“All One in Christ Jesus”

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The aim of Bibles International is to put God's Word in the language of the common person. If people can read the Scriptures in their native tongue, it touches their heart in a special way.

Recently there were two very different kinds of workshops, one in Luxembourg, and one in Chad. The settings of the workshops were in stark contrast to each other, yet they both had the same goal. The people of these countries, though at the far ends of the economic spectrum, need God's Word in their everyday language.

Luxembourg is a bustling crossroads of the world. It is a small country with a half million people, but it has its own university, many banks, European institutions, and international high-tech companies. People from all over the world pass through its borders. Most speak French, German, or English, but the nationals grow up speaking Luxembourgish. It is spoken in the streets and taught in the schools, but there is no Bible translated into Luxembourgish.

In early December 2010, Chief Translation Consultant Glenn Kerr met with Tim Heijermans and a highly skilled team in the capital city, to begin an exciting project – D’Bibel fir Lëtzebuerg. Miriam Schartz will be the primary translator, supported by Françoise Bernard, Lynn Weiland and Pastor Tim Heijermans. A Read-and-Review Committee is in formation. Glenn Kerr gave an intensive three-week training seminar, detailing all that would be involved in completing this project.

With access to all the latest technology of emails and video conferencing, Glenn Kerr will be available for consultation anytime the translators in Luxembourg need advice. All those involved have joyfully dedicated themselves to the long-term commitment, because they can see the goal of having a Luxembourgish Bible to use in their churches and evangelization.

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In a small village, farther south on the globe, outside Sarh, Chad, another group of people were celebrating. A new translation center, with a concrete floor and electricity, will soon be finished. The first meeting ever held in the building was the Direction Committee meeting held there in January. The Chadian translators look forward to working in such a “luxurious” building.

Life in Chad is not easy. Bumpy dirt roads lead to clusters of mud huts. Food is cooked over open fires, but a lot of hard work has gone into making the building useable for the workshop.   Electricity and Internet access is intermittent or inaccessible. Yet, the local believers are joyful and hospitable, and dedicated to the Lord’s work.

The translation of the Sara Kaba Naa Bible has extended over 20 years (the New Testament having been printed in 1987). The Sara Kaba Naa translation workshop, January 17-21, was headed by Dr. Hantz Bernard, senior consultant and director of BI. Also in attendance were two consultants-in-training, Joshua Hedges and Anna Beth Wivell. Consultant Susan Hossack was also present for the first two days. They were able to check the entire book of II Samuel.

The names of the musical instruments created some discussion, since there are no such words as “psaltery”, “timbrels”, etc. in Sara Kaba Naa. This happens in all translation work. Some choose to invent a word or phrase, using similar terms in their language. The Chadians often choose to adopt French words when they come to these situations (since French is the official language of that country), but a difficulty arises if the word develops a modern connotation other than the one used in the Bible. Since these musical terms will probably continue to be ancient terms, the committee opted to use the French terms – with the approval of the Read-and-Review Committee and further native-speaker discussion.

It doesn’t matter if you have the latest modern conveniences or live in a mud hut; true happiness is found in having the joy of the Lord in your heart and His Word in your hands. Pray for both of these groups of people as they strive to put God’s Word into the language of the people.