The Greek that is translated as “propitiation” or “atoning sacrifice” in English is translated in South Bolivian Quechua as “putting out [as in putting out a fire] on account of our sins” (source: T.E. Hudspith in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 66ff. ).
In Chichewa, it is translated as nsembe yopepsera machimo athu or “a sacrifice for saying sorry for our sins” (interconfessional translation, publ. 1999) and in Chitonga as cipaizyo cakumanya mulandu or “the sacrifice for putting an end to the case/offense [of our sins].” (Source: Wendland 1998, p. 91)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 2:26:
Uma: “I write this letter to you, speaking of them who want to deceive you.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “I write you this about the people who test/try to fool you in order to take you astray/separate you from the true teaching.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I am writing to you so that you might be on your guard, for there are people who want you to believe what is false.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “I have written you this about those who are trying to distract/turn-you -aside from the true teaching.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I have written these things concerning those people who keep on doing what can lead to your believing/obeying going astray.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “I write these words in order that you know that there are those going about who want to deceive you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “I have written this letter to you and have spoken these words about how people are doing who want to deceive you.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “That is why I wrote this to you, because there are some who intend to deceive us.”
Tzotzil: “ITherefore I have told you about those who want to deceive you.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
For I write this to you, compare comments on verse 21; this refers back to verses 18-25.
Those who would deceive you is in the Greek a participle in the present tense. This tense serves here to indicate the continuing attempt of the deceivers. This is brought out in Good News Translation‘s “who are trying to deceive you.” For the verb see comments on the reflexive form “we deceive ourselves” in 1.8.
The result of you being deceived or being led astray may be that they sin. Therefore some versions render “to deceive” by ‘to cause to be guilty,’ ‘to entice to sin.’ This is unadvisable, since it is saying more than John says or seems to imply.
Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The First Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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