Sorry, more of an outline today. I was busy translating and reading Greek.

I found a recipe on the cornmeal box for Tamale Pie. I made that today for dinner. It is not bad; a comfort food from someone’s grandma I suspect.

Lunch for me was the last can of Chunky Chicken Noodle from Cambell’s. It is of note as the last of the emergency purchases of soup.

I also made cornbread muffins today from Famous Dave’s mix. It is the new go-to for cornbread muffins. Susie approves!

I attended online worship and the group meetings with Rev. Ann Weld-Martin and later at 2PM with Joan Goldhamer, including Susie this time. Susie and I also watched the on-line church service before that with Dondrea giving the sermon.

The scripture got my attention as I was surprised by the variations of translation I heard. Having learned enough Greek to be able to translate it myself, I went back to the Greek and also the old English versions (I keep quite a few old versions on my shelf as I do not trust the Internet with religious texts).

Romans 5:2-5 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

² through whom we have obtained access^[a] to this grace in which we stand; and we^[b] boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we^[c]also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

I decided to translate this section:

 ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

The text according to Wild (reading Greek and acknowledging the other translations):

and events happen⁴, and we are tested, and tests produce hope.

I don’t get to try out my Greek very often! It takes me hours to do just a few words. It is not very poetic, but it fits with the Greek I think.

On the translation, to keep to the original the one word must repeat, in my version, I use “test” while the NRSV went with “character” twice.

I spent much of the day cooking and cleaning and working in Greek. I just could not let it go until I understood every word in Greek and why it was translated the way it was.

Sorry this might not be that interesting–but it was a day to be a scholar for me. I do not get to do that often!

The reports for today have over eight-hundred Americans die from the virus. The infection rate is now increasing. I had to search the Methodist Hymnal for this one and then found it online: Blest Be The Tie That Binds.