Wycliffe Associates has agreed to translate the Bible into 250 languages in Nigeria. The Biblical translator revealed that they aim to start the projects within next year, reports Premier.
“Despite the challenges the Christians are facing, they actually are emboldened…and strengthened in their faith and seeing that the real changes that need to take place within their communities and within their nation are spiritual changes,” said Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates.
For them, this isn’t a ‘nice project’. This is life or death. —Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates
Smith explained that it is important for Nigerian Christians to have the Bible in their own dialect because the Bible represents the truth. “For them, this isn’t a ‘nice project’. This is life or death.”
Wycliffe Associates hosted a Bible translation conference which was attended by 80 Nigerian pastors, reports Vision Christian Radio. The organization will use its Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation (MAST) to help local translators in this project. The majority of Nigerians do not speak English and 250 of Nigeria’s 500 languages do not have the Bible in their local language.
Christians in Nigeria have been subjected to violent persecution for years. Islamic militants have attacked villages and killed hundreds of Christians indiscriminately. In March 2019, almost 120 Christians were slaughtered and for almost two years now, thousands were displaced from their homes.
Smith has called on people to pray for the Christians and the Bible translators in Nigeria. Even if their lives are at stake, they still stay true to their faith.
“We often hear the stories of unrest, of violence, of church bombings, those kinds of things that are happening and as I often say we should take that as reminders to pray for both the believers that are there but also the Bible translation efforts that are already underway behind the scenes,” Smith said.