The Christmas Story for All: Still 4,000 Languages Without the Complete Bible
During the holiday season, the Bible's account of the birth of Jesus is at the heart of the Christmas celebration for devout Christians. Unfortunately, reading the Christmas story is out of reach for many. That's because there are still some 4,000 languages without a complete Bible.
Translation has been a priority for Christians since the beginning of Christianity itself. Jesus' challenge to take His message to the ends of the earth was, in a very tangible way, the starting gun for the race to translate the Gospel. Right now, translators are working across the globe to cross the finish line by making the Bible accessible in all of the world's nearly 7,000 languages.
Technology has aided the rate of translation efforts, but the work is still long and laborious. Each full Bible translation takes between 10 and 17 years and involves the efforts of upwards of six full-time people. Bible translation takes the talents of poets, linguists, cultural researchers, biblical scholars, computer technicians, theologians and administrators. These men and women work for little pay, often working on outdated technology and living in poor conditions. They sometimes work in areas where hostility can break out at any time and medical care is not accessible except by plane or many hours of travel.
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So why do they do it?
They do it because they have experienced the power of God's Word in their own lives. They know that the Bible opens the door to intimacy with the Creator. And they want others to find the hope of Jesus in the pages of Scripture.
The recipients of their efforts don't take their work for granted. When a new Bible translation is released, people will often go to great lengths to receive a copy of God's Word in their own language. Recently, an 82-year-old woman in Kenya walked for six hours to participate in a celebration of the completion of the Kiembu-Kimbeere translation of the Bible in Embu Town, Kenya. Coming from a poor rural village, this elderly woman didn't have money to pay for the new Bible. Instead, she traded what she had, a bag of beans, for a copy of God's Word in her native language.
It strikes me as ironic – and depressing – that so many Americans won't even take six steps to open a Bible. Having complete and constant access to Scripture, many in our nation take the Bible for granted. While the average American home has four or more copies, nearly half of Americans don't read Scripture on their own outside of a religious service – except maybe once or twice a year.
This Christmas, I urge you to not take your access to the Bible for granted. Pick up a copy – dust it off if necessary – and read the nativity story for yourself. And as you experience how the Bible brings the story of Christmas to life, consider supporting translation efforts. You can help give someone the gift of Christmas itself.
