In my last letter to you I asked the question, “What will happen if we don’t?” What happens if we do not make sure that AI-assisted Bible translation is grounded in the original biblical languages?

But a much more exciting question is, “What can happen if we do? What becomes possible when both translators and the technology they use are grounded in the biblical languages?”

Next week translators from around the world will join us In Jerusalem for an intensive season of biblical Hebrew training. They represent translation projects serving Bibleless languages in the Philippines, Mexico, Benin, South Africa, Zambia, Togo, and Timor-Leste.

These translators will be among the first to pioneer a new approach to Bible translation, one that brings together their knowledge of biblical Hebrew and translation assistance technology that works directly from the biblical text. They will return to their translation teams prepared to begin translating from biblical Hebrew directly into Bibleless languages and to help lead this work within their communities.

As this vision expands, we expect to see not only new and accurate translations produced, but churches increasingly equipped to translate, study, teach, and disciple through the whole Word of God for generations to come.

Why Now?

Technology is beginning to change the way translation is done. That creates new possibilities, but it also makes the need to ensure these tools are grounded in the original authoritative text of Scripture more urgent. An AI tool that draws from other sources can produce interpretations that are far removed from the biblical text. We believe the original Scriptures must remain at the center to avoid translations that draw from “similar” meanings or heretical texts. 

But an even greater danger is leaving developing church communities without the whole Word of God. The whole Word is essential for the church to grow in faith, understanding, and maturity.

That is why we are developing Asah’EL, a translation program designed to help local churches and agencies translate Scripture from the original Hebrew with the aid of assisted translation technology. Along with our partner AvodahConnect, we are developing a Hebrew dataset that allows these tools to work from the biblical text rather than drawing from other sources.

Asah’EL builds on the biblical Hebrew training already happening through our Hebrew Extension Learning Programs (HELP) alongside local organizations in new regions. Translators who have trained with us in Jerusalem are now serving in their own communities and sharing what they have learned to their teams.

We believe this combination of biblical Hebrew training and translation technology opens the way for a new generation of translators to bring the whole Word more quickly and accurately to languages that still need it, and for churches to have access to the Scriptures they need to teach, disciple, and serve their communities. Yet for this to happen, we need your help. Our next challenge is to raise an additional $250,000 before the end of 2026 to provide the training, tools, and development needed for this work.

How Can You Help?

PRAY: Many of you have joined us for 40 Days of Prayer, bringing these needs before the Lord each day through October 12. Thank you. You can find the prayer requests here. 

SHARE: Pass this letter along to friends who care about seeing the whole Word brought to the whole world, and invite them to join us in prayer and in this work.

GIVE: Consider making a gift, or a series of gifts, toward this $250,000 goal according to your means.

I am deeply grateful for everyone who has prayed, given, and stood with us. We do not know everything that lies ahead, but we believe God is opening an important opportunity, and we are eager to see what He will do.

With you in His service,

David

David Swarr PhD
President & CEO

One translator changes lives. One translation changes generations.

Bible translation is changing rapidly. Around the world, translation teams are increasingly using Assisted Translation Technology (or Artificial Intelligence tools) to help increase the efficiency and speed of translation. These tools have enormous potential to help bring Scripture to languages that still need it. But they also raise an important question: What happens if AI translations are not grounded in the original biblical languages?

Ram Gidoomal, former chair of the Lausanne Movement and a longtime Whole Word Institute Board member, has often asked in our Board meetings: What will happen if we don’t?

If we don’t develop methods and tools that allow translators to work from the original Scriptures, local translation teams may have no option but to continue to rely on English, French, or other widely spoken translations as their source.

The problem is that a translation is never exactly the same as the original. Each translation layer introduces drift: subtle meaning loss, or even misinterpretation that compounds over time. Words, phrases, relationships, and nuances can be difficult to carry from one language into another. When a new translation is then built from that translation, some of those differences can be carried forward, and potentially multiplied.

AI makes this challenge both more urgent and more promising.

