The Greek text that describes the city of the New Jerusalem in terms of jewels and other precious materials is translated in the German New Testament translation of Berger / Nord (publ. 2005) by using color references: “The city wall is made of jasper, and the city itself of gold that is as pure as glass. The foundations of the city wall are of great beauty, for they are built out of precious stones in many different colours. The first foundation-stone is jasper, the second blue sapphire, the third red agate, the fourth light green emerald, the fifth reddish brown onyx, the sixth yellowish red carnelian, the seventh yellow-gold quartz, the eighth beryl as green as the sea, the ninth shining yellow topaz, the tenth chalcedony, shimmering green-golden, the eleventh deep red jacinth, the twelfth purple amethyst. The twelve gates are twelve pearls, each gate is made from a single pearl. The main street of the city is of gold as shining as glass.” (for the German version see below.)
Chistiane Nord (in Open Theology 2016; 2: p. 566ff.) explains: “One of the purposes of this passage is certainly a referential-descriptive one. John sees the city in a vision and describes it to his readers. The referential function of this rather technical description works quite well for most readers, and certainly best for those with a specialist knowledge of precious and semi-precious stones. But apart from the referential purpose, the author may have had the intention to express his admiration for the city he has seen. Asked about their associations when reading or listening to the text, most people answer that they are thinking of the enormous value represented by the gold and the stones.
“This, again, is a rather modern perspective. We might wonder why a follower of Jesus, who showed so much contempt for ‘the world’ and its riches himself, would precisely describe his vision of God’s ‘new creation’ as something so rich in material terms. Precisely the great variety of different stones would seem to suggest that perhaps the author’s focus might have been rather on the colours than on the value. On the grounds of the assumption that his addressees knew the colours of all the stones he is describing, he need not mention them explicitly. But if modern translators want their target audience to share the author’s admiration of the beauty and colourfulness of his vision, they would have to make explicit what is implicit in the text. (…) Here it becomes clear that the text has also an expressive-evaluative or emotive function apart from the referential one. But even the expressive purpose may not be the most important one. The vision of the New Jerusalem is presented at the end of last book of the Christian Bible, following the horrors of the apocalypse, and it seems to be the absolute culmination of the Christian message. We may assume, therefore, that there is also an appellative purpose underlying the text, since the New Jerusalem presents the ideal of God’s new creation, for which a large number of martyrs through history were prepared to give their lives. An appellative intention cannot be carried out by a technical description -– for this purpose, we definitely need to know the colours. Therefore, our translation makes explicit the colours. Some critics found that this procedure reduces the poetic effect of the passage. However, the use of adjective compounds to describe the different shades of the stones (e.g., gelbrot, “yellow-red”, or meergrün, “ocean-green”, glasrein, “glass-pure”) is intended to compensate for any loss in poeticity.”
The text in German: Die Stadtmauer ist aus Jaspis erbaut, die Stadt selbst aus glasreinem Gold. Die Fundamente der Stadtmauer sind von großer Schönheit, denn sie bestehen aus verschiedenfarbenen Edelsteinen. Das erste Fundament ist aus grünlichem Jaspis, das zweite aus blauem Saphir, das dritte aus rotem Chalzedon, das vierte aus hellgrünem Smaragd, das fünfte aus rotbraunem Sardonyx, das sechste aus gelbrotem Carneol, das siebte aus goldgelbem Chrysolit, das achte aus meergrünem Beryll, das neunte aus gelbglänzendem Topas, das zehnte aus goldgrün schimmerndem Chrysopras, das elfte aus dunkelrotem Hyazinth, das zwölfte aus purpurnem Amethyst. Die zwölf Tortürme sind zwölf Perlen, jeder Torturm besteht aus einer einzigen Perle, und die Hauptstraße der Stadt ist aus glasreinem Gold.
The Greek in Luke 6:20 that is translated as “(he) looked up at his disciples (and said)” or “raised his eyes to his disciples” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as Jesus setzte sich, sah seine Jüngerinnen und Jünger an und sagte…: “Jesus sat down, looked at his [male and female] disciples, and said….”
Christiane Nord (in Open Theology 2016; 2: p. 566ff.) explains: “Where are the disciples if Jesus has to lift up his eyes to them? The bit of cultural knowledge the reader may be lacking (and the translators did not think of) is that, in the source culture, teachers used to be seated while they were teaching, with the listeners standing in a circle around them. Since the author assumed this habit to be known by his addressees, he used a generic verb that does not specify how Jesus ‘is’ in the plain, whereas the translator(s) of the King James Version adapted the text to English style conventions which require a specific verb, thus contributing to an image of Jesus with his eyes lifted up to heaven. (…) Now the text is coherent, but the readers automatically envisage a scene that is different from the one described in the original. Berger and Nord explains the situation, thus making the scene comprehensible without reducing its strangeness.”
The Hebrew text of Psalms 9/10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)
While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. The Natügu translation is one such exception. Boerger (see above) cites a strong tradition in singing the psalms and the fact that Natügu, like Hebrew, also has 22 possible initial letters as motivating factors to maintain the acrostics in that language.
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Natügu
1 Awibzku mz Yawe! Murde amrlzle ncblo kx
Bilvzle natqde x amrluele nide.
2 Clvele mrnyzde kcng naxplrng mz nzaclve-krdr.
Doa nedeng kxnztubqng, sa na-amrlz Gct.
