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Da Jesus Book: Hawaii Pidgin New Testament
"Island pidgin speakers now have an easier-to-understand alternative of reading the Bible. Da Jesus Book, a translation of the New Testament into pidgin.
The soft-cover book was published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, the world's largest organization involved in translating the Scriptures into languages of tribal people. Retired Cornell University linguistics professor Joseph Grimes enlisted 26 pidgin speakers in the 12-year translation effort, which had its first fruit in the 1997 publication of the Gospel of Matthew.tthew.
The seed for the book was planted in 1986 while Grimes was here on a teaching sabbatical at the University of Hawaii. He and his wife, Barbara, also a linguist and editor of the "Ethnologue," an index of the world's 6,800-plus languages, had participated as consultants on Wycliffe projects in Asia, Africa and South America and had completed a Bible in the Huichol Indian language in Mexico. He retired after 23 years at Cornell, and they moved to Makaha 11 years ago to dedicate time to the pidgin product. The consultants translated, consulted with Grimes, reviewed and revised each others' work in hundreds of "talk story" sessions over the years." - Excerpted from "Read the Bible, li' dat" by Mary Adamski of "The Honolulu Star-Bulletin."
752 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
11 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 14, 2021
You can find Da Jesus Book online here. It is quite the best translation of the Bible that I have ever seen. If you're too lazy to go check it out for yourself, here are a few samples:
Da Start: God Make Da World
Da time wen eryting had start, God wen make da sky an da world. Da world come so no mo notting inside, no mo shape notting. On top da wild ocean dat cova eryting, neva had light notting. Ony had God Spirit dea, moving aroun ova da watta.
Da Start: God Know Wat Dey Wen Do
Dat day, wen da sun going down an da wind start fo blow, da guy an his wife hear one noise. Was da God Yahweh! He was walking aroun inside da place wea he wen plant da trees. Dey go hide behin da trees inside dea, so da God Yahweh no can see um. Da God Yahweh call loud so da guy can hear um. He tell, “Hui! Adam! Wea you stay?” Da guy tell, “I wen hear you, ova dea inside dis place. I scared, cuz I naked! Az why I wen go hide.” God tell um, “Who wen tell you dat you stay naked? You wen eat da fruits from da tree, da one I wen tell you fo no eat, o wat?!” Da guy tell, “Yeah, was da wahine, az why. Da same one you wen put hea fo stay wit me fo help me! Her wen give me some fruit from dat tree an I wen eat um.” Da God Yahweh tell da wahine, “Eh! Wat you wen do, huh?!” Da wahine tell um, “Was da snake! Da bugga wen go trick me! Az how come I wen eat da fruit!”
Matthew Tell Bout Jesus: Da Guy Dat Fool Aroun Wit Da Odda Guy's Wife
“You guys wen hear wat God wen say: ‘No go fool aroun behind yoa husban o yoa wife's back.’ But eh! I telling you guys dis: Whoeva look at one wahine an like fool aroun her, he wen do um awready inside his heart. If da right eye make you do bad kine stuff lidat, dig um out, an throw um away! No matta you ony get one eye -- mo worse da whole body go Hell! If da right hand make you do bad kine stuff, cut um off an throw um away! No matta you ony get one hand -- mo worse da whole body go Hell!
Jesus Show: "Aloha!"
Dis book tell wat Jesus Christ wen show me, John. Jesus, he da Spesho Guy God Wen Send, an God wen show him da stuff dat nobody eva know befo time. Dat stuff gotta happen pretty soon. God like Jesus make um clear to da peopo dat work fo him. So Jesus Christ wen send one angel messenja guy fo make um clear to me, John, cuz I one a his worka guys. Me, I stay telling wat I wen see an hear -- da tings God wen say, an da stuff Jesus Christ wen tell.
Whoeva read dis book to odda peopo, an everybody dat lissen to da stuff dat God say goin happen, an do um, dey goin stay good inside, cuz time awready fo dat fo happen.
_____________________
I kept wondering about the theology. Is Da Jesus Book really the Word of God? Islam takes a very strict attitude here, and says that the Qur'an is only the Word of God in the original Arabic; but Christianity has been much more relaxed, and is willing to admit that translations can also be valid. New translations, it is true, are often met with suspicion, but after a while become accepted.
