net

The Greek terms that are used for what is translated as “net” in English are translated in languages like Navajo (Dinė) where fishing with nets is not known as “instruments to catch (or: bring out) the fish.” (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)

In Rundi the term urusenga is used. Rosemary Guillebaud (in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 15ff. ) tells this story:

“[People living close to lakes] produced further problems for us over fishing terms when we reached the revision of the Gospels. Fishing is practically unknown in the mountain streams and rivers, so there is hardly any vocabulary for it up-country. In Mat. 4:18 we read that Jesus saw two brethren “casting a net into the sea.” The word we used for net (urusenga) is used all over Rundi for a fishing net, whatever it is like, but when I read this to some people who live by the lake they said it was the wrong word, as from the context this happened during the daytime, and urusenga-fishing is only done at night. It appears that the urusenga is something like a shrimping net, and is used on moonless nights, when the fishermen hold flares over the side of the boat and attract a certain variety of very small fish which swim about in shoals. The net they use for day-time fishing is something like a drag-net and is called urukwabu. On enquiry inland, I never discovered a single person who knew this word. It was obviously the right one, technically speaking, but we felt that the few thousand lake-dwellers could not be weighed against almost the entire population of the country, so we had to employ the up-country word, putting an explanatory note in the margin that by the lake this net is called urukwabu.”

Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing net-fishing in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

They left their nets (image)

Hand colored stencil print on momigami by Sadao Watanabe (1970).

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe.

For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

 

Jesus Calls the Sons of Zebedee


“Fisherman spent their time finding fish to feed their family and sold what was left. It is not common for fishermen to be interested in or qualified for a study of the dharma but Jesus called them anyway.”

Drawing by Sawai Chinnawong who employs northern and central Thailand’s popular distinctive artistic style originally used to depict Buddhist moral principles and other religious themes; explanation by Paul DeNeui. From That Man Who Came to Save Us by Sawai Chinnawong and Paul H. DeNeui, William Carey Library, 2010.

For more images by Sawai Chinnawong in TIPs see here.

Following is a painting by Ketut Lasia (b. 1945):

Ketut Lasia is one of the last traditional Balinese painters in the Ubud style. As an adult, Lasia converted from Hinduism to Christianity, and he paints primarily biblical scenes. You can find artwork from Ketut Lasia in a variety of formats for sale at Fine Art America .

Mark 1:14-20 in Russian Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 1:14-20 into Russian Sign Language with a back-translation underneath:


Source: Russian Bible Society / Российское Библейское Общество

Here’s what happened. This is the messenger John. He was captured and imprisoned. After that Jesus went back to Galilee. There are villages there. Jesus went through the villages and preached. Jesus was speaking to the people:

— God has a kingdom and authority. They approached. Repent, be changed! Stop your sins and evil deeds. Come back to be one with God. Believe what I say to you.

Jesus went and spoke to the people. There is a lake there. Jesus came to the lake. There were two men by the lake. The first man’s name was Simon and the second man’s name was Andrew. They were brothers. They were casting nets to catch fish. Jesus was passing by, noticed them and said to them:

— Follow me! I will give you my authority, and you will no longer be fishers of fish, but fishers of men. Follow me.

The brothers looked at Jesus and agreed. They threw down their nets and followed Jesus.

After a while, the laborers and fishermen gathered there. There were two men on the boat. The first was James and the second was John. They were brothers. Their father was also with them. They were mending torn nets. Jesus was passing by, noticed them and said:

— Both of you, follow me!

The brothers looked at Jesus, agreed. To their father and all the workers they said:

— We are going to follow Jesus.

Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):

Вот что случилось. Вот вестник Иоанн. Его схватили и заключили в тюрьму. После этого Иисус вернулся в Галилею. Есть там деревни. Иисус ходил по деревням и проповедовал. Иисус обращался к людям:

— У Бога есть царство и власть. Они приблизились. Вы покайтесь, изменитесь! Прекратите ваши грехи и злые дела. Вернитесь к единению с Богом. Верьте в то, что я говорю вам.

