I've found four translations of the first verses of the Bible. The fifth is mine.John E Clifford, Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:26 am wrote:There are at least two other trats back in the archives, one going on for a while, and several Babels. We need -- in the course of setting up our corpus -- to do a King James "all previous translation compared and revised." or however it goes.
toki nanpa wan pi lipu nimi "open"
New Revised Standard Version
- In the beginning when God created [1] the heavens and the earth,
- the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God [2] swept over the face of the waters.
- Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
- And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
- God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
[2] Or "while the spirit of God" or "while a mighty wind"
jan Kowi, 2004-08-27 (?)
http://www.tokipona.bravehost.com/genesis1.html
- tenpo pi nanpa wan la ma ali li jo e ijo ala.
- pimeja mute li lon. taso jan sewi li lon li wile pali.
- ona li toki e ni: suno o li lon! tenpo ala la suno li suno lon ma ali.
- --
- jan sewi li nimi e ni tawa suno: tenpo suno. ona li nimi kin e ni tawa pimeja: tenpo pimeja.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=477
- tenpo wan la jan sewi Jawe li pali e sewi laso en ma suli.
- taso, ma suli li jo e ala. ale li pimeja. jan kon pi jan sewi Jawe li sewi pi telo suli.
- jan sewi Jawe li toki e: "o suno li wile". suno li kama.
- jan sewi Jawe li lukin e suno li pilin: suno li pona. jan sewi Jawe li pana e suno sama ala pi kon pimeja.
- jan sewi Jawe li pana e nimi pi suno: tenpo suno. jan sewi Jawe li pana e nimi pi kon pimeja: tenpo pimeja. tenpo ni li tenpo suno nanpa wan.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=546#p1814
- tenpo pini mute mute la jan sewi li pali e sewi e ma.
- ma li pakala li pimeja. kon pi jan sewi li tawa lon sewi telo.
- jan sewi li toki e ni: suno o lon (or: mi wile e suno). suno li lon.
- jan sewi li lukin e suno. suno li pona. jan sewi li tu e suno tan pimeja.
- jan sewi li pana e nimi "suno" tawa suno e nimi "pimeja" tawa pimeja. pimeja en suno li tenpo suno pi nanpa wan.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=561
- tenpo nanpa wan la jan sewi li open lon e sewi en ma
- la ma li pakala. ali li pimeja. kon pi jan sewi li tawa lon sewi telo.
- jan sewi li toki e ni. o suno li lon. suno li lon.
- jan sewi lukin e ni: suno li pona. jan sewi li tu e suno tan pimeja.
- jan sewi li nimi "tenpo suno" e suno li nimi "tenpo pimeja" e pimeja. pini suno li kama. open suno li kama. tu ni li kama e suno nanpa wan.
- tenpo open la jan sewi li pali e sewi e ma.
- ma li jo e ala li pakala. ali li pimeja. kon pi jan sewi li lon sewi telo.
- jan sewi li toki e ni: "suno o lon". suno li kama lon.
- jan sewi li lukin e suno li pilin e ni: suno li pona. jan sewi li tu e suno tan pimeja.
- jan sewi li nimi pi "tenpo suno" e suno li nimi pi "tenpo pimeja" e pimeja. pini suno li kama. open suno li kama. tu ni li kama e suno pi nanpa wan.
"Tohu-va-bohu" is usually translated as "formless and empty", but "bohu" doesn't seem to have any own meaning, so it's likely it has been used for aliteration effect. (There is another one aliteration: "tohu va bohu" and "tahom" (a deep)). So I tried to preserve both: traditional emptyness and chaos and aliteration: 'ma li jo e ala li pakala'.2. Veha'arets hayetah tohu vavohu vechoshech al-peney tehom veruach Elohim merachefet al-peney hamayim.
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EDIT 2010-02-03: Corey's (jan Kowi) translation added