Ethics, Decoloniality, and Evangelicalism in the First Nations Version New Testament

This article offers a case study of ethics in the First Nations Version New Testament, a decolonial, English-language translation undertaken by Native North Americans to share the message of Jesus Christ with their own people. Tymoczko’s (2014) and Nord’s (1997) complementary frameworks for self-reflexivity and loyalty in translation reveal how the translators’ attentiveness to their evangelical faith, Native identity, and the legacy of missionary colonialism shaped their translation decisions and influenced the ways in which they demonstrated loyalty to their target audience and to the biblical authors. The case presents a noteworthy example of minoritized peoples addressing ethical concerns raised in biblical translation studies.