Da Jesus Book: Hawaii Pidgin New Testament [Paperback]

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Book Description

Publication Date: July 2000

This translation of the New Testament was done by a team of 26 dedicated local people, all native speakers of Hawaii Pidgin in the Islands. They worked from the original Greek, with the help of Wycliffe Bible Translators, and also referred to English translations and to commentaries supplied by United Bible Societies, and others. It is intended for those speakers of the Hawaii Pidgin language (sometimes called Hawaii Creole English) who find the English Bible difficult to understand. That is why this translation uses a heavier rural Pidgin than is normal for urban speakers. It should also be noted that the Pidgin language differs slightly in different parts of the Island chain, just as Standard English differs than in different parts of the U.S. mainland. The Pidgin used in this translation, though heavy, leans toward a common form that is understood in most of the areas where many people speak the language. It has been examined for clarity by people from Oahu, the Big Island, Maui and Kauai. There is a glossary of concepts in the back that has two purposes. First, it explains cultural concepts from Jesus' time that may not be familiar to readers today. Second, for readers whose experience with the Bible up to now has been only English, it gives the Pidgin expressions (usually more than a single word) that are in use for some of the more basic Biblical concepts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 752 pages
• Publisher: Wycliffe Bible Translators (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938978217
• ISBN-13: 978-0938978213
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much More Than "Pidgin Feed.", July 23, 2002

By 

Kent Ponder (Albuquerque., NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Da Jesus Book: Hawaii Pidgin New Testament (Paperback)

I read this book on three levels because of (a) my marriage of 45 years to a Polynesian woman from Hawaii, (b) my years as a Christian missionary, and (c) my years teaching linguistics. The New Testament in Hawaii Pidgin might at first be misperceived as ethnic humor, but this is a serious project of the Wycliffe Bible Translators, hardly tongue-in-cheek dudes. I found my copy at the nonfacetious Univ. of Hawaii bookstore, where I presented it to two Polynesian cashiers for their opinions. Both reacted with enthusiasm, saying that it was a Bible they could better relate to emotionally, though they also spoke excellent English. It's fun to read, and though I've read the Bible in other languages, I gained A LOT of insight from this disarmingly direct dialect. The spelling reflects pronunciation; "special" is "spesho," "everything" is "erryting," etc. "Jesus chose his 12 apostles" becomes "Jesus ben pick his 12 spesho guys."

Da Wycliffe Translayta guys didn't just cobble it together by "talking funny." Da tranlata guys wen make Da Jesus Book wit local kine peopo. Wuz 26 local peopo dat stay talk Pidgin from small keed time, dat do um. Dey make shua erryting mean da same ting jalike da way da peopo wen write down da Bible firs time. Da main translayta guys, dey da ones dat talk Pidgin all da time, cuz dey know wass da bestes way fo say stuffs so all da local peopo goin undastan. Da team check erryting five o six time, an use all kine commentary books fo make shua da meaning stay okay. Dey use da heavy kine Pidgin from country side, cuz dis book fo da people dat talk Pidgin all da time an English onny litto bit. Also too, fo plenny peopo who onny talk Pidgin, dis way mo bettah fo undastan. Bumbye, going get all Da Jesus Book on CD so can lissen da whole ting. You can almos hea da kine language dat da regula peopo talk erryday as you read this book even silently. I think you'll enjoy it and pick up surprising insights even if you have no interest in Hawaii per se, or even if you're not normally a Bible reader.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One more perspective, January 18, 2007

By 

Linda K. White "happysohappy" (Breckenridge, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Da Jesus Book: Hawaii Pidgin New Testament (Paperback)

Being a serious student of the Bible for almost 50 years, I have a number of translations, versions, and paraphrased editions in my library which I use for comparison as well as reading and studying. This Pidgin English volume offers a brand new perspective unlike any other, in that it is written in such simple earthy terms that not only the meaning of the verses but the "heart" of the verses jumps out at you. Reading aloud from it is also enjoyable entertainment in small informal group settings. I highly recommend it.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's da bes!!!, July 13, 2005

By 

Sheri F. Cox - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Da Jesus Book: Hawaii Pidgin New Testament (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book! For lovers of Hawai'i and for lovers of God! It really takes me back to the Islands...I graduated from High school there and went to UH for college...It is just so fun to read what Jesus says in pidgin!!