AI can help translation happen faster. But if it learns primarily from existing translations rather than the original biblical languages, it can also reproduce the limitations of those translations. And as more translations and resources are generated from one another, local translators and churches need a way to evaluate what is being produced from the original Scriptures.

So what is the antidote? 

Faithful translation should ideally be grounded in the original biblical language. When local translators are equipped with biblical Hebrew and reliable AI tools from the Hebrew text, they can guide, evaluate, and refine their translations directly from the original Scriptures, safeguarding the integrity of the Word as it is translated, interpreted, and applied.

That is why our investment in biblical Hebrew training matters, and why Whole Word Institute and our partners are developing an AI assisted Hebrew-to-local-language translation training program and a Hebrew language dataset designed to help AI tools to work directly from the original Hebrew. Any translator who has completed Hebrew training with Whole Word Institute or has achieved Hebrew translation proficiency will be able to use these tools to translate the full Bible more accurately.

We believe it is critical for Bible translators to be trained to work directly from the original languages with the aid of new technology and we are excited about this vision as we answer the next question: What can happen when we do? 

I’m looking forward to sharing more about what we believe will happen as we step forward in this vision to enhance and accelerate full Bible translation. In the coming weeks, I’ll give an update on the biblical language technology tools that are being developed and used in the new Asah’EL program, testimonies from our localized training around the world, and news about the translators who will be part of the next chapter in Jerusalem. 

With you in His service,

David Swarr PhD
President & CEO

One translator changes lives. One translation changes generations.

There is a movement taking place that is rapidly accelerating God’s plan for His Word to all nations. Local leaders even in remote areas are learning to translate the Bible into their own languages and communities.

For us one of the most exciting places where this is taking place is in the Philippines where around 134 languages still do not have an Old Testament translation. Whole Word Institute Instructors Tali and Daniel Kfir travelled to the Philippines to join the Wycliffe translation work, training translators in biblical Hebrew. I invite you to read what these translators say in their own words and celebrate what God is doing through this growing movement. 

Equipping Servants, Building Translation Capacity Through Biblical Hebrew Training

We are so grateful for our partnership with Wycliffe Philippines and for the faithful work they are doing with local translators and church leaders. They recently shared how our Hebrew training is advancing Bible translation and developing local church capacities. We praise God for the men and women He is preparing to carry His Word forward and for the generations who will receive the whole Word of God through their work.

With you in His service,

David Swarr PhD
President & CEO

One translator changes lives. One translation changes generations.

The Bible translation movement recently celebrated a remarkable milestone: the completion of the 800th full Bible translation.

The first 400 full Bible translations took nearly two thousand years. The next 400 have been completed in just a few decades.

This acceleration is a testimony to God’s faithfulness and to thousands of translators, instructors, consultants, churches, and partners working together around the world. More people than ever before can now encounter the whole Word of God in their own languages.

Yet the task is far from finished. Thousands of languages still do not have the whole Bible, and many Old Testament translation projects have yet to begin. As translation efforts continue to grow, one of the greatest needs is for trained leaders who can help launch, guide, and support new translations.

At Whole Word Institute, we have the privilege of preparing translators, instructors, and consultants to work directly from the original biblical languages so that translations are both accurate and understood according to the original meaning. A good Bible translation must be deeply rooted in the local community and language while remaining firmly grounded in the knowledge and original languages of Scripture. Local churches and agencies engaged in translation recognize the importance of understanding the biblical languages and culture in order to translate accurately into their own languages.

That hunger is fueling a movement: Across Benin, Mozambique, South Africa, Indonesia, and the Philippines, our HELP courses continue to prepare translators to engage directly with biblical Hebrew and begin Old Testament translation in new languages. Many graduates who studied with us in Jerusalem are now teaching others, helping more translation teams move into active Bible translation work.

In Benin, Godefroy Soussou and Michee Dagan, both trained in Jerusalem, are now teaching biblical Hebrew to translators and pastors from across Francophone Africa. What began with two trainees is now strengthening multiple translation projects across the region.

