Ruth Translation: 3:8-3:12
I had a good day working on the Ruth translation. I feel like I accomplished something which is not always my thinking around Hebrew. Translation for me is a long process. I struggle. I struggle to remember what I have learned, I struggle to recognize verbs that I have already worked with in the same verse, I struggle with processing how the sentence structure fits. I just struggle most days. This is not new, I have learning struggles and this is the same struggles I had learning to read and write in elementary school.
Translating a single verse is minimum a half hour of work up to an hour and a half per verse. I asked my study group how long it takes them to translate a verse. One person in my group estimated that he can do ten verses in three hours.
I have a five step process, it's a bit extra but it works for me. Step one, I look at the passage and I look for anything I know without looking up and record these in pencil, cause my memory is not always accurate. Step two, using Step Bible in the Hebrew form I write out the English translation words I missed (sometimes the whole verse) this also helps me with the three letter verb roots. Steph three, I now visit Bible Hub and use the Hebrew feature to parse the verbs. This is the type of verb (Qal, Nifal, Piel, Hitfil, etc), tense (perfect, imperfect, etc) the person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), gender (male, female), and if it is singular or plural. Step four, I will make my first attempt at moving my translated English and ordering to fit with English grammar. Step five, I watch the Daily Dose video for the verse to understand elements of the verse that I missed or am still struggling with. If after that I'm not satisficed with my translation I go back to Bible Hub and read a number of different translations to see how other teams have deal with the verse.
Ruth 3:8
In the middle of the night the man startled and turned over and surprise a woman was laying at his feet.
Ruth 3:9
"Who are you?" he said.
Then she said, "I am Ruth, your maidservant. Spread your wings over your maidservant, for you are a kinsman redeemer."
Ruth 3:10
Then he said, "May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last [act] of loving-kindness better than the first, for you did not go after choice young men, either rich or poor.
Ruth 3:11
And now my daughter, do not fear, I will do all you say for you. All the people of my town know you are a worthy woman."
Ruth 3:12
And now, truly I am a kinsmen redeemer. But there is a kinsmen redeemer who is nearer than me."
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