“‘But here is how I will answer you,’ he told them. ‘Any man who sends his wife away and marries another is guilty of being unfaithful to her, unless she was the one who was not faithful.'”
-Matthew 19:9, First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament
I love reading Bible verses in different translations.
After reading the Bible for decades, I find it helpful to hear the same ideas in a different voice. It often opens up new insights as Holy Spirit speaks a new word into my heart through that new version.
Recently, I picked up new version. It is the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament. I’ve known about the existence of this version for some time, but I now own a copy.
My first foray into the text was to look up this key verse–19:9–out of the Gospel of Matthew. The context is Jesus is being questioned by the religious leaders about his take on divorce and Moses permission to divorce. It was a trap that Jesus deftly avoided as usual.
I love how the First Nations Version renders the verse.
It erases the shame around faithful spouses remarrying. The implication that a remarried faithful spouse is NOT committing adultery is embedded in the way the version states this verse. Only the cheater is responsible for infidelity in those cases.
The remarriage is NOT an example of unfaithfulness when the first spouse was already unfaithful!
I know faithful spouses struggle with the idea of whether or not they are permitted to remarry after divorce. This is a nice clarifying verse from this version. It makes it clear that the faithful party is not bound to remain married to the cheater or single once divorced.
God is merciful. That is why, I believe, He allows faithful spouses to divorce cheaters and remarry!
He is not so cruel as to hold us responsible for another’s choice to live a lifestyle of sin–even if that person is a spouse (see 2 Cor 5:10).
