I completed this translation on the 1st of January 2024. Here is to another year of unfolding the word of God, and growing deeper in faith.
NJV. ‘What do you see, Amos?’ Yahweh asked me. ‘A plumb-line,’ I said. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am going to put a plumb-line among my people Israel; never again will I overlook their offences.
Wardaman. Ñanayiyi ŋañanarriya: “Ŋamanda yidan, Juŋuŋguyi?” Ŋayanarri: “Garlbaŋ.” Yana Jinjiyujbañi janarriya: “Ŋagin barndan warljub wurrenmuluya Yarradal. Woŋgo wurruguña wariŋma ŋanawa gabarri.
Yahweh said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” = Ñanayiyi ŋañanarriya: “Ŋamanda yidan, Juŋuŋguyi?”
Ñanayiyi = Yahweh
ŋañanarriya = He said to me, and behold
Ŋamanda = what
yidan = you see
Juŋuŋguyi = Amos does
“Amos” comes from the Hebrew awmas’ (עמס), which means carry a load.
Amos’ load is the knowledge of the fate of Israel, and the fact that too few people will listen to him.
Two words inspired my creation of Juŋuŋgu:
1. junuŋgurdba = carry on the shoulder.
2. juŋgu = elbow.
The burden on Amos is so great that he must crawl along the scorched, parched deserts of the Near East.
In fact, my original translation was Junuŋgu, but I changed the /n/ to an /ŋ/. This is in order to imitate the rattling breath that you squeeze from your lungs when they’re having the air squeezed out of them.
I said, “A plumb-line.” Then the Lord said: = Ŋayanarri: “Garlbaŋ.” Yana Jinjiyujbañi janarriya:
Ŋayanarri = I said
Garlbaŋ = an axe
Yana = say
Jinjiwijbañi = the Lord
janarriya = He said
yanajana is a Reduplicated form of the Verb yana, which means to say.
I split the word and put Lord in the middle because I like the look of it.
I will set a plumb-line amongst my people Israel = Ŋagin barndan warljub wurrenmuluya Yarradal.
Ŋagin = I set
barndan = an axe
warljub = inside
wurrenmuluya = among [my] children
Yarradal = [in] Israel
child/children was the closest I could get to “nation”
“Israel” comes from the Hebrew yisrawale’ (ישראל), which means something like God strives.
I went through several drafts before settling on Yarradal, which has two components:
1. yarralma = stand up (to fight)/rise from sleep.
2. dalbirrman = hard/strong.
The /el/ in Israel comes from the Hebrew ale (אל).
Most of the time, it becomes the English word “god”, but it sometimes becomes power or might, which is not far from strong.
In addition, Wardaman has the following three verbs:
1. daldal = pound
2. dalma = punch
3. dalgirrig = lean on.
Jacob gets the name Israel after he wrestles with God, and the above are all wrestling moves.
I will not pass over them anymore = Woŋgo wurruguña wariŋma ŋanawa gabarri.
Woŋgo = not
wurruguña = from them
wariŋma = look away
ŋanawa = I will see
gabarri = anymore
The final word gabarri roughly means again.
The Wardaman word for fog is gabarru.
If we replace gabarri with gabarru, we get:
Woŋgo wurruguña wariŋma ŋanawa gabarru = I will not look away from the fog that comes from them.
Mark 12:38-40 (BSB)
In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for scribe. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greeting in the marketplaces, and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets. They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”
KJV. And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
Wardaman. Ñanayiyi ŋañanarriya: “Ŋamanda yidan, Juŋuŋguyi?” Ŋayanarri: “Garlbaŋ.” Yana Jinjiwijbañi janarriya: “Ŋagin barndan warljub wurrenmuluya Yarradal. Woŋgo wurruguña wariŋma ŋanawa gabarri.