Today the entire Bible is translated into over three hundred languages and dialects, and portions are available in 1,600 additional languages—ranging from English, German, French, and Chinese to Welsh, Icelandic, and Cherokee Indian. But who gave us these Bibles?
They came from individuals who committed their lives to the arduous work of translating the Bible out of the early Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Aramaic texts into everyday spoken languages. Their desire was to share the Word of God not just with scholars who could read the ancient Biblical languages but with everyone who wanted to learn more about the Word of God. Often their labors went uncompensated or faced stiff resistance from church and state. Some translators were forced to live like fugitives—and some actually laid down their lives—to give us the Bible.
Most of the Bibles in The Mother Church's collection were translated by people of extraordinary courage and spiritual vision. These pages explore briefly the story of their lives and the Bibles they produced.
