A Translation of the Beatitudes
Hadrian Mar Elijah Bar Israel
A TRANSLATION OF THE BEATITUDES
By Hadrian Mar Elijah Bar Israel
The Beatitudes are a call to radical discipleship. And are a line which is forever being drawn in the sand between who is and who is not truly a follower of Jesus, spoken in Jesus' own words; and presented here in Jesus’ own Galilean dialect of Aramaic. These are radical ideas that in both their time and in ours were meant to transcend barriers of race, religion, caste, et cetera.
The Beatitudes themselves are recorded in the Sermon on the Mount, which is located in the Synoptic Gospels at both Matthew (mattai) 5:3-12 and Luke (luqa) 6:20-23, and occur directly after Jesus’ baptism by yukhanan (i.e. the Prophet John) who in the west is sometimes known as “John the Baptist” or “John the Forerunner of Christ”.
The small differences which one sees in the text has to do with the fact that the Gospel of Matthew was originally written in Galilean Aramaic, but Luke was written in the Yerusalami (Jerusalem / Palestinian) dialect, which more closely resembles Syriac. (These differences can be seen in the 4th verse of Matthew correlating to the 21st verse of Luke, the 11th verse of Matthew correlating to the 22nd verse of Luke, and the 12th verse of Matthew which correlates to the 23rd verse of Luke...)
Mattai 3 מתי
טוביהון למסכנא ברוח דדילהון הי מלכותא דשׁמיא
Tobihon l’maskana b’ruach, d’dilahon hai malkutha d’shamaya
Happy to poor in spirit, to them kingdom of heaven
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they receive the kingdom of heaven
Luqa 21 לוקא
טוביהון אילין דכפנין השׁא דתסבעון
Tobihon ayilin d’kafnin, hasha d’tasbeon
Happy who to hunger, now satisfied
Blessed are those who hunger, they shall be satisfied
טוביהון לדבכין השׁא דתגחכון
Tobihon l’dabkhin, hasha d’tagchukhon
Happy to weep, now to laugh
Blessed are they that weep, for they shall laugh
Luqa 20 לוקא
טוביהון מסכנא דדילהון הי מלכותא דאלהא
Tobihon maskana d’dilahon, hai malkutha d’alaha
Happy poor for to you, is kingdom of god
Blessed are the poor, unto them is the kingdom of God
Mattai 4 מתי
טוביהון לאבילא דהנון נתביאון
Tobihon la’abeila, d’hanun nit’biaon
Happy to mourners, they that to comfort
Blessed are the mourners, they will be comforted
Mattai 5 מתי
טוביהון למכיכא דהנון נארתון לארעא
Tobihon l’makhikha, d’hanun narathon l’area
Happy to humble, to those inherit to earth
Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth
Mattai 6 מתי
טוביהון לאילין דכפנין וצהין לכאנותא דהנון נסבעון
Tobihon l’ayalin, d’kafnin u’tsahin l’kanutha d’hanun nasbeon
Happy to which hunger and thirsty to justice, to them satisfied
Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for justice, they will be satisfied
Mattai 7 מתי
טוביהון למרחמנא דעליהון נהוון רחמא
Tobihon l’marachmana, d’elihon nahuun rachma
Happy to compassionate, about given mercy
Blessed are the compassionate, they will receive mercy
Mattai 8 מתי
טוביהון לאילין דדכין בלבהון דהנון נחזון לאלהא
Tobihon l’ayilin d’dakhin b’lebahon, d’hanun nachzon l’alaha
Happy to who to pure in hearts, to them behold of God
Blessed are the pure in heart, they will see God
Mattai 9 מתי
טוביהון לעבדי שׁלמא דבנוהי דאלהא נתקרון
Tobihon l’ebdeo shlama, d’bnuhai d’alaha nit’qaron
Happy to servers peace, to son of God be called
Blessed are the servants of peace, they will be called sons of God
Mattai 10 מתי
טוביהון לאילין דאתרדפו מטל כאנותא דדילהון הי מלכותא דשׁמיא
Tobihon l’ayilin, d’athradpo metal K’anutha d’dilhon hai malkutha d’Shamaya
Happy to who to persecuted because justice, to them is kingdom of heaven
Blessed are those persecuted for being just, they will own the kingdom of heaven
Mattai 11 מתי
טוביכון אמתי דמחסדין לכון ורדפין לכון
Tobihon amathi d’machsadin lakhon, u’radfin lakhon,
Happy when that revile to you, and persecute to you,
Blessed are you when they revile you, and persecute you,
ואמרין עליכון כל מלא בישׁא מטלתי בדגלותא
v’amrin elikon cal malei bisha m’talthei b’daglutha
and speak on you all fullness wicked because me falseness
and speak all manner of wickedness upon you falsely because of me
Luqa 22 לוקא
טוביהון מא דסנין לכון בנינשׁא ומפרשׁין
Tobihon ma d’sanin lakhon b’ninsha, u’mifrashon lakhon,
Happy what to hate to you among humans ,and separate to you,
Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and separate from you,
לכון ומחסדין לכון ומפקין שׁמכון איך בישׁא חלף ברה דאנשׁא
u’machsadin lakhon, u’mipqin shemakhon ayikh bisha, chalef barah d’nisha
and revile to you, and cast out to you name as wicked, for son of man
and revile you, and cast your name among the wicked for the son of man
Mattai 12 מתי
הידין חדו ורוזו דאגרכון סגי בשׁמיא הכנא גיר רדפו לנביא דמן קדמיכון
Hidon chao urozo d’agrakhon, sagi b’shamaya,
hakhna giar radfo l’nabia d’min qadmeikhon
Then rejoice and glad, reward increased in heaven,
thus for persecute to prophet to from before you
Be glad then, and rejoice for your reward is increased in heaven,
thus they persecuted the prophets before you.
Luqa 23 לוקא
חדו בהו יומא ודוצו דאגרכון סגי בשׁמיא הכנא גיר עבדין הוו אבהתהון לנביא
Chado bahu yoma u’dotsu d’agrakhon sagi b’shamaya,
hakhna geir ebdin huwa abhathahon l’nabia
Glad that day and rejoice, that recompense is increased greatly in heaven,
thus did subject fathers prophets
Rejoice that day, and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven,
for so they did to your fathers the prophets