Some passages from the Preface to the King James Version strike a curious note in this context:
Da Start: God Make Da World
Da time wen eryting had start, God wen make da sky an da world. Da world come so no mo notting inside, no mo shape notting. On top da wild ocean dat cova eryting, neva had light notting. Ony had God Spirit dea, moving aroun ova da watta.
Da Start: God Know Wat Dey Wen Do
Dat day, wen da sun going down an da wind start fo blow, da guy an his wife hear one noise. Was da God Yahweh! He was walking aroun inside da place wea he wen plant da trees. Dey go hide behin da trees inside dea, so da God Yahweh no can see um. Da God Yahweh call loud so da guy can hear um. He tell, “Hui! Adam! Wea you stay?” Da guy tell, “I wen hear you, ova dea inside dis place. I scared, cuz I naked! Az why I wen go hide.” God tell um, “Who wen tell you dat you stay naked? You wen eat da fruits from da tree, da one I wen tell you fo no eat, o wat?!” Da guy tell, “Yeah, was da wahine, az why. Da same one you wen put hea fo stay wit me fo help me! Her wen give me some fruit from dat tree an I wen eat um.” Da God Yahweh tell da wahine, “Eh! Wat you wen do, huh?!” Da wahine tell um, “Was da snake! Da bugga wen go trick me! Az how come I wen eat da fruit!”
Matthew Tell Bout Jesus: Da Guy Dat Fool Aroun Wit Da Odda Guy's Wife
“You guys wen hear wat God wen say: ‘No go fool aroun behind yoa husban o yoa wife's back.’ But eh! I telling you guys dis: Whoeva look at one wahine an like fool aroun her, he wen do um awready inside his heart. If da right eye make you do bad kine stuff lidat, dig um out, an throw um away! No matta you ony get one eye -- mo worse da whole body go Hell! If da right hand make you do bad kine stuff, cut um off an throw um away! No matta you ony get one hand -- mo worse da whole body go Hell!
Jesus Show: "Aloha!"
Dis book tell wat Jesus Christ wen show me, John. Jesus, he da Spesho Guy God Wen Send, an God wen show him da stuff dat nobody eva know befo time. Dat stuff gotta happen pretty soon. God like Jesus make um clear to da peopo dat work fo him. So Jesus Christ wen send one angel messenja guy fo make um clear to me, John, cuz I one a his worka guys. Me, I stay telling wat I wen see an hear -- da tings God wen say, an da stuff Jesus Christ wen tell.
Whoeva read dis book to odda peopo, an everybody dat lissen to da stuff dat God say goin happen, an do um, dey goin stay good inside, cuz time awready fo dat fo happen.
_____________________
I kept wondering about the theology. Is Da Jesus Book really the Word of God? Islam takes a very strict attitude here, and says that the Qur'an is only the Word of God in the original Arabic; but Christianity has been much more relaxed, and is willing to admit that translations can also be valid. New translations, it is true, are often met with suspicion, but after a while become accepted.
Some passages from the Preface to the King James Version strike a curious note in this context:
Another thing we think good to admonish thee of, gentle reader, that we have not tied ourselves to an uniformity of phrasing, or to an identity of words, as some peradventure would wish that we had done, because they observe that some learned men somewhere have been as exact as they could that way. But we desire that the Scripture may speak like itself, as in the language of Canaan, that it may be understood even of the very vulgar.
Ye are brought unto fountains of living water which ye digged not; do not cast earth into them, with the Philistines, neither prefer broken pits before them, with the wicked Jews. Others have laboured, and you may enter into their labours. O receive not so great things in vain; O despise not so great salvation!
January 6, 2013
Most of the commentators on this book regard this translation as 'funny'. However, Hawaiian Pidgin is classified as an endangered language, and Da Jesus Book is a serious translation. Many extinct languages are only known from their Bible translations, and this translation, like others from Wycliffe, will hopefully help keep the language alive. Shakespeare's English is 'funny', too, and Chaucer's is downright hilarious - the guy couldn't spell worth a damn.
The Koine Greek used by the New Testament writers was a rough and ready dialect that served the day to day needs of people on the fringes of the Greek speaking world. New Testament Greek was 'funny' to the educated ear at the time. The Gospel of Mark's vocabulary, grammar, and style would earn a C- or worse in a 1st century Greek class. Yet universities around the world teach courses that parse the distinctions between Koine and Classical Greek.
