complete verse (John 1:21)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 1:21:

  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “They said to him, ‘Who are you then? Are you Elijah, the person who spoke God’s word long ago?’ And he said to them, ‘I am not he.’ Then they said to him again, ‘Are you the person who is to come to speak the Word of God to us?’ And he answered and said to them, ‘Not I.’ “
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: ” What then? Are you Elijah: Who are you? Are you the prophet of God called Elijah? I am not: I am not Elijah.”
  • Aguaruna: No, I am not Elijah. Are you the prophet: But what are you? Are you the teller of God’s word who will come, that one?”
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “Are you that man who will tell God’s words?”
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “Are you the prophet of God for whom we are waiting?”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “Are you God’s messenger, the one Moses talked about?” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Uma: “They asked further: ‘If thus, who are you (sing.)? Are you (sing.) the prophet Elia?’ Yohanes said: ‘No also.’ They asked further: ‘Are you (sing.) perhaps the big prophet who was promised long ago, who they said would come to the world?’ Yohanes said: ‘No also.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘Na, who are you?’ they said. ‘Are you Eliyas?’ Yahiya said, ‘No.’ The priests said, ‘Are you the prophet that our (incl.) tribe Isra’il is waiting for/expecting?’ Yahiya answered, he said, ‘No.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they said, ‘Are you the long ago inspired one, Elijah?’ (inspired one-prophet) And John said, ‘I am not also.’ And they said, ‘Perhaps you are that prophesied prophet of God?’ And John said, ‘I am not also.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Who are you (sing.) then? Are you (sing.) Elias? they said. ‘No,’ he said. ‘Are you (sing.) perhaps the prophet who is coming?’ they inquired again. ‘No,’ he said.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Well if it’s like that,’ they said, ‘then who are you? Are you not the Prophet Elias?’ ‘Expletive, no,’ said Juan. ‘Well what, are you not the one who is meant by that Prophet?’ ‘Expletive, no. I won’t make-false-claims for myself.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Again they asked him, ‘But who are you then? Are you the prophet Elijah?’ John said, ‘I am not.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 1:23)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 1:23:

  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “John answered them, ‘I am as one who cries in the desert and says, ‘Put your thoughts right in order that you might hear the Lord when he comes.’ That is what God’s prophet who is called Isaiah was saying when he said, ‘Straighten the Lord’s road.'”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “Then he said to them, ‘I am the person who speaks loudly in the unpopulated place. I say, ‘Change your hearts in order that you may obey the Lord when he comes.’ It is like Isaiah said, the person who spoke God’s word long ago.'” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Uma: “Yohanes answered them with the words of the prophet Yesaya long ago, he said: ‘I here [am], The person who calls in the wilderness: ‘The Lord is about to arrive. Prepare his road ahead-of-time for him!’ ‘” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Yahiya answered the same as what Prophet Isaya wrote in the holy-book. Yahiya said, ‘I am a person calling loudly in the lonely place. I say: Make the way straight which God will soon pass by on.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then John answered, and his answer was like that which was written long ago by the prophet Isaiah. John said, ‘I am the prophesied person whose preaching can be heard in the land where no one lives. He said, ‘Straighten out the way the Lord will follow.’ ‘” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘I am the fulfillment of what Isaias prophesied that there would be someone shouting in a place with no inhabitants saying, ‘Prepare the path of the Lord so that it will be made-straight.’ ‘ said Juan.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When Juan answered again, there was something he quoted which had been said by a prophet of long ago, who was Isaias, who said, ‘As for me, a likeness of me is a voice which can be heard in the wilderness place (lit.place where one could starve), and what it is saying is, ‘Improve/make-good the trail where the Lord/Chief will walk.”” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “John said, ‘I am he about whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘There will be a person who will speak loudly in the wilds. He will say, Prepare because the Lord is going to come.’ ‘” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 1:33)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 1:33:

