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When it came time to test some recently-drafted chapters of Genesis among the Zanaki people in order to see how well they understood them, my co-translator and I sought out a group of non-Christians. The story of Noah and the flood is just too familiar to people who attend church. We knew that even if there was something confusing in the Zanaki translation, people would still give us the right answers to our comprehension questions, since they'd know the story from hearing it read in church in Swahili.
When a small group had formed, I started reading Genesis 8 aloud to them. In another village we had read the first few chapters about Noah and the flood, but hadn't had quite enough time to finish the story, so with this group we were testing the chapters about the flood receding and God's covenant with Noah. They were a good audience; they were quiet while we were reading and paid great attention so that when we asked our questions, they were prepared to answer.
After we read the verses in Genesis 9 about God putting the rainbow in the clouds as a sign of his covenant to never flood the earth again, one man spoke up before we had a chance to ask any questions. He said, "Now I know why there are rainbows! I've often seen them in the sky and never knew the true history behind them before hearing this read today."
We were glad that the people in this group received the Scriptures well and acknowledged them to be true, not just a traditional story about a different god. We hope that someday they will be able to read the New Testament in Zanaki when it is finished and believe in Jesus when they learn about him.
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