What’s ultimately at stake in Bible translation is the praise and glory of the slain Lamb. Revelation envisions a kingdom people from every tribe and people and language (Revelation 5:9; 7:9). Bible translation aims at our God and the Lamb receiving more and more praise as the translated word impacts ethnolinguistic people groups all around the world.

Ten years ago, my wife and I moved from the United States to France (to study French), and then to Cameroon, Central Africa, as recently minted members of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Our hearts had been gripped by Paul’s logic in Romans 10:14–17: sent ones are needed to proclaim the word of Christ, yet many do not even have access to a word of Scripture that can be so proclaimed. And we were deeply impacted to learn that the highest concentration of languages needing Bible translation to begin is in Asia and Africa. We sensed God leading us to relocate to Africa.

In Cameroon, we soon found ourselves setting up home with a newborn in a village in order to provide exegetical support in an active Old Testament translation project, among the Funom people (pseudonym used to protect the work). A charismatic, visionary leader and ardent follower of Jesus named Kimal was serving as the president of their language committee. Despite it being a stormy day during rainy season, he and other Funom brothers greeted us upon arrival with big smiles and warm hearts, and we joined them in the translation work. There is no doubt about it: these brothers who are dedicating their very lives to the translation task are the Wycliffes, Tyndales, and Luthers of the Funom people. What an honor it was to serve with them! My wife and I had a marvelous missions honeymoon. For a month.

Reality quickly set in. My wife, pregnant at the time with our second child, contracted malaria. We were physically and psychologically stretched to the max as we set up our home while learning the language, assisting in the translation, and adapting to the culture and customs around us. People everywhere had seemingly insurmountable needs—physical, spiritual, and more. And calls to prayer from the region’s majority religion sounded out five times a day, from predawn until sundown. We quickly chose to convert these calls into reminders to earnestly pray that God would refresh us with the gospel, move people to submit to his kingship, and cause his word to “speed ahead and be honored” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Even in the midst of all these challenges, it was a joy to be with the Funom.

A little over a year later, our organization had us evacuate due to security concerns. We had to leave, but the translated Scriptures would stay. And the Funom continue carrying out the Great Commission with the previously translated New Testament in hand while working on the Old Testament translation. We do not currently live in Cameroon, but now we’re investing in several language groups across Africa and Asia as I serve as a translation consultant. We praise God for the privilege of helping eighteen language groups thus far have access to more Scripture.

Paradox of Translation Today

The task and value of Bible translation can easily be lost on us as English speakers. With more than 500 Bible translations in English alone, it is easy to take them for granted and to forget the rich history of Bible translation. Over a thousand years ago, scholars like Bede and Aldhelm (seventh and eighth centuries), Wycliffe (fourteenth century), and Tyndale (sixteenth century) translated the Bible (or portions) into English. The English Bible is part of a strong tradition of Bible translation for a public that would otherwise not understand well (or at all) the Scriptures: Greek (Septuagint, Old Testament), Aramaic (Targums, Old Testament), Latin (Vulgate), Syriac (Peshitta), Coptic, and more.

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