  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “I wouldn’t have realized who he was, but God, the person who sent me to baptize said to me, ‘You will see my Spirit come down where the person is who will cause my Spirit to be in your hearts to rule you.'”
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: ” . . . ‘You will see the Holy Spirit who will come down from heaven. The Holy Spirit will come to rest on a man. He is the one who will send the Holy Spirit to people, as if to say, he will baptize with the Holy Spirit instead of water.'”
  • Lalana Chinantec: “I didn’t know who he was at first, but the one who sent me said to me: ‘You are going to see the Great Spirit descend on a person. The Great Spirit will remain on him. He is the one who will cause my Great Spirit to enter into people’s hearts. That’s how he will baptize people.’ That’s what he told me.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Uma: “There is also this testimony of Yohanes. He said: ‘At first I did not know that Yesus was the Redeemer King. But God ordered me to baptize people with water, and he said to me like this: ‘If you (sing.) should see the Holy Spirit come-down and land on a person, He will be the one who will baptize people with the Holy Spirit.’ So, I did see the Holy Spirit come-down from heaven in-the-shape-of a dove, land and come-to-rest on Yesus. That is why these are my words: Yesus, He is the Child of God.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I did not yet know him, but God who told me to bathe the people with water told me, he said, ‘When you see the Holy Spirit come down going to a certain person and remaining there with him, he is the one who will bathe mankind in a different way, he will send to them the Holy Spirit.’ ‘ Then Yahiya testified about Isa, he said, ‘I really saw the Holy Spirit come down from the sky like the shape of a dove alighting and remaining with Isa.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And at first,’ said John, ‘I did not yet know that he was the prophesied king, but God who is the one who sent me that I might baptize by means of water, he told me beforehand, he said, ‘If you see a person upon whom the Holy Spirit comes down and doesn’t leave him, this is the person who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Previously, I-say, I didn’t know him. But then the one who sent me to go baptize-with water, he said, ‘The one whom you (sing.) see on-whom-my-Spirit -alights and remains, it is he who will baptize-with the Holy Spirit.’ And so it was that I saw the Holy Spirit like a pigeon/dove who came-down from heaven and stayed with/in him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “I didn’t know that he was the one. But God who sent me to baptize in water, he’s the one who said to me, ‘You will see the Espiritu Santo who will descend on a person and enter-to-indwell him. Well, that one, that person is the one who will baptize, the Espiritu Santo being what he baptizes with.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Until then I did not know who was the Christ. But when I was sent to baptize with water, God told me, ‘That man you see that the Holy Spirit arrives upon, he is that one who will cause that the people will be empowered by the Holy Spirit.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 1:45)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 1:45:

  • Uma: “From there, Filipus also went to meet-with his friend named Natanael, he said to him: ‘We have met [exclamation] the Redeemer King, like was written in the Book of the Law of Moses and the letters of the prophets long ago! His name is Yesus from Nazaret, the son of Yusuf!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Pilip looked for Natanael. When he found him, he told him, he said, ‘We (excl.) have found now the person that Musa told in the holy-book Tawrat about and also the prophets told about him in their writings. He is Isa the son of Yusup from the village Nasaret.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then Philip, he went to Nathaniel and said, ‘We have seen the person that the prophets foretold long ago and that Moses foretold when he wrote in the book of the law. He is from Nazareth and he is Jesus the son of Joseph.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Now Felipe, he went and found Nataniel and said to him, ‘We (excl.) have found the person whom Moses wrote-about and the prophets also wrote-about. He is Jesus from-Nazaret the child of Jose.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That Felipe, he looked for a person named Natanael and told him, saying, ‘We (excl.) have found the one referred to in what Moises mentioned in the things he wrote and foretold also by the prophets in the things they wrote. It’s Jesus the taga Nazaret, the son of Jose-and-spouse.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Philip went to hunt for Nathanael. He told him: ‘We found the man who is spoken about in the Holy Book which Moses and the other prophets wrote. He is Jesus, who is from Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Following is a back-translation of John 1:45 from Lalana Chinantec: “Philip went off. He went to get Nathanael. Philip said to Nathaniel: ‘We have met a person about whom Moses spoke when he wrote on paper the word, the law of God. The people who preached the word of God in the olden times, also spoke about this person. Their words are written down on paper. Jesus a person from Nazareth is the name of the person they were speaking about back then. He is the son of Joseph,’ Philip said.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)

complete verse (John 2:24)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 2:24:

  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “But Jesus did not put himself into their hands.”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “But Jesus did not believe in the multitude.”
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “He did not trust their belief.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Uma: “But Yesus did not believe them, because he knows the hearts of all people.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But Isa did not trust them for he knew the thoughts and inside of the liver of all mankind.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However Jesus was not convinced of their faith in him because he knew what was in the breath of all mankind.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But Jesus didn’t entrust himself to them,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But Jesus didn’t indeed acknowledge-as-true that their believing-in/obeying him was genuine, because he knew the nature/ways of them all.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But Jesus didn’t have confidence in those people because he knows all that people think.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 3:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 3:4:

