Smith’s Literal Translation [SLT]
Summary
The Julia Evelina Smith Parker Translation is considered the first complete translation of the Bible into English by a woman. The Bible was titled The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments; Translated Literally from the Original Tongues.
(This Bible version is not by the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith)
Julia Smith, of Glastonbury, Connecticut had a working knowledge of Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Her father had been a Congregationalist minister before he became a lawyer. Having read the Bible in its original languages, she set about creating her own translation, which she completed in 1855, after a number of drafts. The work is a strictly literal rendering, always translating a Greek or Hebrew word with the same word wherever possible. Smith accomplished this work on her own in the span of eight years (1847 to 1855). She had sought out no help in the venture, even writing, “I do not see that anybody can know more about it than I do.” Smith’s insistence on complete literalness, plus an effort to translate each original word with the same English word, combined with an odd notion of Hebrew tenses (often translating the Hebrew imperfect tense with the English future) results in a translation that is mechanical and often nonsensical.
In 1876, at 84 years of age some 21 years after completing her work, she finally sought publication. The publication costs ($4,000) were personally funded by Julia and her sister Abby Smith. The 1,000 copies printed were offered for $2.50 each, but her household auction in 1884 sold about 50 remaining copies.
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The translation fell into obscurity as it was for the most part too literal and lacked any flow. Jer. 22:23 was given as follows: “Thou dwelling in Lebanon, building as nest in the cedars, how being compassionated in pangs coming to thee the pain as in her bringing forth.”
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Download: Smith’s Literal Translation [SLT]
fam50 The Christian as a Worker examines work, work ethics, and what the Bible commands Christians concerning work.
Excerpt: Since the creation of the human being, God has given men work to do. Even in the garden, their principal work was to dress and keep (guard) the garden, their source of food. So, God wants man to be occupied (to always work). There is a saying that “idle hands are the devil's workshop.” It is certain that people do not know how to handle prosperity. Just look at the sins people get into in their retirement. In God’s eyes, they dedicate their lives at that point to things without eternal value. God knows that if man focuses on surviving, on sustaining himself and family, etc. that he is less inclined to sin and get into idle vices. Psalms 128:2 For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. There is nothing better than working hard and enjoying the fruit of your labors.
Read the Tract fam50 The Christian as a Worker.