Hawaiian Pidgen is, like other Creole languages around the world, a fully functioning language with consistent grammatical and syntactical rules. The particular strain of Hawaiian Pidgin chosen for this translation is very mainstream, not near as 'deep' (or 'broad', or 'low', or 'funny') as can be found among the older generation in isolated villages on the less touristy islands. Nor is it just the street slang of Honolulu, which shuns a lot of the language's formal features.
Da Jesus Book, like the influential Cotton Patch version of the New Testament before it, is still easily read by a Standard English speaker, but it forces that reader to pause on occasion, to think outside the box, to hear the story again for the first time. Kind of like those 'funny' parables and sayings of Jesus.
The Koine Greek used by the New Testament writers was a rough and ready dialect that served the day to day needs of people on the fringes of the Greek speaking world. New Testament Greek was 'funny' to the educated ear at the time. The Gospel of Mark's vocabulary, grammar, and style would earn a C- or worse in a 1st century Greek class. Yet universities around the world teach courses that parse the distinctions between Koine and Classical Greek.
Hawaiian Pidgen is, like other Creole languages around the world, a fully functioning language with consistent grammatical and syntactical rules. The particular strain of Hawaiian Pidgin chosen for this translation is very mainstream, not near as 'deep' (or 'broad', or 'low', or 'funny') as can be found among the older generation in isolated villages on the less touristy islands. Nor is it just the street slang of Honolulu, which shuns a lot of the language's formal features.
Da Jesus Book, like the influential Cotton Patch version of the New Testament before it, is still easily read by a Standard English speaker, but it forces that reader to pause on occasion, to think outside the box, to hear the story again for the first time. Kind of like those 'funny' parables and sayings of Jesus.
August 21, 2008
OK, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I have not read this entire book (in Pidgin, that is), and yet I feel compelled to include it because it is quite possibly the funniest book I have ever read (Sample translations: Jesus is Lord becomes "He Da King;" God translates as "Big Boss Man.") I also realize that I am leaving myself open to protests from the p.c. crowd, but damn you all, if you had taken turns reading this aloud to friends in a mock-Hawaiian Pidgin dialect, you would nod knowingly and concede my point. I dare you to read this book and not laugh. I dare you.
August 29, 2014
I read portions of this many years ago. It is the New Testament translated into Hawaiian Pidgin. I was fascinated with the interesting way things were translated. I don't know most of the "language" but it gave a fresh way of looking at the verses you are familiar with. Loved it.
September 23, 2014
Two things. Pidgin read by someone whose never heard it in it's home country sounds amusing, or can sound amusing.
Secondly, it's a language. It's not a corruption of English, or English spoken badly, it's a language.
Another secondly, it's a country pidgin, pidgin of Hawaii and Kauai and Maui. The kids growing up in Honolulu on Oahu speak a similar but different version of pidgin.
I like it, to me it's a language of the heart. I have to look words up, it's pretty hard core pidgin, but I understand almost all of it.
As for me. Yeah. Total mainland haole boy. I was in the US Air Force for three years at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu. I loved Hawaii and spent as much time as I could surfing and swimming and going downtown. I had local friends. You just heard pidgin everywhere and I picked up quite a bit of it in the three years. I haven't been in the islands for many years. I still miss it. I still miss hearing pidgin.
Why would anyone not familiar with pidgin want to look at this? Well, it's not too hard to get into and it gives a different view of the bible stories and that's always valuable. That's what I use it for, if there's a passage I need to understand better. And of course, I just enjoy it.
Secondly, it's a language. It's not a corruption of English, or English spoken badly, it's a language.
Another secondly, it's a country pidgin, pidgin of Hawaii and Kauai and Maui. The kids growing up in Honolulu on Oahu speak a similar but different version of pidgin.
I like it, to me it's a language of the heart. I have to look words up, it's pretty hard core pidgin, but I understand almost all of it.
As for me. Yeah. Total mainland haole boy. I was in the US Air Force for three years at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu. I loved Hawaii and spent as much time as I could surfing and swimming and going downtown. I had local friends. You just heard pidgin everywhere and I picked up quite a bit of it in the three years. I haven't been in the islands for many years. I still miss it. I still miss hearing pidgin.
