Misinterpreted
A well-respected preacher and theologian was visiting a church in Africa. He was invited to preach, and, wanting to be courteous, asked how he might say, “good evening,” in the local dialect. His interpreter told him what to say, and as he walked into the main church building he observed some notices on two doors, which were obviously toilets. The preacher noted down what it said on the two doors and thought he’d give an even more impressive greeting.
As he stood up to speak, he said what he thought was, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” There was a stunned silence, followed by giggles and then laughter. The preacher turned to his interpreter and asked, “What did I just say?” With a broad grin, the interpreter said… “Good evening, water closets and urinals!”
If you don’t understand the language you can get into all manner of scrapes. The Bible is full of ways to avoid the scrapes of life but most people haven’t got a bible in an up-to-date translation that they can understand. Pop into a bible-believing church this week and ask for one.