In Mozambique, Abel and Julia Kerekes continue this pattern as they prepare translators serving Lusophone language communities.

In South Africa, Dana Helmuth is leading another cohort of translators, and in the Philippines, Tali and Daniel Kfir are helping new teams gain direct access to the Old Testament through biblical Hebrew.

These are just a few examples of how God is multiplying whole Bible translation: translators become instructors, instructors prepare new translators, and consultants serve multiple translation projects. The result is more translation projects moving forward and more communities gaining access to the whole Word of God.

As we celebrate the progress represented by the 800th full Bible translation, we are reminded that the work continues. The need for the whole Word of God remains great, but so does the opportunity before us.

Please pray for the many local translators who are applying biblical Hebrew to their translation projects as they study and strive for excellence. Pray for the local pastors and church leaders who engage with the translation teams and who learn more about the Word of God in order to teach and translate. Pray for our Hebrew instructors serving around the world, for the translators they are equipping, and for those preparing to come to Jerusalem this fall.

May God continue to raise up faithful men and women who will help bring His whole Word to every nation, tribe, people, and language.

“The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
—Habakkuk 2:14

With you in His service,

David

David Swarr PhD
President & CEO

One translator changes lives. One translation changes generations.

As we approach Shavuot and Pentecost Sunday, we remember both the giving of the Word in the wilderness and the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost, when the apostles were empowered to proclaim God’s Word in many languages.

What a gift it is to have the whole Bible in our own language. And what a privilege to take part in Jesus’ calling to “make disciples of all nations” by helping bring His Word to people still waiting for Scripture.

There is much to celebrate in this season of first fruits!

BENIN — Across this nation where many languages still need Scripture, multiplication is taking root quickly. Two local translators, Godefroy Sossou and Michée Dagan, who trained with us in Jerusalem, are now leading a Hebrew Extension Learning Program (HELP) course in partnership with Wycliffe Benin. They are preparing translators from across Francophone Africa so Old Testament translation work can begin straight from biblical Hebrew into new languages.

This marks an important first: local translators trained through Whole Word Institute are now themselves teaching biblical Hebrew for translation in their own regions, creating sustainable capacity for whole Bible translation far beyond a single program or generation.

INDONESIA — Our head teacher, Elisabeth Koppi, has just completed teaching the final course for a group of translators in Indonesia who serve with Kartidaya. She reported that all did very well in this final advanced course. Elisabeth will soon return to Jerusalem to lead the next School of Biblical Hebrew.

PHILIPPINES — Whole Word Hebrew teachers Tali and Daniel Kfir are currently serving in the Philippines in partnership with Wycliffe Philippines. They are teaching a one-month intensive Hebrew course preparing teams of translators to translate the Old Testament into their own languages.

MOZAMBIQUE — Abel and Julia Kerekes trained and served with us in Jerusalem and will lead a HELP course in Mozambique this June in partnership with Wycliffe Mozambique focused on Lusophone language groups.

SOUTH AFRICA — Another Whole Word course is scheduled to begin at the end of May under the leadership of teacher Dana Helmuth, in partnership with Wycliffe South Africa and focused on Anglophone regions.

JERUSALEM & GLOBAL — Twenty-six translation consultants-in-training continue this year toward becoming certified consultants who will be able to oversee and support multiple Bible translation projects around the world. At the same time, applications continue to come in for our immersive Jerusalem programs, including the next School of Biblical Hebrew beginning this October.

What we are witnessing is more than the growth of programs. We are seeing translators become teachers, teachers preparing new translators, and local leaders helping lay foundations for whole Bible translations that can continue multiplying for generations to come.

Please continue praying for these leaders and students as they serve, teach, and translate. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon each one that they can see the fruit of the Holy Spirit beyond their dreams. Please pray for deep roots to be established as the whole Word of God is brought into new languages through local translators, agencies, and churches around the world.

“Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples.”— Psalm 96:3

With you in His service,

As we approach Shavuot and Pentecost Sunday, we remember both the giving of the Word in the wilderness and the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost, when the apostles were empowered to proclaim God’s Word in many languages.