Иисус ходил и обращался к людям. Есть там озеро. Иисус пришел к озеру. Возле озера были два человека. Первого звали Симон, второго — Андрей. Они были братья. Они закидывали сети, чтобы ловить рыбу. Иисус проходил мимо, заметил их и сказал им:

— Следуйте за мной! Я дам вам мою власть, и вы больше не будете ловить рыбу, но будете ловцами людей. Следуйте за мной.

Братья посмотрели на Иисуса и согласились. Они бросили сети и последовали за Иисусом.

Через какое-то время там собрались рабочие и рыбаки. На лодке были два человека. Первый — Иаков, второй — Иоанн. Они были братья. С ними был также их отец. Они чинили порванные сети. Иисус проходил мимо, заметил их и говорит:

— Вы оба, следуйте за мной!

Братья посмотрели на Иисуса, согласились. Своему отцу и все работникам они сказали:

— Мы пойдем следовать за Иисусом.

Back-translation by Luka Manevich

<< Mark 1:9-13 in Russian Sign Language
Mark 1:21-28 in Russian Sign Language >>

Mark 1:16-21a in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 1:16-21a into Mexican Sign Language with back-translations into Spanish and English underneath:


© La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)

En el alrededor del lago de Galilea Simón y Andrés, quienes eran hermanos, trabajaban, ellos eran pescadores. Jesús caminaba y los vió y gritó: vengan conmigo, dejen el trabajo con peces y en su lugar yo los enseñaré como en el futuro agarrarán a personas.

Los dos dejaron su trabajo con los redes y se juntaron con Jesús y fueron los tres.

Vieron un barco y había un hombre, Zebedeo, con sus hijos Jacobo y Juan y otra persona, un siervo, y juntos estaban trabajando arreglando los redes.

Jesús gritó: “Jacobo, Juan, vengan conmigo” y Jacobo y Juan dejaron su papá Zebedeo y se juntaron con Jesús y fueron como grupo al pueblo de Capernaúm.


After some time soldiers arrested John the Baptist and put him in prison. Jesus went to Galilee where he preached and announced something wonderful: it has been fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near, you need to believe and repent.

In the area of the lake of Galilee Simon and Andrew, two brothers, were working, they were fishermen. Jesus was walking there and saw them and shouted: come with me, leave the work with the fish and instead I will teach you and in the future you will take hold of people.

The two of them left their work with the nets and joined Jesus and the three of them went on.

They saw a boat and there was a man, Zebedee with his two sons, James and John and another person, a servant, working together repairing the nets.

Jesus shouted: “James, John, come with me”, and James and John left their father Zebedee and they joined Jesus and they went as a group to the village of Capernaum.

Source: La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

<< Mark 1:14-15 in Mexican Sign Language
Mark 1:21b-28 in Mexican Sign Language >>

complete verse (Mark 1:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:18:

  • Uma: “They left-behind their nets, and beginning that day they followed Yesus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Na, immediately they left their fishing-nets and followed now Isa.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And immediately they left off netting and went with him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They immediately-set-down their nets and went-with him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When those two heard, they then left their fishing and truly did go with Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “Just then they abandoned the nets. Having abandoned them, they went with Jesus.” (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Balinese: “He just said so, then they left their cast-nets and followed Him.” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “And so they, dropping their nets, followed him.”

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Mark 1:16-20)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Mark 1:16-20:

As Jesus was strolling beside Lake Galilee,
he noticed two fishermen — brothers they were —
       and they were casting their nets into the lake.

“Follow me!” commanded Jesus.
“I’ll give you power to bring in people.”
       At this, they dropped their nets and followed him.

As Jesus continued walking along the shore,
he saw James and John Zebedee
       sitting in a boat, mending their nets.

“Follow me!” commanded Jesus.
Leaving their father and the hired workers,
       they followed him.