In an age when words travel with unprecedented speed yet genuine understanding often falters, the labor of Bible translation remains among the most exacting and sacred of scholarly undertakings. It is therefore with profound admiration and deliberate gratitude that we acknowledge the decade-long commitment of the Sumi Bible Editorial Board (SBEB) in rendering the Holy Scriptures into the Sumi language.
For ten years, the Editorial Board has borne a responsibility at once linguistic, theological, and pastoral. Scripture translation is never a mechanical transfer of vocabulary from one tongue to another; it is the construction of an interpretive bridge between ancient revelation and contemporary speech. Such work demands disciplined attentiveness to grammar and syntax, sensitivity to idiom and cultural resonance, and unwavering fidelity to the theological coherence of the biblical canon. It is a task that unfolds not in public spectacle but in quiet rooms of study, in sustained deliberation rather than dramatic proclamation.
The Board’s sustained effort stands as a testament to scholarly integrity and ecclesial responsibility. Through rigorous engagement with lexical nuance, contextual meaning, and doctrinal clarity, they have sought not merely to transpose words but to transmit truth. Their objective has been nothing less than enabling Scripture to speak clearly and faithfully within the heart-language of the Sumi people, so that faith may be nurtured not in borrowed idioms, but in the living cadences of one’s own tongue.
Yet history reminds us that no serious translation of sacred text escapes scrutiny. Every major vernacular rendering of the Bible has encountered seasons of resistance, critique, and even suspicion. Such tensions, though often painful, arise from the deep reverence communities rightly hold for their sacred texts. However, when critique yields to misapprehension, and disagreement hardens into slander, the burden borne by translators becomes particularly heavy.
In such moments, steadfastness becomes both virtue and necessity. Fidelity is frequently tested in the furnace of public opinion. What ultimately sustains meaningful scholarship is not the volume of accusation, but the quiet confidence born of conscientious labor, labor grounded in prayerful discernment, disciplined study, and communal accountability. The enduring worth of any translation is measured not by immediate applause, but by its capacity over time to instruct, to edify, and to endure.
To the members of the Sumi Bible Editorial Board, this tribute is therefore also an encouragement: remain steadfast in your calling. Let neither unfounded criticism nor the turbulence of the present diminish the gravity and grace of your undertaking. The seeds sown through careful and reverent translation will bear fruit in generations yet to come in churches and homes, in classrooms and pulpits, in the theological imagination and cultural continuity of the Sumi community.
Sacred labor is seldom easy, and it is rarely commended in proportion to its cost. Yet it is precisely such labor that shapes the spiritual and linguistic heritage of a people. Your decade of service stands not merely as an academic milestone, but as a profound contribution to the enduring life of the community you serve.
May courage steady your resolve, wisdom guide your ongoing revisions, and unity preserve your fellowship. Stand firm in this season. The ground upon which you labor is sacred, and the service you render is both honorable and enduring.
Serving Christ with you,
Vikiho Kiba
Friday, February 27, 2026