3 Esalz-ngrbz Gct bade da kxmrlzting kxkqlu.
Gct okatrle nide murde natubq.
4 Ipq ncblo lc kztedeng mz nzvz-nqblq-krde zmrlz ngrde, nzryckr drtwrde, x nztubq-krde.
Jzsle da kx naokatrle leplz kc-kzng, mz nzngini-krbzle lrpzki badr.
5 Kabzle da kxkqlu mz krkcng trnzrngiscung.
Lalztqbzle mz Gct x alele da kx rsakrlrngr mz nzwz-krde.
6 Murde ncblo kxtubq kxtr-rnrcti-lzbqu
Nadcpx zvz mz drtwr leplz.
7 Obqtipx-zvzle Yawe x
Prlxpxle kx nabzde trtaprlzpuu mz nrpa kxtrka.
8 ?Rnrcti-lzbq-ngrde? Trtingr, a’ tu-amqngile.
Sa namcle nzaovxiokr Yawe enqmi rdeng.
9 Tresakiu nzrka-krbzle da mz kxrsuti drtwr.
Vz zvz nzayzlu-krbz Gct bade mz nqmq krde lc tqtubq.
Wxbu me matq mz mzlir leplz.
10 X angya drtwr kxdrka’-ngrng mzli kc namc-ngrdr nide.
Ycpwz pipz kxdrka’-ngrng lcng sa namrbr, x mane nzmadqti-krdr nqngidr mz zngya.
Zbz da amrlx kcng tqmrlzbz badr sa nangitx brmrda x sa na-apulr zsikapu kx ngilia.
The DanishBibelen på Hverdagsdansk (publ. 1985, rev. 2015 et al.) also translated Psalm 112 into an acrostic. Due to the higher number of Danish letters, it skips the Danish letters C, Q, W, X, Z, Å, and Ø.
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Danish
1 At adlyde Herren giver velsignelse.
Budene er til for at blive overholdt.
2 Du og dine efterkommere får fremgang og magt,
enhver, der handler ret, bliver velsignet.
3 Familien vil opleve velstand,
gode mennesker vil altid blive husket.
4 Herren gør de gudfrygtige til et lys midt i mørket,
især når de er venlige og barmhjertige.
5 Ja, velsignet er de gavmilde og hjælpsomme,
kendetegnet på deres handlinger er ærlighed.
6 Lever de sådan, får de styrke og fasthed,
mennesker med et godt ry bliver husket længe.
7 Når modgangen kommer, som kunne skabe frygt,
opgiver de ikke, for de stoler på Herren.
8 På trods af fjendens angreb
rider de stormen af og ender med sejr.
9 Sådanne mennesker giver gavmildt til dem, der er i nød,
taknemmelighed og ære bliver dem til del,
uselvisk godhed vil aldrig blive glemt.
10 Ved at se en sådan velsignelse bliver de gudløse vrede.
Ynkeligt sidder de tilbage med tomme hænder,
ærgrelsen står malet i deres ansigter.
There are two Dutch translations that maintain the acrostic: Naardense Bijbel (publ. 2004) and the Tot Lof van God by Frans Croese (publ. 2010).
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the two Dutch translations
Naardense Bijbel:
1
Alleluia!- zalig een man die vreest de Ene, ✡
behagen heeft
in zijn geboden bovenal!-
2
capabel zal worden op aarde zijn zaad, ✡
de oprechten: gezegend hun geslacht!-
3
en geld en geluk vullen zijn huis, ✡
fleur houdt zijn gerechtigheid
voor altijd;
4
genadig, barmhartig en rechtvaardig, ✡
helpt in het duister licht de oprechten;
5
iemand die gul en genadig uitleent
gaat het goed,- ✡
ja, die zijn woorden naar recht onderhoudt;
6
kwijnen zal hij voor eeuwig niet, ✡
leven in gedachtenis
is er voor een rechtvaardige voor eeuwig;
7
merkt hij kwaad gerucht op,
hij vreest niet, ✡
nergens zo vast en zo veilig
zijn hart als bij de Ene;
8
ondersteund wordt zijn hart,
hij vreest niet, ✡
prijst God bij het zien van zijn benauwers;
9
ruimschoots heeft hij gegeven
aan de armen,
stand houdt zijn gerechtigheid
voor immer, ✡
ten slotte wordt met glorie verheven
zijn hoorn;
10
vol wrok moet de booswicht dat aanzien,
weg kwijnt hij,
tandenknarsend vergaat hij: ✡
zo gaat de toeleg van bozen teloor.
The Tot Lof van God translation:
Looft Jah!
Ah, hoe gelukkig, de mens die ontzag heeft voor Jehovah,
bijzonder behaagd hebben hem Diens geboden.
Daardoor zal zijn zaad op aarde machtig zijn,
en dat geslacht der oprechten zal gezegend zijn.
Fraaie zaken en rijkdom sieren zijn huis weliswaar,
glanzender nog is zijn rechtvaardigheid, die eeuwig stand houdt.
Hij is voor de oprechten stralend opgegaan, als licht in het duister,
immer goedgunstig, barmhartig, rechtvaardig.
Ja, het gaat hem goed, hij is gul en leent goedgunstig uit,
kwijtend zich van zijn zaken naar recht en behoren. Levend op deze wijze zal hij nimmer wankelen,
maar wordt, rechtvaardig levend, tot een blijvende gedachtenis.
