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Part Three—How the Bible Came to UsThe Watchtower—1997 | October 15
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BURMA, 1824—The king’s officers have just ransacked Adoniram and Ann Judson’s missionary home, taking everything they thought valuable. But they have missed the most precious treasure—a translated Bible manuscript that Ann had secretly buried under the house. Adoniram, the translator, lies chained in a mosquito-infested jail, accused of spying. Now humidity threatens to destroy the manuscript. How can it be saved? Ann sews it inside a hard pillow and delivers it to her husband in prison. The pillow is preserved, and its contents become part of the first Burmese Bible.
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Part Three—How the Bible Came to UsThe Watchtower—1997 | October 15
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Missionaries and Bible Societies
In numerous lands, the 1600’s and 1700’s were marked by a strong upsurge in Bible reading. England in particular was deeply affected by the Bible during this period. In fact, Biblical stories and teachings permeated the thoughts of practically everyone in the country, from the king to the plowboy. But the Bible’s influence extended farther. England was then a seafaring commercial and colonial power, and certain Englishmen took the Bible with them on their journeys. This laid the groundwork for an extended Bible campaign.
Toward the end of the 1700’s, the Bible stirred some in England to think about the spiritual needs of native peoples in the far-flung lands of the British Empire. This concern was by no means universal, however. Many churchmen believed in predestination, and they therefore considered it God’s will that some people not be saved. When would-be missionary William Carey gave an impassioned speech to rally support for a mission to India, someone called out in rebuke: “Sit down, young man; when God wishes to convert the heathen, He will do it without your help!” Nevertheless, Carey sailed for India in 1793. Astonishingly, he eventually translated the entire Bible or parts of it into 35 Indian languages.
The missionaries realized that their most basic tool was the Bible in the local language.
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Part Three—How the Bible Came to UsThe Watchtower—1997 | October 15
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Much of the Bible consists of narratives and illustrations based on everyday experiences. This makes it easier to translate than if it were written in the abstract terms of philosophy. Predictably, however, the missionaries’ early efforts sometimes produced confusing or humorous renderings. One translation, for example, gave people in a certain part of India the idea that God is a bluish-colored being. The word used for “heavenly” in the expression “heavenly Father” meant “having the color of the sky”—the literal heavens!
Regarding a translator’s obstacles, Adoniram Judson wrote in 1819: ‘When we take up a language spoken by a people on the other side of the earth, whose codes of expression are consequently all new, and the letters and words all totally destitute of the least resemblance to any language we have ever met with; when we have no dictionary or interpreter and must get something of the language before we can avail ourselves of a native teacher—that means work!’ And the work of translators like Judson greatly increased the Bible’s availability.—See chart on page 12.
Ann Judson helped her husband with the difficult task of translating. But the Judsons faced more than just academic trials. When the king’s officers dragged Adoniram off to jail, Ann was expecting a baby. Courageously, for 21 months she petitioned hostile officials on her husband’s behalf. That ordeal along with illness exacted a toll from her. Not long after Adoniram was released, his brave Ann and their little daughter died of fever. Adoniram was heartbroken. Still, he looked to God for strength and went on translating, completing the Burmese Bible in 1835. Meanwhile, other insidious challenges to the Bible were developing.
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