Why would anyone not familiar with pidgin want to look at this? Well, it's not too hard to get into and it gives a different view of the bible stories and that's always valuable. That's what I use it for, if there's a passage I need to understand better. And of course, I just enjoy it.
December 31, 2025
“Everyting you guys do, do um wit love an aloha.”🌻
Whilst serving in Iraq together, the love of my life and I read this amazing Pidgin translation of the Holy Bible. Being originally from Hawai’i Nei, we both felt at home and closer to Jesus Christ as Christians.🌻
In celebration of our wood & silverware wedding anniversary in 2017, I gifted my beautiful wahine the latest Pidgin translation. The above Bible verse is Numba 1 Fo Da Corint Peopo 16:14.🌻
A beautiful foundation of scripture for our little ohana’s four family Bibles that we’ve recently added to our humble & loving Christ-filled home.🌻
Goodreads review shared publicly April 23rd 2020 - coincides with our Pinterest vision boards for our humble Dirige Ohana.🌻🌺🍀🌸🌵
Whilst serving in Iraq together, the love of my life and I read this amazing Pidgin translation of the Holy Bible. Being originally from Hawai’i Nei, we both felt at home and closer to Jesus Christ as Christians.🌻
In celebration of our wood & silverware wedding anniversary in 2017, I gifted my beautiful wahine the latest Pidgin translation. The above Bible verse is Numba 1 Fo Da Corint Peopo 16:14.🌻
A beautiful foundation of scripture for our little ohana’s four family Bibles that we’ve recently added to our humble & loving Christ-filled home.🌻
Goodreads review shared publicly April 23rd 2020 - coincides with our Pinterest vision boards for our humble Dirige Ohana.🌻🌺🍀🌸🌵
July 15, 2009
I think this is a serious, genuine attempt to translate the Bible into Hawaiian Pidgin, so I guess I feel some guilt finding it so hilarious, but one of the quotes on the back reads, "Oh! Dass wat dat mean! -- Leeward Coast churchgoer in Bible study." That's supposed to be funny, right? I feel like a translation of the Bible into Pretentious Liberal Academicese would be equally hilarious as translating "Disciples" into "Jesus Guys – Wat Dey Wen Do."
Want to read
March 8, 2012Ho brah... Try wait. Dis book fo real - no joke.
While it might seem funny at first glance, this is a serious translation of the Christian New Testament into Hawaiian Pidgin English. It is intended to help locals better understand scripture by presenting it in the language they have grown up speaking.
While it might seem funny at first glance, this is a serious translation of the Christian New Testament into Hawaiian Pidgin English. It is intended to help locals better understand scripture by presenting it in the language they have grown up speaking.
Read
May 24, 2013OMG! So hilarious! Yeah I understand this thing is serious, but oh my gosh is it funny! My 4th grade teacher has this book, we all beg her to read it!
April 17, 2011
I'm finding this to be an interesting (and well-done) translation of the NT into Hawaiian Creole. It's especially enjoyable reading this with another bible side-by-side. I have to admit to being pretty ignorant about the book, and am having fun while learning.
June 19, 2021
Too bad dat Jesus guy nevah visit da Islands! Hawaiian Jesus would definitely resonate with me a lot more than Jewish Yeshua. Better yet than just a visit, I think it would have been a wise decision for Yahweh to have knocked up a virgin on Hawaii instead of Palestine. Since YWHH does a 180 switch from His bachelor days and tries to be a lot nicer after father/personhood, Hawaii would have been the perfect location. Just imagine a Hawaiian Jesus for a second! His teachings might actually be worthwhile: have a lot of aloha for people, bang hot chicks on the beach, throw big ol' BBQs, surf, adventure to new places in canoes like a badass, be close and loving with your family, meaningful tattoo culture, conservation of the environment etc..
Paradise on Earth (Hawaii) could be the Christian Mecca that all Christians must visit at least once in their life (think about how great that would be for the tourism industry!). Arrive (on Holy Hawaiian Airlines), don a Tommy Bahama shirt (Holy garb), be gifted your Lei that connects us all in the Great Circle, head over to the shamanamanas that Baptize people off Waikiki Beach (9-5 for reasonable fees), grab a shaved ice etc.. It's a full experience!
To get into how insanely different the world would be without Jewish Christianity would be too labor intensive for this review, so I'll give 2 quick little highlights with what I think would be some cool differences of Hawaiian Christianity (please comment more below!):
-The 60's, instead of being a counterculture epoch in the US, could have been the Great Revival of Bruddah Jesus' teachings. Turn on, tune in, drop out, and have aloha. Woodstock could have been a veritable Council of Nicaea. Also, who doesn't want to watch Jerry Garcia perform in a loincloth?
-Instead of the piles and piles of churches dotting the American landscape, there could be some heiau much more reasonably interspersed for all da peopo to enjoy. No tax exemptions needed.
This Pacific Christianity would, in my humble opinion, be a lot better than Middle Eastern Christianity. Instead of the desertification of spirituality we could have had the weltanschauung of Paradise communicating with paradise (assuming Yahweh's sincerity in rehabilitating Himself and turning His life around for good/Good).
In all seriousness, this is my favorite translation of the Bible to date.
Paradise on Earth (Hawaii) could be the Christian Mecca that all Christians must visit at least once in their life (think about how great that would be for the tourism industry!). Arrive (on Holy Hawaiian Airlines), don a Tommy Bahama shirt (Holy garb), be gifted your Lei that connects us all in the Great Circle, head over to the shamanamanas that Baptize people off Waikiki Beach (9-5 for reasonable fees), grab a shaved ice etc.. It's a full experience!
To get into how insanely different the world would be without Jewish Christianity would be too labor intensive for this review, so I'll give 2 quick little highlights with what I think would be some cool differences of Hawaiian Christianity (please comment more below!):
-The 60's, instead of being a counterculture epoch in the US, could have been the Great Revival of Bruddah Jesus' teachings. Turn on, tune in, drop out, and have aloha. Woodstock could have been a veritable Council of Nicaea. Also, who doesn't want to watch Jerry Garcia perform in a loincloth?
-Instead of the piles and piles of churches dotting the American landscape, there could be some heiau much more reasonably interspersed for all da peopo to enjoy. No tax exemptions needed.
This Pacific Christianity would, in my humble opinion, be a lot better than Middle Eastern Christianity. Instead of the desertification of spirituality we could have had the weltanschauung of Paradise communicating with paradise (assuming Yahweh's sincerity in rehabilitating Himself and turning His life around for good/Good).
In all seriousness, this is my favorite translation of the Bible to date.
June 23, 2018
"Da Boss Above, he take care me,
Jalike da sheep farma take care his sheeps.
He goin give me everyting I need.
He let me lie down wea da sweet an soft grass stay.
He lead me by da water wea I can rest.
He give me new kine life.
He lead me in da road dat stay right,
Cuz I his guy."
I'm fully aware that this was translated in earnest. However, as a non-Pidgin speaker, I couldn't stop chuckling at this translation. I will take this over King James any day.
Jalike da sheep farma take care his sheeps.
He goin give me everyting I need.
He let me lie down wea da sweet an soft grass stay.
He lead me by da water wea I can rest.
He give me new kine life.
He lead me in da road dat stay right,
Cuz I his guy."
I'm fully aware that this was translated in earnest. However, as a non-Pidgin speaker, I couldn't stop chuckling at this translation. I will take this over King James any day.
January 8, 2018
My go-to read when I'm homesick.
Hilarious and beautiful and so Hawaii <3
Hilarious and beautiful and so Hawaii <3
November 19, 2020
Oh gosh. I love this so much! This is a legit way people talk and the fact someone wrote a Bible in pidgin is amazing!! I wonder how long it would've taken to do the ENTIRE Bible...
January 26, 2008
Da pidgin English version of da New Testament.
A sample title from page 446:
"If You Show Respeck Fo Yoa Body, Dat Show You Get Respeck Fo God"
A sample title from page 446:
"If You Show Respeck Fo Yoa Body, Dat Show You Get Respeck Fo God"
September 24, 2009
We picked up this book in Hawaii. It's the bible in Hawaiian pidgin. It's quite hilarious. I haven't read it cover to cover, it would drive me nuts. But it's pretty funny.
February 7, 2012
AWESOME!!!!
January 21, 2008
The Christian New Testament told in the Hawaiian Pigeon-English vernacular.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews