The Book of 1 Meqabyan

1 Meqabyan (also known as 1 Ethiopian Maccabees and 1 Ethiopic Maccabees) is canonical scripture for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. While “Meqabyan” is the Ge’ez equivalent of “Maccabees,” the content is completely different from 1 Maccabees. The only complete copies of 1 Meqabyan are available in Ge’ez (Classical Ethiopic), here used with permission by the Bible Society of Ethiopia.

The translation into English was provided by Haileyesus Woldemariam (UBS).

your rod and your staff – they comfort me

Drawing by Ismar David from Charles L. Allen, 1961. For other images of Ismar David drawings, see here.

The Hebrew that is translated as “your rod and your staff – they comfort me” in English was translated in Tuvan as “your rod and your staff protect me and calm me down.” Andrei S. Desnitsky explains (in: The Bible Translator 2018, p. 233ff. ): “This may sound rather negative when translated literally into Tuvan (a Turkic language spoken on the Russian–Mongolian border). The most probable scenario that would be evoked for readers/hearers involves a serious beating after which the speaker keeps silent. So we had to introduce the word ‘protection’ dajangyyžyŋ bile šykpyyžyŋ meni kamgalap, oožurgadyr (your rod and your staff protect me and calm me down).”

sheep

“Sheep are known throughout most of the world, even though, as in Central Africa, they are a far cry from the fleecy wool-producing animals of colder climates. Where such animals are known, even by seemingly strange names, e.g. ‘cotton deer’ (Yucateco) or ‘woolly goat’ (Inupiaq), such names should be used. In some instances, one may wish to borrow a name and use a classifier, e.g. ‘an animal called sheep.’ In still other instances translators have used ‘animal which produces wool’, for though people are not acquainted with the animals they are familiar with wool.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida)

In Dëne Súline, it is usually translated as “an evil little caribou.” To avoid the negative connotation, a loan word from the neighboring South Slavey was used. (Source: NCEM, p. 70)

Note that the often-alleged Inuktitut translation of “sheep” with “seal” is an urban myth (source Nida 1947, p. 136).

See also lamb and sheep / lamb.