Category: Draft Translations

It’s getting to the point where I’m not certain I haven’t posted something on this passage before.  I have a draft translation of all of 1 Corinthians on my totally free Bible translation project.  It’s a very drafty translation, so herewith a few corrections and some notes, which hopefully I’ll get entered into the main database soon.

¹⁸For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is God’s power. ¹⁹For it is written:

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the intelligence of the intelligent I will set aside.

²⁰Who is wise? Who is a scribe? Who is a debater of this age? Has not God make the wisdom of the world foolishness? ²¹For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,but to us who are being saved it is God’s power. For since in the wisdom of the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God to save those who believe through the foolisness of proclamation. ²²And since the Jews ask for a sign, and the Greeks seek wisdom, ²³but we, for our part, preach Christ crucified, a scandal to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks, ²⁴But to those who are called, Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power and wisdom of God. ²⁵Because foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of humanity, and the weakness of God is stronger than the strength of humanity.

Notes:

There are no substantial textual issues in this passage.

18 – I have chosen “message” to translate “logos.”  There is always an issue of just what to emphasize in translating this word since nothing in English gets the full and/or precise force.  But in this case it is the very basic message of the cross itself that is foolish.  It doesn’t make sense to human wisdom and understanding.

20 – I always find it interesting when this verse is used to defend human stupidity.  Too often we assume that because God has made the world’s wisdom foolishness, whatever wisdom we may come up with is obviously divine wisdom.  But the message is quite specific.  We couldn’t save ourselves and somehow God did it through the incarnation and by dying on the cross.  It is not an answer any of us would have come up with on our own.

21 – “Proclamation” here is the famous theological word “kerygma.”  It is another piece of the foolishness of God’s plan that he lets it accomplish its task through humans proclaiming or preaching the message.  Or perhaps it might be better to say that he ordains it to be that way.  I am very frequently challenged to explain why God chooses to use human beings with human failings to bring his logos, his message to people.  I don’t think I ever satisfy those who question.  I have my ideas, but it’s another aspect of the foolishness of God’s way.

22 – Whatever we think of the method and the message it is greater than anything of human invention.

I used this translation as the basis for a devotional today, 2/18/09, for my wife’s devotional list.  Here is the translation with a few additional notes.

Translation

Notes

1This is what happened when YHWH took Elijah in the whirlwind up to heaven.     Elijah and Elisha left Gilgal.  2Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, because YHWH has sent me to Bethel.       But Elisha said, “As YHWH lives, and as you live yourself, I will not leave you.” So they went to Bethel. 3Now the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel went out to Elisha and said to him, “Don’t you know that YHWH is taking your master from above you today?” He said, “Yes, I do know that.  Be quiet!” 4Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, because YHWH has sent me to Jericho.” But he replied, “As YHWH lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5The sons of the prophets who were in Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Don’t you know that YHWH is taking your master from above you today?” And he said, “Yes, I do know that.  Be quiet!” 6Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, because YHWH has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As YHWH lives and as you live yourself, I will not leave you!” So they went on together. 7Fifty men from the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance from them, and the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8Then Elijah took his cloak, folded it, and struck the water, so that the river was split in two, and the two of them crossed on dry ground.   9And as they were crossing, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what you want me to do for you before I’m taken away from you.” Elisha answered, “I’d like the double portion of the Spirit that is on you.” 10He said, “That’s a difficult request!  If you see me when I’m taken from you, it will happen.  If not, it won’t.” 11So as they were walking along and talking, a fiery chariots and fiery horses came a separated them, and took Elijah up in the whirlwind to heaven.     12Elisha was watching and he shouted, “My father!  My father!  The chariot of Israel and its horsemen!”  And he never saw Elijah again.  He grabbed his clothing and tore it in two.

The word “whirlwind” is the same word used for the storm that brings the presence of God in Ezekiel’s vision, Ezekiel 1.  In that vision, Ezekiel is reassured of God’s activity even in Babylon.  Here the storm shows God in action.  See my essay Ezekiel 1:  A Glimpse of the Glory of Yahweh.   Note that they are descending toward the Jordan River.  I’ve chosen not to translate “descend” specifically, because I’m not sure that the fact of descent is a substantial part of the story. Please – the Hebrew text gives a sense of urging which is probably more forceful that a polite “please” but less so than a direct order. I read Elisha’s refusal as much more forceful than Elijah’s request or command.   I find it interesting that many Christians, particularly in charismatic and pentecostal communities seek information as though it will tell them what to do.  Here the prophets offer information, but Elisha refuses it. He already knows what he is supposed to do!              From above you – reflects the Hebrew idiom.  I think it is probably adequately reflected in the word “master.”  Not only is Elijah losing a friend and a colleague, if he even would have thought in such terms, but his leader, his reason for existence and ministry.                50 men stand apart and see a miracle; only Elisha goes and becomes part of the miracle.    This event reflects in some of its language both he crossing of the Jordan into the promised land and the parting of the Sea of Reeds.  This is God’s indication of how thoroughly his power works in Elijah.  This is a significant point when Elisha asks for the heir’s double portion.  I’m not sure how significant it is that this starts while they were crossing.  Until today, I had always pictured the scene with the fiery chariot(s) on the other side of the Jordan.  It may be that the whole thing occurs during the crossing. The heir’s portion.  Some think Elisha is asking to be twice as powerful as Elijah.  Rather, he is asking to be the heir to Elijah’s power and call. It’s a difficult request, and I think the specific difficulty is that it requires something of Elisha–he must be present and be aware of God’s presence when God acts. You’d think this would be impossible to miss, but apparently here, as elsewhere, God’s presence is missed by some and seen by others.  Elisha doesn’t miss it, and becomes heir. I use “to heaven” even though one could translate “into the sky” because there is an extended sense that one is going away from the place where people live and to the place where the gods live. Even though he knows it’s coming, and knows it is what must happen, he still grieves for the departure of teacher, master, and friend.

