Back in 1966, the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators promoted a special day to honor the work of Bible translation. The US Congress proclaimed that Sept 30 of each year would be marked as Bible Translation Day. That special day is not marked on most calendars, but it is an officially recognized day set aside by Congress to highlight the importance of the work of Bible translation.

Anyone of us can easily read several English language translations of the Bible. We probably don’t appreciate all the work and sacrifice that has made it possible for us to read the Bible in our own language and in a format that we can easily understand.

Some of us are likely not aware of how and why we have the Bible in the English language. Some perhaps think that the Bible just dropped out of heaven and into our laps. It just showed up in the book store. People believe some crazy conspiracy theories regarding the origins of the Bible; there is a lot of misinformation about that topic floating around. A brief study of where we got the English Bible might be helpful.

Why do we need a translation of the Bible into our language?

1 Corinthians 14:7–9 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? 8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? 9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken?

The point of a Bible translation is to provide “words easy to be understood.” We need the Bible translated into a format that we can understand. That’s what we have in good English Bible translations.

Of course, we have to start with the original language biblical documents. The Bible was given to us in Hebrew and Greek, not in English. How did it come to be translated into English?