The popular Holy Bible mobile app by Bible.com has a Jamaican patois (patwah) translation of the New Testament called “Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment”. Below is John 1: 1-18 in Jamaican patois (patwah) and English. Test Your Patois (Patwah ) Reading Skills? Can you read and understand it?
Jan 1 : 1-18
1 Wen taim did staat, di Wod did de bout, an di Wod did de de wid Gad. Matarafak, di Wod a did Gad.
2 Di Wod did de bout wid Gad fram bifuo di worl kom bout.
3 Gad kaaz di wan we a di Wod fi mek evriting. Notn no de we im neehn mek.
4 Im a di wan we mek evriting liv, an a im kyari lait kom gi piipl so dem kyan si.
5 Im shain an lait op di daak an di daak kudn tap di lait fram shain!
6 Nou, yu did av wan man we Gad did sen kom. Im niem Jan.
7 Gad did sen Jan fi tel piipl bout di wan we a di lait, so dem kuda biliiv we Jan se.
8 Jan a neehn di lait. Im did onggl kom fi tel piipl bout di lait.
9 Da lait de a di riil lait an im kom iina di worl an mek evribadi nuo im.
10 A im mek di worl an im kom liv iina it, bot di piipl dem iina di worl neehn nuo a uu im.
11 Im kom tu im uona konchri an im uona piipl dem ton dem bak pan im.
12 Bot az fi aal a dem we welkom im — dat fi se, dem we chos iina im an im niem, im gi dem di rait fi ton Gad pikni. 13 Bot dem no baan iina Gad fambili laka ou naamal pikni baan wid mada an faada, ar kaaz sumadi did fiil fi av seks, ar kaaz wan ozban mek op im main se im waahn pikni. Nuo! A Gad imself mek dem baan.
14 Nou, di wan we a di Wod ton man, im kom kom liv mongks wi, an wi si ou im big an powaful. Im a Faada Gad wan an onggl dege-dege Bwai Pikni. Faada Gad sen im kom an a di Faada mek im so big an powaful. Di Bwai Pikni shuo wi nof nof lov iivn duo wi no dizorv it, an a bier chuu sitn im shuo wi bout Gad.
15 Jan kom an im tel piipl bout im. Im baal out an tel dem se, “Da wan ya, a im mi did a taak bout wen mi tel unu se, ‘Di sumadi we de kom afta mi, im wie wie biga an beta dan mi, kaaz im did de bout fram lang bifuo mi baan.’ ”
16 Siek-a ou im lov wi so moch an tel wi bier chuu sitn bout Gad, wi get muo lov fram im pan tap a di lov we wi did a get aredi.
17 Kaaz, yu si, Gad gi Muoziz di Laa fi gi wi, bot im yuuz Jiizas fi mek wi nuo wa chuu, an siek-a Jiizas, im shuo wi lov we wi no dizorv.
18 Nobadi neva eva si Gad yet. Di onggl sumadi we eva si im a di wan dege-dege Bwai
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'”
16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
