IT STARTED WITH ANCIENT KINGS
God’s Word is meant to be a constant in our lives—something we turn to every day for wisdom, direction, hope, and encouragement. It has been this way all the way back to the kings of Israel!
Deuteronomy 17:18-19 says, “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.”
Imagine the king—the most powerful man in the kingdom—taking a piece of parchment paper and laboring, day and night, writing his own personal copy of the law of Israel, reading it every day, and following the words carefully!
And if the ancient kings—anointed by God—were to revere God’s Word, study their own copies of it, and hide it in their hearts, then I am convinced this is still relevant for us today.
THE CRY OF NATIONAL TRANSLATORS
We receive requests from translators around the world every day, and they are eager to have God’s Word in their heart language. Why? So they can grow in the fullness of the gospel, hiding these valuable truths in their heart!
I think about the Kizibaziba who live in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Local believers long to have the entire Bible in their heart language. Their hearts are so hungry for God’s Word that whenever a passage of Scripture is translated, it is immediately taught to the local body of believers.
Passionate about seeing this project completed, community members expect the local translation team members to work around the clock! When one translator was seen out in public, he was asked why he wasn’t working on translating! That’s true desire and passion for God’s Word!
In the Middle East, one pastor had a dream that he would be able to share Scripture with his underground congregation in their heart language. Constant government surveillance and intense persecution threaten this pastor and his passion for God’s Word. But even in the face of danger, a local body of believers—willing to stand by their courageous pastor—will do anything to have God’s Word in their heart language.
So, after they completed the New Testament, they immediately started translating the Old Testament. The commitment of these translators is so great because they know that without the entirety of the Bible, their people cannot fully understand the depths of God’s love and justice . . . and they will not stop until they are able to share the Scriptures with others trapped in spiritual darkness.
I think about the marginalized and often-forgotten language groups living on the edges of society. Every day, they fight against the lie that they aren’t valued . . . that their language and their culture doesn’t matter. Local believers living on the fringes are longing to have God’s Word translated in their heart language so they will finally be able to understand the intimacy of God’s love! They will not let poverty inhibit them. They will not let persecution scare them—because they are determined to do whatever it takes to have God’s Word.
Each of these translation groups know that a bigger message of love and salvation exists in the pages of Scripture—but they cannot reach the full understanding or have the complete Scriptures in the language of their hearts without the proper translation resources.
THE NEED FOR TRANSLATION TOOLS
Bible translation technology can help them solve this problem. Technology for National Translators—what we call TNT—is a powerful tool to help local translators see their prayers answered.
We deploy laptop computers loaded with specialized Bible translation software and provide the training to use it, equipping national Bible translators through local churches to translate the Bible themselves!
The TNT kits include:
- A computer—and personalized training to use it
- Specialized Bible translation software—and ongoing support as they work on their translation
- An uplink to our library of translation resources—and training to use them
- An online connection to other Bible translators—so they can collaborate with others, check each other’s work, and work more efficiently together
We’re equipping local churches to lead their own Bible translation efforts and enabling them to pass on their learnings and techniques to surrounding language groups as well. TNT in remote areas helps not just one language group, but many!
PROVIDING TNT KITS
Just like the kings of Israel in ancient times, the Word of God must be a daily guide—write it down, read it, and follow it. We must be dependent on the powerful truths found in God’s Word!
National translators are keenly aware of this necessity and are ready to begin their translation work—they are awaiting the day when their language group finally has all of God’s Word in their heart language. And we are eager to provide 30 TNT kits to help these faithful brothers and sisters.
I invite you to take this great opportunity to help provide brothers and sisters with the resources they need to translate Scripture into their heart language so they can hide God’s Word in their hearts! Each TNT kit costs $1,500, and to provide all 30 kits, we will need $45,000.
Through your prayerful gift today, you can help provide everything national Bible translators need to translate Scripture into their heart language . . . and by doing so, entire communities can be transformed!
God’s Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever! From the thrones of ancient Israel into the heart of the jungle or the underground churches of the Middle East, we still need God’s Word to lead and guide us every day, and we must have God’s Word to hide in our hearts. These translators and their people want their own copies of God’s Word to study for themselves!
Please prayerfully consider a generous gift to partner with national Bible translators and provide the technology tools and training they need today.