Negatieve verhalen of geruchten deren hem niet,
omdat hij, standvastig van hart, op Jehovah vertrouwt.
Pal en onwrikbaar van hart is hij; hij is onbevreesd,
raakt ook niet van slag, geconfronteerd met wie tegen hem zijn.
Strooiend bijkans deelt hij wijd en zijd aan de behoeftigen uit,
tot zijn eigen rechtvaardigheid ook; die houdt voor eeuwig stand.
Uiteindelijk zal zijn positie qua heerlijkheid v/orden verhoogd.
Voor wie gewetenloos slecht is, is het pure ergernis dat te zien,
waardoor die tandenknarsend bezwijkt.
Zo zal de begeerte vergaan van wie doortrapt gewetenloos zijn.
In the Zürich German dialect (Züritüütsch) of Swiss German, the Psalms were translated while maintaining the acrostic by Josua Boesch (publ. 2009 ).
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Zürich German
1 Halleluja!
Am beschte gaat s dèm, wo uufrächt vor IMM labt,
Bi siine wiisige bliibt vo ganzem hèrze.
2 Chasch dèm sini naachkome gaar nüme zele.
Die wèrded gsägnet als gschlächt vo de graade.
3 Er hat au riichtum und woolschtand im huus.
Für siini bewèèrig mues me nöd soorge, die blübt.
4 Graade straalt imer es liecht im tunkle:
Hoffnig, vertrouen und liebi.
5 Iich glaube dèm lieber, wo vo hdrze vertleent,
Kän fuule drèè macht mit sine sache.
6 Lueg nu, de uufrichtig cha me nöd legge.
Me wiird an en tänke dur gänerazione.
7 Nüüt mues er füürche vom bööse gschwätz.
Ooni en wank vertrout er uf INN.
8 Pass uuf, dè bliibt getrooscht, er hat ja nüüt z füürche.
Ruig chan er waarten uf s änd vo de find.
9 Still täilt er den aarmen und dürftigen uus.
Tröi bliibt d grächtigkäit biin em für imer.
Und gachtet wiird er vo ale.
10 Vill z tänke und èèrger git daas bi de rueche.
Wie sell s die nöd pötzli verjage vor wuet!
Zietscht schwiint ene jedi hoffnig uf s glück, wo s gmäint händ chönid s erzwänge.
The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains almost every Hebrew acrostic (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew). Due to the higher number of letters in the English alphabet, it skips the letter K, X, Y, and Z.
1 A blessed man is he, who fears the Lord, bearing great love to his commandments.
2 Children of his shall win renown in their country; do right, and thy sons shall find a blessing.
3 Ease shall dwell in his house, and great prosperity; fame shall ever record his bounty.
4 Good men see a light dawn in darkness; his light, who is merciful, kind and faithful.
5 It goes well with the man who lends in pity, just and merciful in his dealings.
6 Length of days shall leave him still unshaken; men will remember the just for ever.
7 No fear shall he have of evil tidings; on the Lord his hope is fixed unchangeably.
8 Patient his heart remains and steadfast, quietly he waits for the downfall of his enemies.
9 Rich are his alms to the needy; still his bounty abides in memory. The Lord will lift up his head in triumph;
10 ungodly men are ill content to see it. Vainly they gnash their teeth in envy; worldly hopes must fade and perish. (Source )
Another English translation that maintains the acrostic is by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997):
Hallelujah!
A man who bows himself to the Lord is in clover,
Blest with the joy he finds in divine directives;
Celebrated far and wide for his children’s accomplishments,
Delighting in their integrity most of all.
Every good thing shall have place within his house,
For his own heart is a just and intelligent measure;
Good is his beacon in all things, even in darkness,
Honest men find him a great encouragement;
In generosity nobody will outdo him,
Just in his dealings, jealous of his good name;
Let things go against him, he’ll never bend or buckle;
Men will long remember his name with respect.
News of disaster will not dismay him
Or ever unsettle the trust he puts in the Lord;
Patience and perseverance are his watchwords,
Quiet in spirit as enemies triumph, and fail.
Rich is the man who freely gives to the needy,
Sustained by the Lord who so freely gives to his own;
Trusting and true, he may hold his head up high.
Ungodly souls shall be aggrieved to see it,
Violent hatred and envy shall tear them in two,
While all their evil hopes are disappointed.
Another published English translation with acrostics is The Psalms Chronologically Arranged by the “Four Friends” (C.T. Arnold, A.W. Potts, F.E. Kitchener, S. Philpotts) of 1870.
Another 19th century translation with maintained acrostics is the German1883 commentary and translation by Franz Delitzsch . Unlike the other translations, he translates the acrostics of this and the other acrostic psalms by following an approximation of the German sound of the 22 letters (alef/א = a; bet/ב = b; gimel/ג = g; dalet/ד = d; he/ה = h; vav/ו = u; zayin/ז = s; chet/ח = h; tet/ט = t; yod/י = i or j; kaf/כ = k; lamed/ל = l; mem/מ = m; nun/נ = n; samech/ס = s; ayin/ע = e; pe/פ = f; tsadi/צ = z; qof/ק = k; resh/ר = r; shin/ש = sch; tav/ת = t).
