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.)
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.)
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.)
The Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “circumcise” or “circumcision” in English (originally meaning of English term: “to cut around”) are (back-) translated in various ways:
Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “put the mark in the body showing that they belong to God” (or: “that they have a covenant with God”)
Indonesian: disunat — “undergo sunat” (sunat is derived from Arabic “sunnah (سنة)” — “(religious) way (of life)”)
Ekari: “cut the end of the member for which one fears shame” (in Gen. 17:10) (but typically: “the cutting custom”) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 1:20:
Uma: “For even though we cannot see the appearance of God, from the beginning of the making of the world it has been knowable/evident to men what God is like. For from all that he made, we see the bigness of his life [i.e., glory] and we also see his power that has no end. So there is no one who can say: ‘I didn’t know!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Since (the time) the world was created by God, it is clear to the people that God has power that doesn’t leave even if they cannot/didn’t happen-to-see his power and it is also clear to them that he is the true God even though they cannot see him. The people can understand about God and about his power by the various-things he has created. That’s why they cannot give excuses/excuse themselves for/because-of their deeds.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For as for God, even though He cannot be seen, beginning from His creation of the world, He is apparent just the same by means of all the things that he created by means of His very great power which has no end, and by means of what is called His being God. That’s why nobody can say they do not know whether there is a God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because since-the-time when God created the world, it has been easy for people to understand concerning his godhood and his power which has no limit, even though he cannot be seen, because what he created can be seen. So they have absolutely no excuse for not knowing the truth.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “And now, no one sees God, but that which he made is what we see. From this it is apparent that God lives. When the world began to exist, then it was apparent that God lives and that he has his power forever. It isn’t possible then that people say that they do not know that God lives.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Isthmus Zapotec: “Even though we cannot see the power of God which shall never end, nor can we see what he is like, yet from the day the world was created it has been clearly seen who he is (or what he is like) because of all he has done. Therefore they cannot say they do not know.”
Hopi: “For people understand clearly the things about God that are unseen. He alone is God and continually has power. And the people understand who he is and that he has power through the things here that are made. Since the time that the world was made they understood these things and therefore they have no way of escape.”
Central Mazahua: “What God is and his power no one can see with their eyes. But they can know [in their thoughts] because it is seen in the things that God made since the world was made. Therefore when God will judge them they can’t say they didn’t know how he is.” (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 8:11:
Uma: “God brought Jesus back to life by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it is that Holy Spirit also who dwells in our hearts. So, even though our bodies will die, God will certainly bring our bodies back to life by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in our hearts.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “If it is true the Holy Spirit is there dwelling in your liver, God will cause you (pl.) also to be alive like he caused Isa Almasi to be alive from his death.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for God, He is the one who raised Jesus Christ. And if the Holy Spirit whom He sent, lives here in us, then we will also be raised from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit that lives here with us.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Another-thing, God is the one who made-Cristo -alive again, so if his Spirit is in you, he will also make-alive your bodies that die because of the Holy Spirit who stays in you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “It is God who caused that Christ resurrected when he had died. He also will cause that our bodies will resurrect after we have died. Because we now walk with the Holy Spirit.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Tabasco Chontal : “God raised up Jesus from the dead. If his Holy Spirit is in you, just like God raised up Jesus, in the same way God will cause to live also your bodies which will die. He is going to raise your bodies because his Holy Spirit is in you.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Kupsabiny: “And when a person has the Holy Spirit who made Jesus to resurrect from the dead, that same Spirit will make that person to resurrect and will give him a new life.” (Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Bariai: “God lifted back Jesus from his death. And so if God’s Straight Spirit is living in your interiors, then he’s going to lift you back from your death also, similarly as he lifted back Christ from his death. He’s going to do like this by the Straight Spirit’s power who is living in your interiors.” (Bariai Back Translation)
