Honouring the legacy of St Jerome by translating God’s word today

On 30 September every year, the United Nations marks the importance of translation and the world-changing work of language professionals. They picked that date because it’s the feast of St Jerome, who was one of history’s great Bible translators. 

Jerome believed that in order to know God we need to experience God’s word. He said: ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.’

Should anyone be left in ignorance of Christ because they don’t speak one of the world’s main languages? Having been entrusted with the word of God, there’s a responsibility to make it available in all languages. The presence of God in a community can change everything.

When the Bible was published in the Jola language for the first time, Michael Ellis, who leads outreach work in The Gambia, said: ‘The Bible is for all people, in every living language.’

Jola is spoken by one in twenty Gambians. It’s not enough for a Jola-speaker, Christian or otherwise, to have to read the Bible in another language. With the Bible in their own language, Michael said, ‘Faith will grow among the Jola. People of all backgrounds will come to know Jesus and society will be transformed.’

Bao’ai’s story: the power of the Wa Bible

Major change came to rural communities in Southwestern China when the Bible arrived in the indigenous Wa language. Many Wa-speakers, like Bao Bao’ai, were nominally Christian but had no knowledge of the Bible. For example, when Bao’ai’s wife became ill, he practised healing rituals. He said: ‘When I didn't have a Bible, I lacked a clear understanding of God's will and guidance. I made decisions that were not pleasing to God.’

Bible Society supporters funded a new translation of the Bible into Wa, which uses a western script. Clearly understanding God’s word for the first time, Bao’ai gave up his superstitions and also inspired his son to quit drugs. On top of that, his daughter-in-law became a Christian. ‘The Bible has transformed my entire family and turned our lives around,’ Bao’ai said. ‘It is more valuable to me than silver or gold.’ 

Li’s story: the need for a Ganyi Bible 

Bible translation is hard work. Li Shaoxiang worked for 16 years to produce a translation in another indigenous Chinese language, Ganyi. ‘The initial phase was especially difficult,’ Li said. ‘My son was starting school and we were financially very stretched. I felt really bad that my parents and wife had to carry the burden of providing for the family. Meanwhile, I had to work doubly hard to understand the Chinese Bible, consulting reference books and discussing it with my fellow Bible translators. Then I had to consider how to translate it accurately into the Ganyi language.’

Why did he do it? Because Ganyi-speakers, like all of us, need to hear God speak their language. ‘I knew they were all longing to see the word of God in their own language.’

Abraham’s story: the impact of the Jola Bible 

Translators in The Gambia, working on the Jola translation, went through the same trials. ‘This has been my desire for a long time, and we have prayed to see this Bible completed,’ said Abraham. ‘I am a Jola, brought up in a Muslim family, and now I follow Jesus. How? Because of the word of God. This Bible will impact people’s lives so much.’

At the launch of the Jola Bible, Abraham delighted in the sound of worship in Jola. People express joy in the language most natural to them, and that’s how they want to experience God. ‘It is very important to know God in your own language,’ he said.

Issakka, who worked on the translation, said: ‘Now people will be reading the Scriptures for themselves. They will not be looking at God through the lens of another person but looking at God through the lens of the Bible.’

There’s no substitute for that.

Thank you for making these and more translations possible through your generous support, whether by twinning your Bible with a generous donation of £60 or by supporting Bible translation by giving any amount.