The traditional Natügu song form uses stanzas of four lines (“quatrains”) “in which the first and last lines exhibit verbatim repetition in the words (…). Given that repetition, the form requires that the clause of the first line also be able to function syntactically as a final clause in the fourth line, or as an independent sentence. And because the lines of the quatrain are rather short, it involves a distillation of the message into one or two short sentences. The number of syllables in each set of two lines is usually in the 12-15 syllable range.” (Source: Brenda Boerger in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. )
Psalm 148 “with its extensive repetition” provided an ideal text to use the traditional Natügu literary form. Following is a back-translation from Natügu that follows the stanzas of four lines with the first and last line repeated (the Natügu original can be read right here ):
1-2 Ever exalt Yahweh, all you heavenly ones.
You his angels, ever exalt Yahweh.
3 Ever exalt Yahweh, sun and moon.
And all you stars, ever exalt Yahweh.
4 Ever exalt him, everything in the sky.
And you upper waters, ever exalt him.
5 Ever exalt his name. He who made you,
By the word he gave. Ever exalt Yahweh.
6 His word’s eternal. He set for each one
Where you’ll ever be. His word’s eternal.
7 Ever exalt Yahweh, you fish and monsters
Of the sea and deeps. Ever exalt Yahweh.
8 You obey his word, lightning and hail.
Clouds, wind and rain, you obey his word.
9 Ever exalt Yahweh, all mountains and hills.
You trees of the bush, ever exalt Yahweh.
10 Ever exalt him, all animals and birds.
And things that crawl, ever exalt Yahweh.
11 Let’s exalt Yahweh too, all of us in the world.
VIPs and leaders, we must also exalt Yahweh.
12 Let’s exalt him too, us lads and lasses.
Babes and elders, let’s exalt him too.
13 Let’s exalt his name, all of us.
His name is high. Let’s exalt his name.
His greatness surpasses the land
And the sky too. His greatness!
14 Let’s ever exalt Yahweh,
All us his Israelites.
He saves and loves us.
Let’s ever exalt Yahweh.
Description: Cymbals were a percussion instrument consisting of two metal discs that were struck together in order to make a shrill, clashing sound. There were two types of cymbals: (1) flat metal plates that were struck together, and (2) metal cones, one of which was brought down on top of the other, on the open end.
Translation: The equivalent of “cymbal” in many languages is a phrase such as “loud metal.”
Cymbals (source: Susan Mitford (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1986)
The musical instrument that is most often translated as “harp” or “large lyre” in English is translated in the following ways:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016: “two stringed instrument” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “instruments which have strings to praise you,” “beautiful to-be-listened-to instruments,” or kudyapi (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Description: The exact identification of the nevel is very problematic. Some take it to be a kind of harp. The harp consisted of a neck projecting out of a soundbox. Strings were stretched from the extremity of the neck down its length and into the sound box. The body of the harp was made of wood and its strings of animal intestines (perhaps from sheep). The number of strings varied.
Others place the nevel in the category of lyres, where the strings are stretched over top of and parallel to the soundbox. While this is the interpretation preferred here, we will discuss the harp-type of instrument, since the identification is problematic and many translations have preferred “harp” for nevel.
Usage: The strings were plucked either with the fingers or with a thin piece of ivory or metal to give a resonating sound, probably in a lower register than that made by the kinor.
Translation: In several Psalms (33.2; 92.3; 144.9), the nevel is linked to the Hebrew word ‘asor, which could indicate it was “ten-stringed.”
Some degree of cultural adaptation must be made in the translation of these stringed instruments since cultures differ from each other in the shape, the number of strings, and the function of their instruments. Translators will have to select an equivalent instrument in the receptor language. In most passages the most accurate translation for nevel will be “guitar” or some equivalent medium-sized stringed instrument on which the strings are stretched over a sound box and are plucked.
In those passages where nevel and kinor appear together it is recommended that the translator use an instrument that can vary in size and then render the two words as “large and small X,” for example, “large and small guitars.” Alternately, it may be possible to select two stringed instruments that are similar in construction but different in size, for example, “guitar and lute.” It is also possible to say “large and small stringed instruments” or to combine the two, saying “stringed instruments.”
Psalms 33:2: “Praise the LORD with the lyre” (NRSVue) contains two major translation problems. The first problem is that in many languages, the phrase “with the lyre” must be changed into a verb phrase or clause; for example, the whole line may be rendered “Praise the LORD by playing music on the lyre” or “Make music with the lyre, and praise the LORD.” The second problem, which applies also to the second line of this verse, is the terms to be used for the musical instruments here. In languages in which there are several stringed instruments, translators may use one of the smaller ones for kinor (“lyre”) and a larger one for nevel (“harp” in NRSVue). In languages where there is little or no choice, they should use the known local stringed instrument for the kinor, and a more generic expression for the nevel. Where there are no known stringed instruments, it will often be necessary to say “small instruments with strings” for kinor and “large instruments with strings” for nevel.
Harp (source: Knowles, revised by Bass (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1994)
The Hebrew text of Lamentations 1-4 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)
While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. One such exception is the DanishBibelen på Hverdagsdansk (publ. 1985, rev. 2015 et al.).
Click or tap here for Lamentations 4 in Danish
1 Ak, Jerusalems guldklumper har mistet deres herlighed.
Hendes hellige øjestene ligger og vansmægter på hvert gadehjørne.
2 Byens befolkning var deres vægt værd i guld,
men nu ligger de som værdiløse lerkar, en pottemagers værk.
3 De vilde sjakaler giver deres unger die,
men mit folks mødre er følelseskolde som ørkenens strudse.
4 Ethvert spædbarn skriger af tørst med tungen klæbende til ganen.
Småbørn tigger om mad, men ingen har noget at give.
