgressors righteous.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “But if a person doesn’t work-for his salvation but rather believes in God that he is the one who counts a sinner as righteous, his faith is the reason God counts him as righteous.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “But God does not tell us that we must do work in order to clear our sins. Because he gives us the favor of clearing our sins. It is just that we believe what God says will happen.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Tzeltal: “But the one who believes in the one who sets free from their sins those who are sinners, it is now through his belief of heart that he will have his heart made straight, not through his good work which he has done.”
- Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “But we receive freely as a favor that which God does for us, and God is able to say that our hearts are straight when we still lack of becoming entirely good in our hearts. Well then, we believe in God, and on account of our belief, God reckons up that our hearts are straight.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
- Chichewa (interconfessional translation, 1999): “But a person having believed, instead of depending on his/her works, God who views sinful people that they are not guilty, that person on believing [a syntactic, object front-shift], God views him/her that s/he is right[eous] in his eyes.” (Source: Wendland 1998, p. 112)
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 11:9:
- Uma: “Thus also the words of King Daud long ago that say: ‘O Lord, I request that all the blessings of those people, just cause them to end up falling, to the point that they get disaster and punishment, in order that their evil behavior is paid back.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Da’ud said, ‘May it be that because of their pleasures it is as if they were trapped (lit. trap hit-the-mark) and they can’t escape; it is as if they fell in a deep hole and they cannot get out. This is the repayment of their deeds.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And because of the unbelief of the Jews, there is also that which David said long ago, which said, ‘May it be that because of the good blessings which God has given them, they will mistakenly think that they have no sin. And may it be that by means of this they will be punished.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “David also, there is that which God caused-him -to-write saying, ‘May they suddenly be caught/arrested while they are participating-in-their-feasts like a bird who is caught in a snare or an animal who falls into a pit so that they will be properly punished.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “David says the same word, because he said: ‘There where the people feast, they think that they are having pleasure, they think God looks well on what they do. But it is not true that God looks well on what they do. Rather he will punish them for what they do.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Miahuatlán Zapotec: “David said: All of the feasts which the people of Israel do are in vain. Punishment will certainly overtake them and they will not escape.”
- Teutila Cuicatec: “Also David wrote as follows: “My Lord, cause the different feast days that these people make to be the means of their being lost.” (Source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
