with a loud voice

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “with a loud voice” in English is translated in Low German idiomatically as luuthals or “loud-throated” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

It is also used in Acts 19:28 for krazó (κράζω).

complete verse (Ezekiel 8:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 8:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “So, I shall be angry and punish (them). I shall never have mercy on these people or leave them alive. Even though they beg me, I shall not listen to their cries.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Therefore they will-experience/[lit. taste] my anger. I will- never ever -pity them. Even if they will-scream/yell loudly to ask for help from me, I will- not -listen to them.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So I will show them that I am very angry. I will not pity them or act mercifully toward them. And even if they shout to me to help them, I will not pay attention to them.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 8:18

Therefore I will deal in wrath: In response to the sins of the people of Judah, God announces that he will punish them. He will act in his righteous anger. For the Hebrew word rendered wrath, see 5.13, where it is translated “fury.” Good News Translation renders this clause as “They will feel all the force of my anger.” Another possible model is “Therefore I will take action against them in anger.”

My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity: See 5.11 and 7.4. God will show no mercy.

And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them: The people of Judah will pray loudly to God, but he will not listen to their prayers or change his mind. New Jerusalem Bible is good here, saying “They may cry as loudly as they like to me; I will not listen.” Another way to say this is “They can cry out to me as loudly as they like, but I will not change my mind.”

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 .