5 Folk, som var vant til festmiddage, er nu ved at forgå af sult.
De, som levede i luksus, roder nu efter føde i rendestenen.
6 Går det ikke mit folk værre end Sodomas indbyggere?
De døde dog på et øjeblik ved Herrens direkte indgreb.
7 Hendes fyrster havde hud som silke og struttede af sundhed,
deres ansigter var rødmossede og håret skinnede så smukt.
8 Ingen ville kunne genkende dem nu, hvis de mødte dem på gaden,
for de er det rene skind og ben med ansigter sorte som sod.
9 Ja, hellere dræbes af sværdet, end at dø langsomt af sult,
fordi madforsyninger ikke kan komme ind i byen.
10 Kan man forestille sig, hvad der sker med en kærlig mor,
som tvinges til at koge og spise sine børn for at overleve?
11 Landet er lamslået over Herrens forfærdelige vrede.
Jerusalem er ødelagt og brændt ned til grunden.
12 Man mente ikke, det kunne lade sig gøre at indtage Jerusalem.
Ingen af jordens konger troede, det var muligt.
13 Nedsablingen skete, fordi profeter og præster havde syndet.
De havde myrdet uskyldige folk midt i Herrens hellige by.
14 Overalt i byen raver folk rundt i blinde.
De kan ikke undgå at røre ved blod, og derfor er de urene.
15 „Pas på!” advarer folk hinanden, „der kommer en uren!”
Flygter de, siger de fremmede folkeslag: „Her kan I ikke bo!”
16 Respekt for præsterne og landets ledere hører fortiden til,
for Herren har slået hånden af dem og spredt dem for alle vinde.
17 Skildvagterne stod og spejdede efter hjælp, men forgæves.
Ingen af vores allierede havde magt til at redde os.
18 Tidspunktet nærmede sig, hvor alt var forbi.
Vi kunne ikke gå ud på gaden af frygt for at blive dræbt.
19U den at vise nåde kastede fjenderne sig over os som gribbe.
De forfulgte os i bjergene og lå på lur efter os i ørkenen.
20 Vores egen konge, Herrens udvalgte, gik lige i deres fælde,
han, som vi troede kunne beskytte os fra enhver fjende.
21 Østpå glæder I jer, Edoms folk, for denne gang var det ikke jer, der blev ramt.
Men en dag skal også I drikke Herrens vredes vin, så I mister besindelsen.
22 Åh, Jerusalem, din straf var hård, men en dag bliver du genoprettet.
Edoms folk, derimod, vil blive straffet, fordi de svigtede os.
The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains most Hebrew acrostics (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew):
1 All dim, now, and discoloured, the gold that once shone so fair! Heaped up at every street-corner lie hallowed stones.
2 Bright they shone once in all their renown, the men of Sion, and now what are they? Little regarded as common earthenware, of the potter’s fashioning.
3 Cub of jackal is fed at its dam’s breast; and has my people grown unnatural towards its own children, like some ostrich in the desert?
4 Dry throat and parching tongue for babe at the breast; children asking for bread, and never a crust to share with them!
5 Ever they fared daintily, that now lie starved in the streets; ever went richly arrayed, and now their fingers clutch at the dung-hill.
6 Faithless Juda! Heavier punishment she must needs undergo than guilty Sodom, that perished all in a moment, and never a blow struck.
7 Gone, the fair bloom of princely cheeks, snowy-pure, cream-white, red as tinted ivory, and all sapphire-clear;
8 Here is no recognizing them, out in the streets, coal-black, skin clinging to bones, dry as wood!
9 It were better to have fallen at the sword’s point than yield thus to the stab of hunger, wasted away through famine.
10 Juda brought low, and mother-love forgotten; that women should eat their own children, cooked with their own hands!
11 Kindled at last is the Lord’s anger; rains down from heaven the storm of his vengeance, lighting a flame that burns Sion to the ground.
12 Little dreamed they, king and common folk the world over, that any assault of the foe should storm Jerusalem gates;
13 Malice and lawlessness it was of priest and prophet, whereby innocent men came to their deaths, that brought such punishment.
14 Now, as they walk blindly through the streets, they are defiled with blood; no help for it, gather their skirts about them as they may;
15 Out of my way! cries one to another; Back, pollution, do not touch me! The very Gentiles protest in alarm, Here is no place for them!
16 Protection the Lord gives them no longer, they are dispersed under his frown; the priesthood no honour claims, old age no pity.
17 Quenched is the hope our eyes strained for, while hope was left us; looking for help so eagerly to a nation that had none to give!
18 Refuge for us in the treacherous highways is none; we are near the end; all is over, this is the end;
19 Swifter than flight of eagles the pursuit; even on the mountains they give chase, even in the desert take us by surprise.
20 Through our fault he who is breath of life to us, our anointed king, is led away captive; under his shadow we hoped our race should thrive.
21 Until thy turn comes, shout on, Edom, triumph on, land of Hus; the same cup thou too shalt drink, and be drunken, and stripped bare.
22 Vengeful audit-day! Sion’s account closed, recovered her fortunes; Edom called to account, discovered her guilt! (Source )
Spanish has a different tradition of acrostics. It uses non-alphabetic acrostics where the first letters of each line (or verse) together form a word or phrase. In the Traducción en lenguaje actual (publ. 2002, 2004), the translators used the first letters of this chapter of Lamentation to spell out “POBRECITA DE TI, JERUSALEN” (“Poor you, little Jerusalem”) which also is the first line of the first and second chapters of Lamentations (for more on the translation process of this, see Alfredo Tepox in The Bible Translator 2004, p. 233ff. ).
