complete verse (Matthew 20:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 20:14:

  • Uma: “Take your wages and go home! It is my desire to give a wage to the people who came last the same as what I gave to you.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Take your (pl.) wages and go home. I want to pay the same wage to the last ones as I pay you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Take it, and go home, because I want that these last ones should be paid just the same as you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So take your (sing.) wage and go home. If I want the wage of the last-ones to be the same as your (pl.) wage, surely that’s my business.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Fine, get your (sing.) wages and go home. I want to pay those last ones to be put to work the same as I have paid you.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Take your wages for one day of work and go from here. Concerning the workers who came to work last, I want to pay them the same as I paid you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 20:14

Take what belongs to you, and go may be more explicitly rendered as in Good News Translation: “Now take your pay and go home” (New English Bible “Take your pay and go home”). With reference to the coin mentioned in the previous verse, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “You have received it, now go.” One scholar, who has done much research on the parables, suggests that go carries the meaning “you have no more business here.” He also indicates that I choose means “it is my firm intention.”

I choose can be rendered impersonally in English, as in “It is my choice” or “It is my wish” (Barclay). However, sentences like “I have decided” or “I want” may be better.

This last translates a masculine singular form in Greek (Good News Translation “this man who was hired last”), but for some languages a plural form may be more natural, especially in light of verses 6-7, 9.

As I give to you is literally “as to you.” When translating at a common language level, it will be expected in some languages that the verb be repeated as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation: (“as much as I gave you”).

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .