Second Testament of Luke 6:17-26, today’s Gospel reading in the lectionary.
Yēsous heals
17 Descending with them, he stood on a plain place, and a great crowd of his apprentices, a great mass of people from all Youdaia and Yierosalēm and the coast of Turos and Sidōn – 18 who came to hear him and to be cured from their illnesses. The disturbed from contaminating spirits were being healed, 19 and the whole crowd was pursuing to touch him, because power exited from him and cured all.
Yēsous teaches on the plain
20 He, lifting his eyes up toward his apprentices, was saying,
God blesses the beggars because yours is God’s Empire.
21 God blesses the ones hungering now because you will be satisfied.
God blesses the ones wailing now because you will laugh.
22 God blesses you whenever the humans hate you and when they isolate you and degrade you and toss out your name as evil because of the Son of Humanity.
23 Rejoice in that day and jump in joy for Look! your wage is great in heaven. Their fathers were doing things consistent with these acts to the prophets.
24 However, Oy! to you, the wealthy, because you’ve got your encouragement.
25 Oy! to you, the now-filled-up, because you will hunger.
Oy! to you, the now-laughers, because you will grieve and wail.
26 Oy! whenever all the humans speak beautifully about you. For the fathers were doing things consistent with these acts to the false-prophets.
This is an interesting translation of a powerful passage. I am often confused by the choices of translators. I wonder why the translator adds 'God' in verses 20-22 and not in verses 24-26. Why invoke God in claiming the have-nots will one day experience a reversal of their situations but not in claiming that for the haves? That doesn't seem consistent with the original, in which - as best I can tell - God is not explicitly named anywhere but presumably implicitly involved everywhere?
WONDERFUL. I could enjoy reading the entire gospel with this yiddish twist! I was surprised how in some cases it softened what in other translations seems "stronger." On the whole, this brought the scene CLOSE and the teachings "more reasonable." Thanks. This was a fun but thought-provoking read.