13So Gad came to David and told him; he asked him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you on your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what answer I shall return to the one who sent me.”
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 24:13:
Kupsabiny: “(Then) Gad went to David and said to (him) that, ‘These are the words that God has given you to choose one of: Maybe famine shall come for three years, or your enemies shall chase you for three months, or serious illness/death shall come to you in your country for three days. Consider carefully what you shall answer God.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “So Gad went to David’s place again and told that [to him]. "The LORD has spoken like this — ‘Choose what you like — three years of famine, or three months fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you, or for three days, an epidemic takes place in Israel.’ Now you decide what answer I am to give the LORD."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “So Gad went to David and said to him, ‘Which of this you want: Three years of famine in your nation, three months of fleeing from your (plur.) enemies while they pursue you (plur.), or three days of plague in your nation? Think it carefully, and let- me -know what will- I -answer the LORD who sent me.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So Gad went to David and told him what Yahweh had said. He said to David, ‘You can choose whether there will be three years of famine in your land, or three months of your army running away from your enemies, or three days when there will be a plague/very severe illness in your land. You think about it and choose which one you want, and tell me, and I will return to Yahweh and tell him what your answer is.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, tsukawas-are-ru (遣わされる) or “send” is used.
The first part of this verse repeats certain elements in the previous verses, showing that the prophet fulfilled rather precisely what the LORD had instructed him to do.
Told him, and said to him is a literal translation of the Hebrew. Good News Translation expresses the sense: first Gad told David what the LORD had said, and then Gad said, that is, “asked” him the three questions. The pronouns you and your in this verse are all second person singular.
The three alternatives begin as questions, Shall …, will you flee …, and shall there be …, but in most languages it will be better to begin with an overall question like “Which do you prefer…?” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “What do you choose among these three things:…?” Then it will be possible to list the three choices, beginning each one with “Do you want…?”
Three years: this translates the Septuagint and agrees with the Hebrew parallel in 1 Chr 21.12. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, recommends the reading of the Masoretic Text, “seven years,” giving it a {B} evaluation. While many versions seem to prefer the reading of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation (including New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version, Osty-Trinquet,Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nueva Biblia Española, Stuttgarter Erklärungsbibel), many other translations adopt the reading of the Masoretic Text: New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, La Bible Pléiade, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Contemporary English Version. It is easy to see how copyists may have harmonized this figure with the two other cases of the number “three” in this verse. But the parallel in 1 Chr 21.12 as well as the ancient Greek version clearly have “three.” Given the uncertainty of the text, translators may do well to use the figure found in the most commonly used versions in their area.
Pestilence: the same term is translated “plague” in Exo 9.3 (compare also Lev 26.25). This term refers to a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is very deadly and destructive. In some languages it may have to be translated “a terrible sickness that will kill many people.”
Consider, and decide: or “think about these three possibilities and choose one.”
What answer I shall return: or “how I am to answer” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “what reply I shall take back” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).
To him who sent me: this clearly refers to Yahweh, and in some languages it will be better to avoid any uncertainty by saying “to the LORD who sent me” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), or possibly simply “to the LORD.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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