Translation

I received an email a couple of weeks ago with a most intriguing request. A person who identified himself as being somewhere between Jewish and LDS asked if I can assist in translating a hymn into Hebrew. The hymn was "Because I have been given much", and I agree this is a great choice, since its message is so universal.

If you are not familiar with this hymn, here are the words:

Because I Have Been Given Much

Because I have been given much, I too must give;
Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live;
I shall divide my gifts from thee
With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed by thy good care,
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread,
My roof’s safe shelter overhead,
That he too may be comforted.

Because I have been blessed by thy great love, dear Lord,
I’ll share thy love again, according to thy word.
I shall give love to those in need;
I’ll show that love by word and deed:
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

Obviously, I jumped at the opportunity. It turned out to be quite a challenge. The translation itself, was not difficult. It was everything around it: Maintaining the Meter, the natural rhythm of the language, and the rhyming scheme along with the meaning of the verses - now there's a challenge for you!

I worked through the spirit on this one, with several rewrites, and improvements, until I felt I could rest. The response I got from this person was very rewarding, but the work itself was more important and more gratifying. I miss having a BoM in Hebrew, so any opportunity to add LDS material to the Hebrew repertoire seems important to me.

It is always a blessing to see God's work in action. Be it through myself or through others. I am eager to do more of this kind of work, and welcome any requests.

You can find the end result of "Because I have been given much" here.