complete verse (Deuteronomy 28:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 28:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “You shall be cursed so that you do not get many children and your farms shall not produce food or your animals produce offspring.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “A curse will fall upon your children, your grain, the young of your herds and flocks.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He will-curse you (plur.) by giving you (plur.) less children, harvest/produce and animals.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He will curse you by giving you only a few children , by causing you to have poor crops, and by not enabling you to have many cattle and sheep.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 28:18 - 28:19

These verses are the opposites of verses 4 and 6. Verse 18 is not quite as full as verse 4; it does not include “and the fruit of your beasts.”

A possible alternative translation model for these verses is:

• Yahweh will punish you by giving you few children and poor crops. Your cattle and sheep won’t produce many young. He will make you fail [or, be unsuccessful] in everything you do.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .