Balinese: “put on a new behavior” (compare “repentance“: “to put on a new mind”)
Tzeltal: “cause one’s heart to return to God” (compare “repentance”: “to cause one’s heart to return because of one’s sin”)
Pedi: “retrace one’s step” (compare “repentance”: “to become untwisted”)
Uab Meto: “return” (compare “repentance”: “to turn the heart upside down”)
Northwestern Dinka: “turn oneself” (compare “repentance”: “to turn the heart”) (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
Central Mazahua: “change the heart” (compare “repentance”: “turn back the heart”) (source: Nida 1952, p. 40)
In Elhomwe, the same term is used for “conversion” and “repentance” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Western Kanjobal: “molt” (like a butterfly) (source: Nida 1952, p. 136)
Latvian: atgriezties (verb) / atgriešanās (noun) (“turn around / return”) which is also the same term being used for “repentance” (source: Katie Roth)
Isthmus Mixe: “look away from the teaching of one’s ancestors and follow the teachings of God”
Highland Popoluca: “leave one’s old beliefs to believe in Jesus” (source for thsi and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 13:15:
Uma: “Because their hearts are hard, they make themselves deaf and they make themselves blind: they refuse to see with their eyes, they refuse to hear with their ears, they refuse to have their hearts made clear. That’s why they will not return to Me, and I will not give them goodness/salvation.’ ‘” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Because the liver of these people has become hard. They stop their ears and shut their eyes. If they would not do like that, they would see with their eyes, they would hear with their ears, they would understand in their livers and they would return to me, says God, and I would forgive their sins.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For as these people, their thinking has become hard. They have stopped up their ears. They have closed their eyes. Because if they didn’t they would be able to see and they would be able to hear, and they would understand what is right, and they would trust in me and I would set them free.’ ‘” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because their minds/thoughts have already hardened. They turn-a-deaf-ear-to the truth while they also close-their -eyes lest they be-able-to-see, able-to-hear, and able-to-understand and-then turn-to-face me so that I will heal them.’ ‘” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Really, as for these people, they have become stubborn (lit. made their heads hard). They’re making- their -ears-let-things-go-in-one-side- -and-out-of-the-other and they’re closing their eyes. For if it wasn’t like that, maybe they would indeed be able to see, and be able to hear, and be able to understand, and they would indeed return to me that I would heal them, whereas they won’t.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Because these people have closed their minds. It is as though they stopped their ears, not wanting to see what there is to see. Because they do not want to understand about the word and they do not want to turn their hearts to believe in me that they would have their sins forgiven,’ says God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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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.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
In 13:14, God talks to the people. In 13:15, God talks about them. So the pronouns change from “you” to “they.”
If people in your area think that 13:15 refers to a different group of people, you may want to:
• Add a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:
The words in 13:15 are still directed toward the Jews.
• Change the pronouns in 13:14 from “you” to “they” so they are the same as in 13:15. For example:
14b This people will listen and listen, but not understand; 14cthey will look and look, but not see, (Good News Translation)
13:15a
For: Verse 13:15 is the reason for the people not understanding what they see and hear (13:14). The Greek introduces this reason with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For.
Here are some other ways to introduce this reason:
because (Good News Translation)
-or-
⌊They will be like that⌋ because
In some languages, the context can imply the connection, and it will not be necessary to translate the conjunction.
this people’s heart has grown callous: The word heart refers to a person’s inner being. It includes the mind, the emotions, and the will. In this context, the word heart probably refers specifically to the mind.
The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as callous is more literally “thick” or “fat.” People with “thick/fat hearts” are people who understand things slowly. When it comes to spiritual things, they are not mentally sharp. They have become this way because they have deliberately refused to listen to the truth.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
• Translate it using another expression. For example:
the minds of these people have become slow/closed
-or-
the minds of these people do not work/function well
• Translate the meaning more directly. For example:
These people understand slowly
-or-
These people have difficulty understanding ⌊the truth⌋
this people’s: The phrase this people’s refers to all the Jewish people as a group.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
this people-group’s
-or-
this nation’s
13:15b
they hardly hear with their ears: This clause indicates that the Jews have reached a point where they have difficulty hearing/understanding spiritual truths. This does not indicate that they are physically deaf.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
they are hard of hearing (NET Bible)
-or-
they do not hear/understand ⌊God’s truth⌋ well
The phrase with their ears is already included in the meaning of the verb hear. In some languages, it may be more natural not to translate the phrase with their ears (as in the examples above).
13:15c
they have closed their eyes: This clause indicates that the Jews have deliberately closed their eyes to the truth. They refuse to see it.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
they refuse to see/understand
-or-
they have closed their eyes ⌊to the truth⌋
13:15d
Otherwise they might see with their eyes: The Greek conjunction the Berean Standard Bible translates as Otherwise expresses negative purpose. It means “in order not to.” These people shut their eyes so that they would not see.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
so that they would not see with their eyes (NET Bible)
-or-
in order not to see/understand
-or-
to avoid using their eyes to see (New Jerusalem Bible)
hear with their ears: The conjunction “otherwise” also applies to this clause. In other words:
and ⌊so that they would not⌋ hear with the ears
The phrase with their ears is already included in the meaning of the verb hear. It may be more natural in your language to leave the phrase with their ears implied.
13:15e
understand with their hearts: The conjunction “otherwise” also applies to this clause. In other words:
and ⌊so that they would not⌋ understand with their heart
As in 13:15a, the word hearts refers to their minds. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
their mind understand (Revised English Bible)
In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate the phrase with their heart. For example:
or understand (Contemporary English Version)
13:15f
and turn: The verb turn here refers to repenting.
Here are some other ways to translate this verb:
turn to me (Revised English Bible)
-or-
changing their ways (New Jerusalem Bible)
The conjunction “otherwise” from 13:15d also applies to this verb. In other words:
and ⌊so that they would not⌋ turn
In some languages, it will be natural to begin a new sentence here. Here are some ways to do that:
⌊They also did those things so that they would not⌋ turn/repent
-or-
⌊They did not want to⌋ turn ⌊to me⌋
13:15g
and I would heal them: This clause goes together with the verb “turn” in 13:15f.
Here are some ways to translate it:
and ⌊let⌋ me heal them
-or-
for healing (God’s Word)
-or-
and be healed (New Century Version)
The verb heal probably refers to spiritual healing. But it may also refer to physical healing. For that reason, it is best to translate it literally.
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