Each year at Christmas, I have tried to bring my readers a taste of how Christmas was celebrated in South Carolina just before and during the Civil War. This year, I'm particularly delighted to bring you the story of Christmas from Luke 2: 1-20, as told in De Nyew Testament, translated into the Gullah language, American Bible Society, 2005. Jedus Bon Luke 2: 1-21 1 Een dat time, Caesar Augustus been de rula ob de Roman people. E mek a law een all de town een de wol wehe hab tority, say, ebrybody haffa go ta town fa count by de head an write down e name. 2 Dis been de fus time dey count by de head, jurin de time Quirinius de gobna ob Syria country. 3 So den, ebrybody gone fa count by de head, ta e own town weh e ol people been bon. 4 Now Joseph same fashion gone fom Nazareth town een Galilee. E trabel ta de town name Betlem een Judea, weh de ole people leada, King David, been bon. Joseph gone dey cause e blongst ta David fambly. 5 E gone fa count by de head, an Mary gone long wid um. E gage fa marry um. An Mary been speckin. 6 Same time wen dey been dey, time come fa Mary gone een. 7 E hab boy chile, e fusbon. E wrop um op een closs wa been teah eenta scrip an lay um een a trough weh dey feed de cow an oda animal dem. Cause Mary an Joseph beena stay weh de animal sleep. Dey ain been no room fa dem eenside de bodin house. De Shephud Dem Go fa See de Chile Jedus 8 Now some shephud been dey een de fiel dat night. Dey beena stay dey, da mind 9 Den one angel ob de Lawd appeah ta um. De night time done lightnin op jes like day clean broad. Cause ob dat, de shephud mos scaid ta det. 10 Bot de angel tell um say, Mus dohn feah! A hab good nyews wa gwine mek ebrybody rejoice. 11 Cause A come fa tell oona, Right now, dis day, a Sabior done bon fa oona. E Christ de Lawd. An e bon een David town.’ 12 A gwine tell oona wa oona gwine see dey. Cause ob dat, oona gwine know A done tell oona de trute. Oona gwine find de chile wrop op een closs wa been teah eenta scrip, an e been leddown een a trough. 13 All ob a sudden, a heapa oda angel fom heaben been longside dat angel. Dey all da praise God, say,
15 Den de angel lef um an gone back ta heaben. An de shephud dem say ta one noda, Leh we go ta Betlem fa see dis ting wa happen oba dey. De Lawd esef done sen e angel fa tell we. 16 So de shephud dem mek hace an gone ta Betlem fa look. Wen dey git dey, dey find Mary an Joseph an de chile. An dat chile been leddown een a trough. 17 Atta de shephud shim, dey done tell ebrybody bout de chile. Dey tell um all wa de angel done say consaanin um. 18 An all de people wa de shephud dem tell been stonish. 19 Mary memba all dis ting an study bout um. 20 De shephud dem gone back ta dey fiel. Dey da praise God. Dey da rejaice tommuch fa all dey done see an yeh. All wa de angel done tell um, e stan jes like e say. If you have trouble reading this, try comparing it to The King James Version of the Bible, or simply read the sounds out loud. |