What a gift it is to have the whole Bible in our own language. And what a privilege to take part in Jesus’ calling to “make disciples of all nations” by helping bring His Word to people still waiting for Scripture.

There is much to celebrate in this season of first fruits!

BENIN — Across this nation where many languages still need Scripture, multiplication is taking root quickly. Two local translators, Godefroy Sossou and Michée Dagan, who trained with us in Jerusalem, are now leading a Hebrew Extension Learning Program (HELP) course in partnership with Wycliffe Benin. They are preparing translators from across Francophone Africa so Old Testament translation work can begin straight from biblical Hebrew into new languages.

This marks an important first: local translators trained through Whole Word Institute are now themselves teaching biblical Hebrew for translation in their own regions, creating sustainable capacity for whole Bible translation far beyond a single program or generation.

INDONESIA — Our head teacher, Elisabeth Koppi, has just completed teaching the final course for a group of translators in Indonesia who serve with Kartidaya. She reported that all did very well in this final advanced course. Elisabeth will soon return to Jerusalem to lead the next School of Biblical Hebrew.

PHILIPPINES — Whole Word Hebrew teachers Tali and Daniel Kfir are currently serving in the Philippines in partnership with Wycliffe Philippines. They are teaching a one-month intensive Hebrew course preparing teams of translators to translate the Old Testament into their own languages.

MOZAMBIQUE — Abel and Julia Kerekes trained and served with us in Jerusalem and will lead a HELP course in Mozambique this June in partnership with Wycliffe Mozambique focused on Lusophone language groups.

SOUTH AFRICA — Another Whole Word course is scheduled to begin at the end of May under the leadership of teacher Dana Helmuth, in partnership with Wycliffe South Africa and focused on Anglophone regions.

JERUSALEM & GLOBAL — Twenty-six translation consultants-in-training continue this year toward becoming certified consultants who will be able to oversee and support multiple Bible translation projects around the world. At the same time, applications continue to come in for our immersive Jerusalem programs, including the next School of Biblical Hebrew beginning this October.

What we are witnessing is more than the growth of programs. We are seeing translators become teachers, teachers preparing new translators, and local leaders helping lay foundations for whole Bible translations that can continue multiplying for generations to come.

Please continue praying for these leaders and students as they serve, teach, and translate. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon each one that they can see the fruit of the Holy Spirit beyond their dreams. Please pray for deep roots to be established as the whole Word of God is brought into new languages through local translators, agencies, and churches around the world.

“Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples.”— Psalm 96:3

With you in His service,

David

David Swarr PhD
President & CEO

One translator changes lives. One translation changes generations.

God is making a straight path for the whole Word to reach Bibleless people, leading into a broad place of growth, local leadership, and the light of His love.

For over ten years, Whole Word Institute has prepared translators and teachers in biblical Hebrew to bring the Old Testament directly into languages that have never had it before. Today, these leaders are training the next generation of translators, multiplying access and strengthening translation efforts across nations.

We help bring the full story of God’s deep love, rooted in the Old Testament and shown in every verse of His Word, to every person in their own language. That has always been the vision before us: the whole Word for the whole world.

What began as a vision has become part of a growing movement to bring the full Bible to every language, now bearing fruit as God’s whole Word reaches new languages, shapes hearts, and lays a foundation that will serve local churches for generations to come.

Discover how God is opening the way, bringing the whole Bible to new languages:

I’ve been reflecting on the Passover story this week as we look toward Resurrection Day.

“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him.” —Exodus 15:2

This song comes after God makes a way where there was none, a worshipful response to deliverance that could only come from Him. From Passover to the Resurrection, Scripture tells the story of God bringing His people out of bondage and into new life.

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” —John 10:10

Yet so many still do not know God as their Creator, or Jesus as the Good Shepherd and Messiah. Without access to the whole Word of God in their own language, key parts of His story remain unknown. But when Scripture is translated from the original biblical Hebrew, there is greater depth and clarity, giving confidence in the faithfulness of the translation and strengthening how God’s Word is understood—and it changes everything.

