Babel

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11: 1-9)

Kissi

This version is in Southern Kissi, as spoken in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Mɛ̄ɛ̍ wāŋnda̍ būmba̍ tāŋgūllo̍ Ba̍bɛ̄ɛ̄l yɛ̍

  1. A̍ bōōndi̍i̍ ke̍ŋ, sūɛ̍i̍ ma̍ŋgālɛ̄i̍ ī pīlɛ̍ kpe̍ wa̍ o̍ chi̍e̍ēŋndo̍ chōo̍ ni̍. Ndu̍yɛ̍, vēēlū pīlɔ̍ɔ̄ kpe̍ nda̍ a̍a̍ ve̍e̍lū nyɔ̍ɔ̍ŋ ni̍.
  2. O̍ ko̍ŋ, mi̍ wāŋnda̍ cha᷄ŋ ba̍lɔ̄ɔ̍ o̍ chi̍e̍ēŋndo̍ ni᷄ŋ, ma̍ kūā bā pāa̍le̍ŋ lē chāŋndo̍. Ā lo̍ bālɔ̄ɔ̍ ma̍ sāālu᷄ŋ dɛ̍ŋgbɛ̍ bɛ̍ndōo̍ o̍ lɛ̄ŋndē Ba̍bi̍lɔ̄ŋnde̍ŋ ni᷄ŋ ma̍ chāl lo̍ŋ.
  3. Ma̍ dīmu̍la᷅ŋ āā, “Ŋ̄ lɔ̄ɔ̄nūŋ kpi̍līki̍o̍ŋ, mī ŋ̄ lōm mu̍ŋ mī ŋ̄ kēndū nyɛ̄ kɛ̄ndɛ̍ī mī ŋ̄ tāŋgu̍lūŋ.” O̍ ko̍ŋ, ma̍ lūāā kpi̍līki̍o̍ŋ ma̍ kāndū tāŋgūllo̍ a̍ mu̍ŋ sɔ̍ŋgɔ̍ pōūta̍ŋ, ndu̍yɛ̍, ko̍tɛ̍i̍yo̍ wa̍ sɔ̍ŋgɔ̍ mɔ̍tɛ̄i̍yo̍ le̍ kpi̍līki̍o̍ŋ hāndɔ̄ɔ̍ ni̍.
  4. O̍ ko̍ŋ kɔ̍ɔ̍lī, ma̍ dīmu̍la᷅ŋ āā, “Ŋ̄ tēŋgu̍lu᷅ŋ na̍a̍ pi̍la̍ chi̍e̍e̍ bɛ̍ndōo̍, mī ŋ̄ tāŋgu̍l chīɛ̄ī tɔ̍ɔ̍ma̍ bɛ̄ndōo̍, mī tūllo̍ fūūlu̍u̍ o̍ ha̍la̍ di̍, le̍ mī ŋ̄ fūla̍ tɔ̍ɔ̍. Ko̍ŋ to̍sā ŋ̄ se̍ŋnūŋ ndɛ̍ o̍ chi̍e̍ēŋndo̍ chōo̍ kpo̍u̍ le̍.”
  5. O̍ ko̍ŋ kɔ̍ɔ̍lī, mi̍ Mɛ̄lɛ̄ka̍ Ya̍a̍wɛ̄ɛ̄ o̍ cha̍ŋ o̍ fo̍ndāŋ ndɔ̄ɔ̍, mbo̍ tūāl o̍ chi̍e̍ēŋndo̍ chōo̍ le̍ mbō chē chi̍e̍e̍ bɛ̍ndū ŋ̄wāŋndā chīe̍e̍ a̍ wa̍ tāŋgūllo̍ wo̍, a̍ chīɛ̄ī vīlɛ̄ī kōŋ.
  6. Mi̍ Mɛ̄lɛ̄ka̍ Ya̍a̍wɛ̄ɛ̄ lo᷅ o̍ ko̍ŋ mbo̍ dīmī āā, “Chūāā ŋ̄wāŋndā chīe̍e̍ a̍ cho̍ dīōmndo̍ ō pīlɛ̍, ndu̍yɛ̍ sūɛ̍i̍ ma̍ŋgālɛ̄ī pīlɛ̍i̍ kpe̍ nda̍ sūāā ni̍. Nyɛ̄ nda̍ chō ho̍ō tōsāa̍ wo̍, kāndɔ̍ɔ̍ ko̍ nda̍ kāndu̍ wɔ̄ ni̍. Tē wānā ma̍l nda̍ pɛ̍, nyɛ̄ o̍ nyɛ̄ nda̍ yēēma̍ ā chō wā tōsāa̍.
  7. Le̍la̍ŋ, ŋ̄ to᷄l mī ŋ̄ kɔ̍ la̍a̍sīāā sūɛ̍i̍ nda̍ dīmī ve̍, o̍ ko̍ŋ, ō pīlɛ̍ sōo̍ ni᷅ŋ bɛ̍ɛ̍ chāa̍ŋ ndɔ̄ si̍nā lɛ̍ ndu̍ lāpɛ̄ŋgu̍ le̍.”
  8. O̍ ko̍ŋ, mi̍ Mɛ̄lɛ̄ka̍ Ya̍a̍wɛ̄ɛ̄ pu̍u̍sīāā nda̍ lo̍ŋ. Ma̍ sāŋnu᷄ŋ ba᷅ o̍ bā fe̍e̍ o̍ chi̍e̍ēŋndo̍ chōo̍. Chi̍e̍e̍ bɛ̍ndū nda̍ wa̍ tāŋgūllo̍ wo̍ mbo̍ mɛ̄ɛ̄lū.
  9. Le̍ sa̍bū kōŋ nda̍ ke̍ chi̍e̍e̍ ka̍lāa̍ dīōla̍ŋ ni̍ āā, Ba̍bɛ̄ɛ̄l, kāni̍ fu̍u̍le̍, lo̍ŋ Mɛ̄lɛ̄ka̍ Ya̍a̍wɛ̄ɛ̄ la̍a̍si̍a̍a̍ sɔ̄ɔ̍ŋ wāŋnda̍ o̍ lāsōndō o̍ chi̍e̍ēŋndo̍ chōo̍ kpo̍u̍ ni̍. Lo̍ŋ Mɛ̄lɛ̄ka̍ Ya̍a̍wɛ̄ɛ̄ pu̍u̍si̍a̍a̍ nda̍ ni̍, ma̍ sāŋnu᷄ŋ o̍ chi̍e̍ēŋndo̍ ni᷄ŋ kpo̍u̍.

Source: Chɛnɛsee (Genesis). The Bible in Southern Kisi.

Contributed by Wolfgang Kuhl

Kissi is a member of the Mel branch of Niger-Congo languages spoken in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

More information about Kissi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kissi_language
http://www.ethnologue.com/language/kss

Tower of Babel in Mel languages

Baga, Kissi

Other Tower of Babel translations

By language | By language family

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