The story of the Tower of Babel is one of the most well-known stories from the Bible. It has found its way into art, and the “Babylonian confusion of languages” is proverbial. Translating the story into Toki Pona is, in a way, an antithesis to it because Toki Pona aims to connect people across language barriers.
Read the first verses of the story:
1 ma ale li jo e toki wan e nimi sama. 2 ona li tawa tan ma pi open suno la, ona li kama tawa ma supa anpa lon ma Sinale, li awen lon ma ni. 3 jan li toki tawa jan pona ona e ni: o kama! mi o leko e leko, o seli e ni lon seli. leko li kiwen tawa ona. ko li ko kiwen tawa ona. 4 ona li toki e ni: o kama! mi o pali tawa mi e ma tomo e tomo palisa. lawa tomo o lon sewi. mi o pali tawa mi e nimi. ante la mi pakala weka lon sinpin ale ma.
lipu open 11,1-4
1 ma ale li jo e toki wan e nimi sama.
lipu open
2 ona li tawa tan ma pi(open suno) la
zz ona li kama tawa ma supa anpa lon ma [sin:ale:]
zz zz li awen lon ma ni.
3 jan li toki tawa jan pona ona e ni:
zz zz o kama.
zz zz mi o leko e leko
zz zz o seli e ni lon seli.
zz zz leko li kiwen tawa ona.
zz zz ko li ko kiwen tawa ona.
4 ona li toki e ni:
zz zz o kama.
zz zz mi o pali tawa mi e ma tomo e tomo palisa.
zz zz lawa tomo o lon sewi.
zz zz mi o pali tawa mi e nimi.
zz zz ante la
zz zz zz mi pakala weka lon sinpin ale ma.