 

A Psalm of Thanksgiving
¹Shout to YHWH,
all the earth.
²Serve YHWH with rejoicing,
Come before him with triumphant shouts.
³Understand that YHWH is God^a,
He made us and we are his^b.
We are his people,
The sheep in his pasture.
⁴Enter his gates with thanks,
And his courts with praise.
Thank him, and bless his name.
⁵For YHWH is good,
HIs grace is eternal.
His truth lasts from one generation to the next. — Psalm 100

aProbably better:  It is YHWH who is God, but that seems a bit clumsy in English
^bFollowing the Masora

The reason I have chosen the title “How to Meet YHWH” is that we are given several things to remember about God in meeting him:

• We are his, we belong to him
• He made us
• He is good
• His grace lasts forever
• He is always truthful

 There are two elements to the preparation to enter:

• Thankfulness
• Praise

That’s a bunch of God and essentially one thing for us!

Thus while one can call this a hymn of praise, it also makes a good judgment day Psalm.  You can use it effectively in conjunction with a sermon on the gospel, Matthew 25:31-46.

 

¹Brothers and sisters, you don’t need me to write to you about the times and the seasons, ²because you yourselves are well aware that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.  ³When people are saying “Peace and security,” then destruction will come on them suddenly, like  labor pains on a woman who is pregnant, and they will be unable to escape.

⁴But as for you, brothers and sisters, you are not in darkness that the day should come on you like a thief.  ⁵For you are all children of the
light and children of the day!  We are not of the night or of the darkness.  ⁶Because of that, let’s not sleep like the rest, but watch and be clear headed.

⁷For those who sleep do so at night, and those who are drunk, do that at night.  ⁸But since we are day people,let’s be clear headed, dressed in the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of the hope of salvation.  ⁹Because God has not appointed us for wrath, but to experience salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us so that whether we watch wakefully or whether we sleep, we will live together with him.  ¹¹Therefore comfort one another and build one another up, just as you already do. — 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

 The only textual issue is a minor grammatical variant in verse 4.  It’s interesting that this verse has been used of the rapture, because it indicates that the return of Jesus will arrive as a thief in the night, but this may be carrying the analogy too far, as it is the sudden destruction that comes as a thief, while those in the know are not supposed to be caught off guard.

This is also not a translation note, but Paul brings grace into the passage in a special way.  He’s calling on Christians to watch and be ready, yet because of the salvation we receive through Jesus, whether we remain awake or not, we will live with him.

 

¹After Ehud died, the Israelites again did what was evil in YHWH’s eyes. ²So YHWH sold them into the hand of Jabin, King of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.

³Then the Israelites cried out to YHWH, because Jabin had 900 iron chariots and he had oppressed the Israelites harshly for 20 years. ⁴Now Deborah was a woman, a prophetess, wife of Lapidoth. She judged Israel at that time. ⁵She lived under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mount of Ephraim. The Israelites went up to her for her to judge.

⁶She sent and called for Barak, son of Ahinoam from Qedesh-Naphtali, and she said to him, “Has not YHWH, God of Israel commanded that you go and set up on Mt Tabor and take with you 10 thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulon? ⁷And I will bring Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, and his chariots, and his host, out to you to the brook Qishon, and I will give him into your hand.  — Judges 4:1-7

The translation of this passage is pretty straight-forward except for a bit in verses 6-7 where it’s hard (for me, at least) to convey the idea of God drawing Barak out to one place to prepare for battle and doing the same thing to Sisera.  They are both drawn out to a battle arranged by God.

Another reasonable question is whether, at the time Deborah calls for him, God has already told Barak to go out, or whether this is the first news.  When Deborah says, “Has not the God of Israel told you . . .” she could be speaking of her own statement, or she might be referring to something Barak already knew–or should have known.

 

 

Psalm 123, Proper 28A/Ordinary 33A/Pentecost +27
November 16, 2008

(Note that I always use Text Week for my  lectionary study)

A song of ascents.

¹To you we lift up our eyes,
You who live in heaven.
²As the eyes of slaves turn to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid looks to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to our God until he shows us favor.
³Show us favor, YHWH,
For we have had more than enough contempt.
⁴Our souls are satiated
— on the mocking of those at ease.
— on the contempt of the arrogant.

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