Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 33:7:
Kupsabiny: “Ezekiel, I have put/made you to watch out for the house of Israel, so consider carefully what I am going to tell you and go and speak these words on my behalf.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The LORD continued to say, ‘Man, I chose you as the-one-who-watches for the people of Israel, therefore listen to this what I am saying, and then warn the people.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So, you human, I have appointed you to be a watchman for the Israeli people. So always listen to what I say and warn the people for me.” (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 choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel: This verse in Hebrew is almost identical to 3.17 (see the comments there). God appoints Ezekiel again as a watchman for the Israelites, or perhaps he reminds him of the time that he previously appointed him as a watchman. So renders the Hebrew waw conjunction (literally “And”). Here it introduces God’s application of the watchman illustration to Ezekiel. Some translations render it “Now” (Good News Translation), while others omit it (so Contemporary English Version, New Century Version). The Hebrew pronoun for you is emphatic. NET Bible begins this verse with “As for you … I have made you a watchman…,” which is a helpful model. For son of man, see Ezek 33.2.
Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me: See 3.17.
Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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