Sabaot Bible Translation

Patrick and Phanice are mother-tongue translators for the Sabaot Bible Translation project. They are now working on Old Testament translation. Patrick and Phanice both worked side-by-side with Jim and Henny Leonard when Jim and Henny were assigned by Wycliffe Bible Translators to work on Mt. Elgon, the homeland of the Sabaot people. Since those days of training Patrick and Phanice have spent many years faithfully working on the translation.

To produce the translation they first study the text as it's been translated into other languages such as Swahili, Kalenjin and many versions of English. They look at Bible-study helps and commentaries and then put the exact concepts into pure, natural Sabaot. The temptation is to look at the text and produce something word-for-word. That, of course, would be much easier than finding the best words and phrasing in natural Sabaot, but they have learned to look for the words that really communicate God's truth as closely as possible to what the original authors intended.

Patrick and Phanice then go over the draft they have produced with a Wycliffe translation advisor and then with exegetical consultants, experts in Biblical Hebrew and Greek who check through every verse with them. They also help in checking for understanding in the Sabaot community. This all takes many hours, week, months, even years. Finally they rejoice to see the completed product published and read in the local churches. When Patrick and Jim put the final touches on the New Testament several years ago, Patrick wanted to express his great joy in the strongest terms possible. He got up from the desk and said, "This is wonderful. This is like the day a man sees his firstborn son circumcised." In other words, there is no greater joy than having and reading the Word of God in your heart language.

Ministry Objectives: Translation of the Old Testament into the Sabaot language.

Sphere of Influence: Sabaot people on and around Mt. Elgon, Kenya.

Prayer Needs: Patience, wisdom, creativity, and faithfulness to continue to translate God's Word in Sabaot.