This endeavor to translate
Some of the most glorious
And beautiful truths in all the Bible
Is dedicated to every missionary
And Bible translator
Who has ever labored to see
The revelation of the Word of God
Brought into the many languages
Spoken throughout the world.
You are the true heroes.
Translator’s Introduction to
Letters from Heaven
What great treasures are found in the Word of God! Every verse of the Bible carries power and revelation. Many don’t even realize what a privilege it is to have the Bible in a readable and understandable form.
For a number of years I was involved in a translation project to bring the Word of God to an indigenous people group. They needed a translation of the Scriptures since their language had never existed in written form. After the linguistic analysis was completed, the task was to bring the power of the original manuscripts of the Greek texts into the Paya-Kuna dialect. It was a joy to have been a part in that translation project. Now, many years later, the burden of my heart remains.
This endeavor to translate some of the most glorious and beautiful truths in the entire Bible is dedicated to every missionary and Bible translator who has ever labored to see the revelation of the Word of God brought into the many languages spoken throughout the world. You are true heroes.
A Word About The Passion Translation
The message of God’s story is timeless; the Word of God doesn’t change. But the methods by which that story is communicated should be timely; the vessels that steward God’s Word can and should change.
One of those timely methods and vessels is Bible translations. Bible translations are both a gift and a problem. They give us the words God spoke through his servants, but words can become very poor containers for revelation-they leak! Over time the words change from one generation to the next. Meaning is influenced by culture, background, and a thousand other details. You can imagine how differently the Hebrew authors of the Old Testament saw the world three thousand years ago!
There is no such thing as a truly literal translation of the Bible, for there is not an equivalent language that perfectly conveys the meaning of the biblical text except as it is understood in its original cultural and linguistic setting. Therefore, a translation can be a problem. The problem, however, is solved when we seek to transfer meaning, and not merely words, from the original text to the receptor language.
The Passion Translation is a groundbreaking attempt to reintroduce the passion and fire of the Bible to the English reader. It doesn’t merely convey the original, literal meaning of words. It expresses God’s passion for people and his world by translating the original, life-changing message of God’s Word for modern readers.
God longs to have his Word expressed in every language in a way that would unlock the passion of his heart. Our goal is to trigger inside every English speaker an overwhelming response to the truth of the Bible, unfiltered by religious jargon. This is a heart-level translation, from the passion of God’s heart to the passion of your heart.
We pray and trust this version of God’s Word will kindle in you a burning, passionate desire for him and his heart, while impacting the church for years to come!
—Dr. Brian Simmons