Click or tap here for Lamentations 4 in the Traducción en lenguaje actual
1 ¡Perdió el oro su brillo!
¡Quedó totalmente empañado!
¡Por las esquinas de las calles
quedaron regadas las joyas del templo!
2 ¡Oro puro! Así se valoraba
a los habitantes de Jerusalén,
¡pero ahora no valen más
que simples ollas de barro!
3 Bondadosas se muestran las lobas
cuando alimentan a sus cachorros,
pero las crueles madres israelitas
abandonan a sus hijos.
4 Reclaman pan nuestros niños,
pero nadie les da nada.
La lengua se les pega al paladar,
y casi se mueren de sed.
5 En las calles se mueren de hambre
los que antes comían manjares;
entre la basura se revuelcan
los que antes vestían con elegancia.
6 Cayó Jerusalén, pues ha pecado
más de lo que pecó Sodoma.
¡De pronto se vino abajo
y nadie pudo ayudarla!
7 Increíblemente hermosos
eran los líderes de Jerusalén;
estaban fuertes y sanos,
estaban llenos de vida.
8 Tan feos y enfermos se ven ahora
que nadie los reconoce.
Tienen la piel reseca como leña,
¡hasta se les ven los huesos!
9 A falta de alimentos,
todos mueren poco a poco.
¡Más vale morir en la guerra
que morirse de hambre!
10 ¡Destruida ha quedado Jerusalén!
¡Hasta las madres más cariñosas
cocinan a sus propios hijos
para alimentarse con ellos!
11 El enojo de Dios fue tan grande
que ya no pudo contenerse;
le prendió fuego a Jerusalén
y la destruyó por completo.
12 ¡Terminaron entrando a la ciudad
los enemigos de Jerusalén!
¡Nadie en el mundo se imaginaba
que esto pudiera ocurrir!
13 Injustamente ha muerto gente
a manos de profetas y sacerdotes.
Dios castigó a Jerusalén
por este grave pecado.
14 Juntos andan esos asesinos
como ciegos por las calles.
Tienen las manos llenas de sangre;
¡nadie se atreve a tocarlos!
15 En todas partes les gritan:
«¡Fuera de aquí, vagabundos!
¡No se atrevan a tocarnos!
¡No pueden quedarse a vivir aquí!»
16 Rechazados por Dios,
los líderes y sacerdotes
vagan por el mundo.
¡Dios se olvidó de ellos!
17 Una falsa esperanza tenemos:
que un pueblo venga a salvarnos;
pero nuestros ojos están cansados.
¡Nadie vendrá en nuestra ayuda!
18 Se acerca nuestro fin.
No podemos andar libremente,
pues por todas partes nos vigilan;
¡nuestros días están contados!
19 Aun más veloces que las águilas
son nuestros enemigos.
Por las montañas y por el desierto
nos persiguen sin descanso.
20 La sombra que nos protegía
era nuestro rey;
Dios mismo nos lo había dado.
¡Pero hasta él cayó prisionero!
21 Esto mismo lo sufrirás tú,
que te crees la reina del desierto.
Puedes reírte ahora, ciudad de Edom,
¡pero un día te quedarás desnuda!
22 No volverá Dios a castigarte,
bella ciudad de Jerusalén,
pues ya se ha cumplido tu castigo.
Pero a ti, ciudad de Edom,
Dios te castigará por tus pecados.
The Hebrew text of Psalms 9/10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)
While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. The Natügu translation is one such exception. Boerger (see above) cites a strong tradition in singing the psalms and the fact that Natügu, like Hebrew, also has 22 possible initial letters as motivating factors to maintain the acrostics in that language.
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Natügu
1 Awi Yawe! Glqpxku Yawe!
Bilvzx nide mz nabznge atwrnrngr, mz nzyrlwr-lxblr-krgr badr leplz nedeng.
2 Clvele nrlc x da kcng tqwz-ngrde, tqaletileng nzmyalzng.
Delc, leplz amrlx na-aotingr drtwrdr da lcng mz nzabrtzlvz-krdrleng.
3 Eu, da lcng amrlx nzaelwapx-ngrdr zmrlue x zmatq rde.
Glqpxku nztubq-krde kc tqvzpe tqvzpe.
4 Ipqle nigu mz zmrlz ngrde kxmyalz x ycngr drtwrde nigu.
Jzsle nigu x nayc zvz mz drtwrgu rkx ngrdeng.
5 Kabzle dakxnzng mz leplz kcng tzamrluelr nide.
Lolvz-amqngile mz drtwrde da kx esalz-ngrbzle badr.
6 Mz nzaprc-krbzle drtc’ ngr lr mrkzbleng mz doa nedeng,
Nide kc tqaelwapx-ngrbzle zmatq rde badr.
7 Okatrle nidr mz nzaclve-krdeng kxtubq.
Prlxpx-zvzle da angidr x nzrsakrlrngr.
8 Rkapx zvz natq kx rsakrlrngr.
Sa na-atutrleng murde nqmq krde mrlz x tubq.
9-10 Takitrde nzangio-krgu drtqde kxtr mz nzamrluengr murde
Vz-nqblq-zvzle nzesalz-krde x
Witi nelzde nzarlapx-krde leplz nedeng.