  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “How can an old man get little and be born again? Can he get inside his mother and be born again?”
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “. . . How can a grown man have a new life? He cannot enter into the womb of his mother to be born again.”
  • Alekano: “. . . One having become big, how will he appear new? How will he enter up into his mother’s stomach and she give birth? ” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Uma: “Nikodemus said: ‘Can a person who is already old be born again? Can he put himself in the womb of his mother and be born a second time?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Nikodemus said, ‘How can a person be born again when he is already old? He cannot enter again the womb of his mother and be born again.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And this Nicodemus asked saying, ‘How can a man who is already old be born again? He can’t return back to the stomach of his mother so that he can be born again.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And then Nicodemus inquired, ‘How perhaps can a grown-man be born again? Can-he-return do-you-suppose into the stomach of his mother in order to then be born a-second-time (lit. repeat to be born)?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Nicodemo asked, ‘How can a person be born again when he is now old/mature? Can he yet enter again into the womb of his mother and be born again?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Nicodemus asked, ‘But how can he? How can a man who is old again live anew? Can he again enter into the inside of his mother in order to again live anew?'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 3:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 3:5:

  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “. . . God cannot rule in the heart of a person if he has not been born another time.”
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “The one who gives new life consists of water and of the Holy Spirit by the power of the Holy Spirit, he cannot go into where God reigns.”
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: ” . . . He who doesn’t receive water again, and he who isn’t born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, he cannot go into where God reigns.”
  • Tataltepec Chatino: “Jesus said, ‘It is true what I tell you. It is necessary that a person be baptized with water and the Holy Spirit give him a new life. Then that person will be in God’s hand.” (John 3:6 included) (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Uma: “Yesus said: ‘These my words are very true: If a person is not born with water and with the power of the Spirit of God, he will not become a person of God in his Kingdom.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa answered, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, if a person is not born from water and from the Spirit of God, he cannot enter the ruling/kingdom of God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said again, ‘It is true what I say to you that a person can be included among the people whom God rules over only if he is born by means of water and by means of the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘This that I tell you (sing.) is true,’ answered Jesus. ‘If a person is not born by/with water and by/with the Holy Spirit, he can not join/belong-to the ruling of God.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus replied, ‘This is the truth which I say to you. No one can be included in the kingdom of God unless he has been given birth to through/by water and the Espiritu Santo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Jesus said, ‘It is true what I tell you. It is necessary that a person be baptized with water and that the Holy Spirit give him a new life. Then that person will be in God’s hand.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 3:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 3:6:

  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “That which originates from the body of a person is the body of a person. That which originates from the Spirit of God is spirit.”
  • Aguaruna: “Those born from people are people. Those born by God’s spirit, they have God’s spirit.”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “All the children of human beings are human beings by birth. All who are born another time, this being the work of the Holy Spirit, these are new people.”
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “One who is a child of people, he has his flesh and bones. And one who has his new life by the power of the Holy Spirit, he has the Spirit of God.”
  • Chol: “He who is born of a mother is given a body. He who is born of the spirit is given life in his heart.”
  • Alekano: “One that people give birth to will surely have a person’s soul. One that the Spirit gives birth to, he will surely have the Spirit’s soul.”
  • Tenango Otomi: “A child, when it is born, if his parents are only people, is also only a person. But in order for a person to live anew, only the Holy Spirit can cause it.”
  • Lalana Chinantec: “People’s flesh and blood causes our flesh and blood to be alive when we are born. But the great Spirit of God causes our hearts to be alive.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Uma: “Man lives in this world, and is born from his parents. But the new life of his soul he receives from the Holy Spirit.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “What is born of mankind is mankind/human. But if a person is born again from the Spirit of God, he is made a child of God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “That which is born by means of a human is only human also, but that which is born by means of the power of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit lives in him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because the one to whom a person gives-birth, he is humanlike (connotes limited, sinful humanity), but the one by-contrast to whom the Holy Spirit gives-birth, he is spiritual (loan naispiritoan).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because the one given birth to by a human, he is indeed human, a slave yet to sin. But that one who has been given birth to again, for he has been given birth to by the Espiritu Santo, he is now free from that slavery.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “A child, when it is born and his parents are only people, is also only a person. But in order for a person to live anew, only the Holy Spirit is able to cause it.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)