Mark 3:20-30 in Russian Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 3:20-30 into Russian Sign Language with a back-translation underneath:


Source: Russian Bible Society / Российское Библейское Общество

Peter’s house. This is where Jesus wanted to come with the disciples to eat. As they approached the house they saw a crowd of people. They did not get to eat in the house. Jesus’ mother, brothers and sisters also came there. They said that Jesus had gone crazy, so they decided to take Jesus home. Also the teachers of the Law from Jerusalem came to that place. They began to say to the people:

— Behold you marvel that Jesus casts demons out of people. But in fact the most important demon sits in him, and he gives orders to small demons, and they obey him.

Jesus heard this and turned to the teachers of the Law:

— I will tell you a parable. You say that one demon orders another demon to come out of a man. But is such a thing possible? The first example. There is a kingdom, and in it people fight with each other. Do you think such a kingdom can stand? No, this kingdom will collapse. The second example. If a husband and wife hate each other in a family, will such a family be strong? No, that family will fall apart. Third example. If demons cast each other out, then Satan’s kingdom would have been destroyed long ago. Do you think demons can cast each other out? No, they can’t!

If a very strong man lives in a certain house, and a burglar comes to the house. Would the robber be able to take things from that house? Of course not, because the strong master will drive the robber away. If only the robber succeeds in tying up the master, only then can he rob the house.

People are sinful, they do evil deeds, but God forgives their bad deeds. The spirit of God is in me, it works miracles, heals, casts out demons, but you slander that it is a demon — God will never forgive such lies.

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

Дом Петра. Сюда Иисус хотел прийти с учениками, чтобы поесть там. Когда они подходили к дому, они увидели толпу народа. Им не удалось поесть в доме. Также туда пришли мать, братья и сестры Иисуса. Они говорили, что Иисус сошел с ума, и они решили забрать Иисуса домой. Также в то место пришли учителя Закона из Иерусалима. Они начала говорить народу:

— Вот вы восхищаетесь, что Иисус изгоняет бесов из людей. А на самом деле в нем самый главный бес сидит, и он отдает приказы мелким бесам, и те его слушаются.

Иисус услышал это и обратился к учителям Закона:

— Я расскажу вам притчу. Вот вы говорите, что один бес приказывает другому выйти из человека. Но разве такое возможно? Первый пример. Царство, а в нем люди враждуют друг с другом. Как вы думаете, устоит такое царство? Нет, это царство разрушится. Второй пример. Если в семье муж и жена ненавидят друг друга, такая семья будет крепкой? Нет, эта семья распадется. Третий пример. Если бесы изгоняют друг друга, тогда бы царство Сатаны давно бы разрушилось. Как вы думаете, могут ли бесы друг друга изгонять? Нет, такого не бывает!

Если в некотором доме живет очень сильный человек, и пришел в этот дом грабитель. Разве грабитель сможет спокойно забирать себе вещи из этого дома? Конечно, нет, потому что сильный хозяин, прогонит грабителя. Если только грабителю удастся связать хозяина, только тогда он сможет ограбить дом.

Люди грешны, делают злые дела, но Бог прощает им плохие дела. Во мне дух Божий, он творит чудеса, дает исцеление, изгоняет бесов, а вы клевещете, что это бес — вот такой лжи Бог никогда не простит.

Back-translation by Luka Manevich

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Mark 3:31-35 in Russian Sign Language >>

complete verse (Mark 3:25)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 3:25:

  • Uma: “If people in a family constantly fight, their family will certainly split up.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Likewise,’ said Isa, ‘if a family (magtewtey-anak) are not of the same mind but always quarrel, eventually they will be scattered.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is a leader of a family and his followers quarrel with each other, their unity will soon fall apart.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So also with a family, if they quarrel, they will separate.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Like that too will happen to a household of people. If they are divided up for they are having conflicts among themselves, of course they won’t last all-living-together.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Lacandon: “If they get mad with their relatives the ones who are housing together, they will leave housing together, and they will not house together again.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

Translation commentary on Mark 3:24 – 3:25

Exegesis:

basileia (cf. 1.15) ‘kingdom’: here a political entity, in the sense of a country ruled by a king.

eph’ heautēn ‘upon itself,’ i.e. ‘against itself.’

meristhē (3.24, 25, 26; 6.41) ‘be divided,’ ‘be split,’ ‘be disunited.’

dunatai … dunēsetai ‘it cannot … it will not’: simply a stylistic change from the present to the future tense.

stathēnai … stēnai ‘stand … stand’: the meaning of both infinitives is the same, though one is passive and the other active: ‘stand,’ ‘maintain itself,’ ‘endure’ (the verb histēmi used absolutely, without an object, may mean ‘stand firm’).

oikia ‘house’: not simply a building, but the people who live in it: ‘household,’ ‘family.’ Rawlinson points out that in Aramaic usage the word may be used in a broad sense for a political domain.

Translation:

In some languages one cannot speak of a ‘kingdom’ as ‘being divided against itself.’ This type of passive is especially complex because there is no agent, other than the kingdom itself. Therefore, one must often render this passage in terms of ‘the people of a kingdom’ causing this type of division.

The division spoken of in this verse is essentially a state of enmity and war among the people of a region, not an actual division of a territory. Accordingly, this clause must often be translated as ‘if the people of a kingdom fight against each other’ (Mitla Zapotec, Central Tarahumara). However, this division may also be spoken of in terms of antipathy, e.g. ‘hate one another’ (Copainalá Zoque).

Cannot stand is rendered in some languages as ‘cannot continue to exist,’ ‘cannot remain,’ or ‘cannot be any longer.’

A literal rendering of verse 25 can also be interpreted in a completely materialistic manner, thus missing the significance of the passage. As in the case of verse 24, one may translate ‘the people of a family fight among themselves’ (Copainalá Zoque). Since clan squabbles are not at all uncommon in many societies, this reference to the family, especially in its extended clan form, can be very meaningful (cf. Toraja-Sa’dan ‘the members of a family,’ Indonesian ‘the inmates of the house’).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .