Josephus,
You wrote:
Is that your only defense? You have nothing to say to counter the original Hebrew and Greek? You can't. It's not possible to counter it with something else unless you make up parts of the bible that aren't there, and translations usually do that. It doesn't matter if you use RSV, NIV, or KJV. The only thing that stands as accurate scripture is the very language it was written in, and the language keeps the first and third person transitional of "me", and "him" - indicating it is the SAME person talking who get's pierced, and we know from the previous verse that it is the Lord God who is talking.
The accuracy of any translation is tested against the truth.
The NIV renders Zechariah 12:10 thus:
"...They will look on ME, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for HIM as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for HIM as one grieves for a firstborn son."
The RSV renders Zechariah 12:10 ths:
"...when they look on HIM whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for HIM, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over HIM, as one weeps over a firstborn."
There is no denying that it is the Lord God speaking in this verse. But the NIV is mistranslated to make it appear that it was the Lord God who was pierced by using "ME" instead of "Him" so that the myth of God and Jesus being one and the same God may find some sort of Biblical support. If it was the Lord God that was pierced and hanging on the cross, who was He crying out to, saying: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
The truth is, God is spirit (John 4:24) and cannot be pierced. It was the Father speaking in Zechariah 12:10 and He was referring to His Son who was pierced and mourned as an only child and wept over as a firstborn. Thus, the RSV is the more accurte translation.
You wrote:
It is in all love that I encourage you to stop your debate, and instead seek out the truth from the perspective of the bible, and not from the perspective of some translator.
Do you understand what you are saying Josephus? Whose perspective is it that
the Father is the only true God? Whose perspective is it that God is spirit (John 4:24) and has no flesh and bones as Jresus has (Luke 24:39)? Whose perspectibe is it that it was God who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 10:9)?
You are the one who's hanging on to some translator's perspective because it supports your false belief about Jesus and God.
You wrote:
... you will never discover truth if you cling to just one or two voices your ears itch to keep hearing because you like it.
Yeah, that's why you like listening to the NIV rendition of Zechariah 12:10 because it's what your itching ears want to hear - that God and Jesus are one and the same God.
You wrote:
Only those who truly seek out the Lord find him.
That's true my friend. That's why until now you have not found the
only true God.
You wrote:
My ears don't itch, Ed. I listen to everybody and read everything.
But you listen only to those that your itching ears want to hear. Can you imagine God saying "me" they pierced and "him" they mourn just so Trinitarians ccan find support for their false belief?
You wrote:But in the end, I make the final decision. It is my eternal destiny after all, and I truly believe in God's promise to mankind that "those who draw near to him, he draws near to." I will seek, and there is nothing wrong with seeking without any bias except only two: God exists, and the bible is true. Aside from these two, have no other bias when you approach scripture Ed. If you do, then you will learn and come to learn a lot.[/quote]
I hope you truly believe the Bible especially John 8:40 and John 17:3 because knowing the only true God and knowing the one whom the only true God sent means eternal life.
Ed