Leaders who first studied biblical Hebrew in Jerusalem are now training others through the Hebrew Extension Learning Program (HELP), creating a cycle of teaching, learning, and multiplication that strengthens both the accuracy and the reach of Bible translation work. As they train others, translation is growing, rooted locally, and more people are hearing the whole Word of God for the first time. Local programs are happening now and in the coming months in Indonesia, Benin, Mozambique and South Africa.

We are continuing in faith to plan for the School of Biblical Hebrew in Jerusalem this fall. We trust there will be enough peace and stability for the program to run, as new leaders will be equipped to return and strengthen translation efforts in their own languages.

Through this work, we see God opening the way, making a path for His Word to be known more fully, and for lives to be changed through it.

I hope you have a meaningful time with family and loved ones this week, celebrating the hope and deliverance we have in the risen Word.

“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.” —Matthew 28:6

Hallelujah!

P.S. I’m sharing “Remembering” from the Master Storyteller series, in case you haven’t seen it. This short video reflects on the ways God gave to remember His faithfulness and the paths He opens that bring freedom and abundant life. It’s a reflection to celebrate and worship God for what He has done, not only in biblical times, but in our own histories.

You and I know God’s Word as a love letter—spoken, breathed, and shared from generation to generation. In Exodus God introduces himself as “The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love to the thousandth generation.” Through the prophet Jeremiah He reminds His people, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

I heard an Indonesian Bible translator describe elderly believers who faithfully came to church each week, yet still could not fully understand God’s Word because it wasn’t heard in their own language. Through tears she said, “They don’t understand enough to know Jesus. They don’t know that God loves them.”

When people encounter the whole Word of God in their own language, something changes. Marjorie in Zambia, hearing Genesis for the first time, said, “Now I know I have dignity, because I am made in God’s image.” As Prosper, a Wycliffe translation leader and our partner, says, “The whole Word of God—not a portion of it, but the whole story—is for them.”

This short video shows what that looks like today through our Hebrew Extension Learning Program (HELP). Local leaders trained through Whole Word are now leading others, removing barriers and helping bring the whole Word of God to languages that have never had the full Bible. As these leaders train others, new Bible translations are multiplied, rooted locally, and God’s love is shared for generations.

Thank you for walking with us and believing that every person deserves access to God’s whole Word. It is a joy to share this glimpse of how God’s story of love is bearing lasting fruit in communities and churches around the world.

One translator changes lives. One translation changes generations.

Poleg was familiar with the New Testament but still struggled with understanding the depth of “God with us.” Then when he read Genesis for the first time in his own language, he said: 

“Now I see that God never abandoned humanity. Even when people disobeyed him, he still loved them and had already planned a way of salvation (through Jesus).” 

When the full revelation of God’s Word takes root in our hearts, it transforms our minds and imaginations. The full wonder of God and his love for us is revealed. We know that we are made in the image of God, valued by God so much that he gave us his Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. Imagine this truth taking root in every human heart. This is why local churches and pastors long for their people to know both the Old and New Testaments—to tell God’s whole story of redemption, his coming, and his presence with us.

Biblical Hebrew training enables churches to translate directly from the original Hebrew into their own languages, creating full Bible translations and resources that strengthen discipleship and growth amid challenging faiths and worldviews. Local training programs are happening now in Benin, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mozambique, and South Africa.

A translation leader in West Africa shared with me: “Many people in my community live in complete ignorance and die without knowing about Jesus. That’s why this translation work is urgent, and the time is now.” 

This Advent season, I invite you to help prepare hearts through the knowledge of God’s Word, so more people may know and receive Immanuel, God with us. Your gift of any size supports translators in Biblical Hebrew training for new Bible translations. 

One translator changes lives. One translation changes generations.

Thank you to each of you who are already giving. Your generosity sustains translators who are advancing translation projects for their people. 

The Word is alive, and He is with us!