25And you, mortal, on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their heart’s affection, and also their sons and their daughters,
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 24:25:
Kupsabiny: “Listen, Ezekiel, I am going to destroy my House which they rely on and adore, boast of and long for. I shall also remove their children.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The LORD continued to say to me, ‘Man, in the time that I will- now -destroy the temple which is their place-of- refuge, which they boast, love, and take-pleasure, and I will- now -kill their children,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then Yahweh said to me, ‘You human, soon I will destroy their sacred temple, which they rejoice about and which they respect and delight to look at, and I will get rid of their sons and daughters also.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
And you, son of man: God continues the prophecy here by focusing attention again on Ezekiel (compare 3.25). For son of man, see Ezek 24.2.
On the day when I take from them their stronghold: In Hebrew this clause begins with a particle that is literally “Is it not [the case that]” (similarly King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible). This particle introduces a rhetorical question that continues to the end of verse 26. Some translations take this particle as little more than a focusing or emphatic particle; for example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders it “take note,” New Century Version has “this is how it will be,” and New American Bible says “truly.” However, most just translate verses 25-26 as a strong positive statement. Both approaches are acceptable.
On the day when I take from them their stronghold refers to the day that God will “destroy the Temple” (Contemporary English Version). The Temple was their stronghold, a fortress where the people were safe (compare “the pride of your power” in verse 21). If there is no word for stronghold or “fortress” in a language, translators may use a descriptive phrase, such as “the place they built to be safe.”
Their joy and glory means the people were very proud of the Temple. They boasted about it and were happy to see and visit it. Good News Translation and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh say “their pride and joy,” and International Children’s Bible has “It makes them happy and proud.”
The delight of their eyes: See verses 16 and 21.
And their heart’s desire is literally “and the lifting of their soul.” Some translations take the Hebrew phrase here as identical with the one rendered “the desire of your soul” in verse 21 (so Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). However, it focuses on the Temple as the object of the people’s desire and affection, the place they loved and really wanted to be at again. New Living Translation renders their heart’s desire as “their dearest treasure.” Another good model is “the place that is most important to them.”
And also their sons and daughters: This phrase completes the same personal tragedy described in verse 21 (see the comments there). The connection needs to be made clear, and translators may use a new sentence if necessary, for example, “I will also take away from them their sons and daughters [or, children].”
There are hints in the Hebrew that the meaning of the list in this verse is more subtle than it seems at first. The third and fourth phrases (the delight of their eyes and their heart’s desire) are not connected to the previous phrases by a conjunction. This gives the impression of a slight break in sense, although they can still refer back to the Temple. But when the fifth phrase (their sons and daughters) is also added without a conjunction (and also is not in Hebrew), it makes the sense of the two previous phrases ambiguous—they may refer back to the Temple, but they may also refer forward to the children. It is very difficult to reflect this in translation, but any attempt to do so is likely to be well rewarded. For a model of this verse see the discussion on verse 27.
Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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