X aelwapx-ngrgu nzyrplapx-krgu mz nzamrlue-krgu nide.
Yawe kabzle nzrkrlz-angidrngr mz krkcng tzyrlq-angidrlr natqde.
Zbq kalvz nzrglqpxngr nide navz zvz x tqvzpe, tqvzpe.
The DanishBibelen på Hverdagsdansk (publ. 1985, rev. 2015 et al.) translated Psalm 111 into an acrostic. Iver Larsen who worked in this translation explained (in Roelie Van der Spuy in Old Testament Essays 2008, p. 513ff. ) the choice of letters: “We don’t use c, q, w, x and z. On the other hand we do use the extra Danish vowel symbols æ, ø and å, and the y is a vowel, not a consonant. Since Danish has more than 22 letters, we cannot use all the letters, so among those last ones (æ, ø, å) I chose what fits best.”
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Danish with its English translation
1. Af hele mit hjerte vil jeg takke Herren,
[From all of my heart I will thank the Lord]
berømme ham midt i de gudfrygtiges forsamling.
[extol him in the midst of the assembly of the God-fearing.[
2. De ting, han gør, er vidunderlige,
[The things he does are wonderful,[
enhver, der oplever dem, må juble og glæde sig.
[all who experience them rejoice and are happy.]
3. Fantastiske er alle hans undere,
[All his wonders are fantastic,]
glem ikke hans uendelig godhed.
[never forget his unending goodness.]
4. Herren er nådig og barmhjertig,
[The Lord is compassionate and merciful]
ingen må glemme hans velgerninger.
[no one should ever forget his good deeds.]
5. Jeg ved, at han altid sørger for sit folk.
[I know that he always provides for his people,]
Kan han nogensinde glemme sin pagt med dem?
[Could he ever forget his covenant with them?]
6. Landet, som tilhørte de fremmede, gav han til sit eget folk,
[The land that belonged to foreigners he gave to his own people,]
med magt drev han de andre væk for øjnene af sine udvalgte.
[he forced them away before the eyes of his chosen ones.]
7. Når han handler, gør han altid det rigtige,
[When he acts, he always does what is right,]
ordene fra ham kan man stole på.
[his words are trustworthy.]
8. Pas på, at I trofast adlyder hans bud,
[Be careful to faithfully obey his commands,]
retsindighed har evighedsværdi.
[uprightness/justice is of eternal value.]
9. Sit folk har han sat i frihed,
[He has given his people their freedom,]
til evig tid varer hans pagt med dem.
[his covenant with them will last forever.]
Underfuld og hellig er Herren.
[Wonderful and holy is the Lord.]
10. Visdom udspringer af ærefrygt for Gud.
[Wisdom results from respectfully honoring God.]
Ypperlig er den indsigt, man får ved at adlyde ham.
[The insight you get from obeying him is superb.]
Æren er hans for evigt!
[He is to be honored forever!]
There are two Dutch translations that maintain the acrostic: Naardense Bijbel (publ. 2004) and the Tot Lof van God by Frans Croese (publ. 2010).
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Dutch translations
Naardense Bijbel:
1
Alleluia, ik dank de Ene van ganser harte, ✡
binnen de kring der oprechten,
een samenkomst;
2
groot zijn de daden van de Ene, ✡
doorvorsbaar
voor elk met behagen daarin;
3
en glans en luister straalt van zijn werk, ✡
fleur houdt zijn gerechtigheid
voor altijd;
4
genadig en barmhartig is de Ene, ✡
hij doet zijn wonderen voorgoed gedenken;
5
indachtig is hij voor eeuwig zijn verbond, ✡
ja, wie hem vrezen gaf hij teerkost; de
6
kracht van zijn daden
heeft hij zijn gemeente gemeld; ✡
leende hun
het erfdeel van volkeren;
7
machtig zijn zijn handen in trouw en recht, ✡
nooit onbetrouwbaar zijn
al zijn inzettingen;
8
ondersteund voor altijd en eeuwig, ✡
product
van trouw en oprechtheid;
9
redding, loskoop zond hij zijn gemeente,
sloot voor eeuwig zijn verbond, ✡
te vrezen en heilig is zijn naam!-
10
vreze voor de Ene
is het beginsel van wijsheid,
weg tot goed inzicht
voor wie daarnaar dóen; ✡
zijn lof
blijft staande voor altíjd!
Tot Lof van God translation:
Looft Jah!
Aan Jehovah betuig ik dank, van ganser harte prijs ik Hem,
bij het beraad der oprechten, maar ook in vergadering bijeen.
2
De daden van Jehovah zijn waarlijk groots,
en fascinerend voor een ieder die er behagen in schept.
3
Fenomenaal is Zijn werk in luister en pracht,
gezien ook Zijn rechtvaardigheid die voor alle eeuwigheid staat.
4
Hij stelde voor Zijn wonderdaden een gedachtenis in
– inderdaad, Jehovah is goedgunstig en barmhartig,
5
ja, zoals Hij proviand verschafte aan hen die Hem vreesden –
kortom, Hij zal Zijn verbond voor altijd gedenken.
6
Louter de kracht van Zijn daden al, zoals Hij die Zijn volk verhaalde,
met daarbij hetgeen Hij hun gaf: het erfdeel der natiën.
7
Naar waarheid en recht, dat zijn de werken van Zijn handen;
onveranderlijk zijn al Zijn voorschriften,
8
pal en onwrikbaar staan die, voor altijd en eeuwig;
recht en waarachtig, zo zijn zc gemaakt.
9
Schonk Hij Zijn volk destijds de verlossing,
toen was daar tevens Zijn blijvend verbond.
Uniek, ontzagwekkend en heilig, dat is Zijn naam.
10
Vrees voor Jehovah is het begin van de wijsheid,
waarbij allen scherp van inzicht zijn die daar ook naar doen.
Zijn lof staat voor alle eeuwigheid!
With thanks to Thamara van Eijzeren
In the Zürich German dialect (Züritüütsch) of Swiss German, the Psalms were translated while maintaining the acrostic by Josua Boesch (publ. 2009 ).
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Zürich German
1 Halleluja! ER isch is mee wèrt als ales.
Au iich wil IMM tanke vo ganzem hèrze,
Bi siine friind i siinere gmäind.
2 Chumm lueg, was èr ales ttaa hät für öis.
Die, wo s ggluschtet, psined sich drüber.
3 ER hat ales herrlich und schöön gmacht.
Für eewig bliibt siini grächtigkäit fescht.
4 Gaar nie wil iich sini wunder vergässe.
Häsch ghöört, ER isch barmhèrzig und güetig.
5 I siinere hand isch z ässe fur d fründ.
Käine chunnt z chuurz, èr haltet s verschpräche.
6 Lueg, was er mit chraft fur siis volk tuet,
Mit welere liebi èr ine s land gitt.
7 Nüüt isch nöd zueverlèèssig und rächt vo dèm, won er gmacht hät.
Ooni siis soorge hett ales kä sinn.
8 Probier nöd z flicken a siineren oornihg, suscht hebt si nöd eewig.
Rue hetsch au nümen und ales gieng schieff.
9 Siim volk hät èr emaal d freihäit ggèè.
Tänk doch an bund, won èr mit em gschlosse.
Uurhäilig isch IMM sini nööchi bi öis.
10 Vo aafang aa hämer nur INN als mitti vo öisere wiishäit.
Wèr siich dernaa richtet, hät s imer guet.
Zum schluss wämer inn rüeme imer und eewig, ER isch is mee wèrt als ales.
The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains most Hebrew acrostics (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew). Due to the higher number of letters in the English alphabet, it skips the letters J, Q, X, and Z.
1 All my heart goes out to the Lord in praise, Before the assembly where the just are gathered.
2 Chant we the Lord’s wondrous doings, delight and study of all who love him.
3 Ever his deeds are high and glorious, faithful he abides to all eternity.
4 Great deeds, that he keeps still in remembrance!
5 He, the Lord, is kind and merciful. In abundance he fed the men who feared him, keeping his covenant for ever.
6 Lordly the power he shewed his people,
7 making the lands of the heathen their possession. No act but shews him just and faithful; of his decrees there is no relenting.
8 Perpetual time shall leave them changeless; right and truth are their foundation.
9 So he has brought our race deliverance; to all eternity stands his covenant. Unutterable is his name and worshipful;
10 vain without his fear is learning. Wise evermore are you who follow it; yours the prize that lasts for ever. (Source )
Another English translation that maintains the acrostic is by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997):
Hallelujah!
All that I am I offer in praise of the Lord,
Being in the band of the blessed, all good men and true.
Can we give adequate, accurate praise for his works?
Dearer and dearer he is to us, as we consider them.
Exalt him as much as we may he is always more worthy
For the meters of mortals are useless to measure his good with.
Great is his name, and yet he deserves a far greater;
Heaven’s his nickname, and Holiness, Mercy, Truth, Grace.
If those who fear him hunger, see how he feeds them!
Keeping his word for his own honour’s sake;
Look how he gave his people the lands of others,
Making them gifts of cities by his own strength.
Nothing he does that is not done deeply with justice;
On stone his laws are written, and they will not adjust;
People and fashions will change, but not his wisdom;
Right is right with him, and truth is truth.
Saving his people again and again he is faithful
To a promise his people have broken again and again.
Unworthy as we are, his holy name honours us;
Vital wisdom it is that we trust him and fear him,
Wanting his teaching, enjoying our own understanding,
Yielding our wisdom to his, and gaining by giving.
Another published English translation with acrostics is The Psalms Chronologically Arranged by the “Four Friends” (C.T. Arnold, A.W. Potts, F.E. Kitchener, S. Philpotts) of 1870.
Another 19th century translation with maintained acrostics is the German1883 commentary and translation by Franz Delitzsch . Unlike the other translations, he translates the acrostics of this and the other acrostic psalms by following an approximation of the German sound of the 22 letters (alef/א = a; bet/ב = b; gimel/ג = g; dalet/ד = d; he/ה = h; vav/ו = u; zayin/ז = s; chet/ח = h; tet/ט = t; yod/י = i or j; kaf/כ = k; lamed/ל = l; mem/מ = m; nun/נ = n; samech/ס = s; ayin/ע = e; pe/פ = f; tsadi/צ = z; qof/ק = k; resh/ר = r; shin/ש = sch; tav/ת = t).
This blog post mentions several English translation of Psalm 111 with an acrostic that were not published in official Bible translations. The above-quoted Van der Spuy also has his own Afrikaans translation with an acrostic (quoted in Old Testament Essays 2008, p. 513ff. ).
