as a testimony against them

The Greek that is translated as “as a testimony against them” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with zum Zeichen, dass jede Gemeinschaft aufgehoben ist or “as a sign that every form of community is suspended.”

testimony against them

The Greek that is typically translated in English as “testimony against them” is translated in Paasaal as “that will let them know that they have refused you.” (Source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)

Mark 6:7-13 in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 6:7-13 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)

Jesús sabía que las personas no creían y se fue a otro pueblo, iba de lugar a lugar y enseñaba.

Jesús llamó todos los doce discípulos a que vinieran.

Jesús dijo: “Yo les doy la autoridad a que uds se vayan dos en dos a la gente que tiene adentro demonios, y que uds, los discípulos, expulsen los demonios.”

Jesús les advertía: “Cuando uds se vayan, no lleven ropa, chamarra ni pan en una bolsa, ni lleven dinero, nada de eso.

Uds pueden llevar un bastón para caminar y ropa y sandalias puestas.

También uds discípulos, si van a una casa quedense allá, y cuando salgan de allá para predicar regresen al mismo lugar, vayan y regresen y después cuando terminen, vayanse del pueblo.

Si los dos de uds van a un pueblo para predicar y las personas no quieren verlos, los rechazan y no los aceptan y los expulsan, entonces uds, los discípulos, digan: ‘Uds veanme y sean testigos’ y sacudan sus sandalias, quitando el polvo, y vayanse.”

Y Jesús advirtió: “Yo les digo la verdad, en el futuro en el día de juicio Sodoma y Gomorra serán castigados menos que este pueblo recien mencionado, que será castigado más fuertemente.”

Los discípulos estaban de acuerdo y se fueron dos en dos, iban a predicar que todas las personas deben arrepentirse.

Algunas personas tenían demonios adentro y los discípulos expulsaban los demonios, y ungían muchas personas enfermas con aceite, frotandolo en su cuerpo, y las personas fueron sanados.


Jesus knew that the people did not believe and he went to another village, he went from place to place teaching.

Jesus told all the twelve disciples to come to him.

Jesus said: “I give you the authority to go two by two to people who have demons inside and that you, the disciples, can throw out the demons.”

Jesus warned them: “When you go, don’t take clothes, a coat or bread in a bag, nor money in your pocket, none of that.

“You can take a walking stick with you and clothes and sandals that you have on.

“Also, you disciples, if you go to a house stay there, and when you leave there to preach, go back to the same place, go and come, and afterwards when you’re done, leave the village.

“If the two of you go to a village to preach and the people don’t want to see you, reject you and don’t accept you and throw you out, then you, the disciples, should say: ‘Watch me and be witnesses’ and shake the dirt off your sandals and go away.”

And Jesus warned: “I tell you the truth, in the future on the day of judgment, Sodom and Gomorrah will be punished less than that aforementioned village, which will be punished more strongly.”

The disciples agreed and they went two by two, they went out to preach that all the people had to repent.

Some people had demons inside and the disciples threw out the demons, and the disciples anointed many ill people with oil, rubbing the oil on their bodies, and they were healed.

Source: La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

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Mark 6:17-29 in Mexican Sign Language >>

Mark 6:7-13 in Russian Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 6:7-13 into Russian Sign Language with a back-translation underneath:


Source: Russian Bible Society / Российское Библейское Общество

Jesus called 12 disciples to Himself. He divided them into two and told them to go to different places to tell people that they needed to change their lives and be reconciled to God.

Jesus said to the disciples:

— I give you authority. If you see a person possessed by demons, you have authority to cast the demons out of that person. You can take only two things with you — sandals and a staff. You don’t need to take four things with you such as bread, a bag, money, and spare clothes. You do not need to take any of these things with you. If you see that the owners of the house call you to their house to hear the word, go in there and be there until the end: teach, fellowship with them. You don’t need to go to another place and teach them until you finish the matter, then only can you go to another place.

If you go and people in some house do not want to hear about God, they will drive you out, then calmly go away from there. Shake the dust off your sandals as a sign that God will punish those people in the future.

The twelve disciples listened and went to different places two by two.

Jesus’ disciples said to the people:

— Change your life! Make peace with God!

The other disciples cast out demons if there were people possessed by evil spirits in that place. The evil spirits obeyed and left. Some of the disciples came across people who were sick with various illnesses; they put oil on them and healed them; they became well.

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

Иисус призвал к себе 12 учеников. Разделил их по два человека и велел им идти по разным местам, чтобы рассказывать людям о том, что они должны изменить свою жизнь и примириться с Богом.

Иисус сказал ученикам:

— Я даю вам власть. Если вы увидите человека, одержимого бесами, вы имеете власть, изгнать бесов из этого человека. Вы можете взять с собой только две вещи — сандалии и посох. Не нужно брать с собой такие четыре вещи: хлеб, сумку, деньги и запасную одежду. Ничего этого брать с собой не нужно. Если вы увидите, что хозяева дома зовут вас к себе, чтобы послушать слово, заходите туда и будьте там до конца: учите, общайтесь с ними. Не нужно переходить в другое место и учите их, пока не закончите дело, тогда только можете переходить в другое место.

Если вы будете идти, а люди в каком-то доме не захотят слушать о Боге, будут вас выгонять, тогда спокойно уходите оттуда. С сандалий стряхните пыль, это будет знаком, что в будущем Бог накажет этих людей.

Двенадцать учеников послушали и разошлись по разным местам по два человека.

Ученики Иисуса говорили людям:

— Измените свою жизнь! Примиритесь с Богом!

Другие ученики изгоняли бесов, если в том месте были одержимые злыми духами. Злые духи повиновались и уходили. Некоторым ученикам попадались больные с различными болезнями; ученики таких людей мазали маслом и исцеляли; те становились здоровыми.

Back-translation by Luka Manevich

<< Mark 6:1-6 in Russian Sign Language
Mark 6:14-29 in Russian Sign Language >>

complete verse (Mark 6:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 6:11:

  • Uma: “If there are villagers who don’t want to receive you, if they refuse to listen to the words you bring, when you leave their village, knock off the dust that sticks to the soles of your feet, a sign that God will punish them.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And if there is a village that you come to and/but the people do not respect you, and do not want to listen to you, (then) leave from that village. Shake off the dust of your feet first, a sign that you are through with them, and then leave.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is a village where they don’t respect you and they don’t listen to your message, shake the dust off your feet as a sign that they will be punished by God.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But if there is a town that you go to and they do not receive you, and they also refuse to listen to what you are telling, leave them, and as you go, brush-off your soles so that they will thereby-know they are responsible for their punishment.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “However supposing you aren’t received or your teaching isn’t listened to in whichever place you reach, don’t stay there. As you leave there, brush off the dust from your legs/feet as a sign that the people there who didn’t believe are now regarded by God as not his people.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )