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Phillip B. Giessler, ed., God's Word to the Nations: New Testament. Fairview Park, Ohio: Biblion Publishing, 1988.
This version of the New Testament, initially called "God's Word to the Nations," was a revision of the New Testament portion of William F. Beck's An American Translation (1976). The publication of the version began with The Good News As Told by John: God's Word to the Nations in the Language of Today (Fairview Park, Ohio: Biblion Publishing, 1987). The preface to this volume gives the following background information about the version:
The entirety of Beck's translation was put on the market in 1976, eleven years after his death. For ten of those years Beck's Old Testament was being polished by two hand-picked scholars. When it appeared in print, it was entitled: THE HOLY BIBLE: An American Translation (AAT). (Since that time it has been sensed that the term "American" carries too much negative baggage overseas to use it as a title on the foreign mission field. It's a great patriotic title in America, but even in Canada it does not communicate the concept of "North American English" minus all political connotations. Thus, a new title has been deemed wise. See below.)
It has now been over 50 years since Beck began his monumental work, which was one of the first of the many modern English translations to have appeared within the last four decades. But already in 1978 the question had arisen: Should Beck's translation just remain a pioneer effort or is it worthy of an updated revision? A team of Bible scholars of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) felt that the translation of Beck was worth the hours of time needed to revise it in order to produce a superior product.
As work progressed the revisers became convinced of three main things: 1) the revision had to place accuracy and clarity of communication at the top of the list of priorities; 2) the revision work had to be accompanied with Bible helps for professional church workers and laypersons alike; and 3) there is a market niche for such a translation, and it is waiting to be filled. That niche is the large area that lies between those more recent English translations on one end of the spectrum, which still cling partly or wholly to certain King James Version terminology for the security of the "old familiar," and those versions on the opposite end of the spectrum that have wandered into the area of basic paraphrase, leaving too much of the literal behind. In other words, the question becomes: How modern is too modern or not modern enough? The answer calls for a fine balance, a balance that demands an accurate translation in the common language of today.
This is why a new title is envisioned for the newly revised product: The Holy Bible: God's Word to the Nations in the Language of Today (GWN). (Preface, pp. 10-11.)
Concerning the "team of Bible scholars," the preface says, "As in the case of the King James translators of old, the names of the scholars who are working on the GWN will not be included in any printing of this translation. Later, after the whole New Testament is printed, a separate booklet will be prepared in which the procedures followed will be stated, the translators and various personnel involved will be listed, and certain data pertinent to various other matters will be given." (p. 12.) And the disadvantages of a "one-man" translation are also mentioned: "Some have lavished praise on Beck's textual methods and style, while others have not been as exuberant. Nevertheless, no matter what their strengths or shortcomings, it is a known fact that one-man translations do not have a long-term mass appeal on the Bible market. They have a life expectancy of roughly 15 years." (p. 11.) The dust-jacket on the second edition of the complete New Testament (Holy Bible: New Testament: New Evangelical Translation [Cleveland: NET Publishing, 1992]) mentions "25 scholars who worked on this translation," and claims that the translation "has been produced by some of today's most respected Bible translators."
We do not know if a booklet giving the names of these scholars was ever published, but a brief history of the version given on the official website of the God's Word to the Nations Bible Society now states that the revision was done by one man, a Lutheran pastor in the Cleveland area, the Rev. Phillip B. Giessler. According to this history, it was "a one-man translation effort similar to Dr. Beck's individual effort many years earlier. Although comments and suggestions are provided by a small group of reviewers — final editorial decisions are made by Rev. Giessler." This contradicts the account in the preface of The Good News As Told by John, which is obviously designed to give readers the impression that it was not a one-man effort. Probably the preface exaggerates the role of the reviewers, calling them "translators" so that readers will think the version was produced by a committee of professional scholars. The same thing may be observed in the marketing of other versions done by individuals, such as Robert Bratcher's Good News for Modern Man (1966) and Kenneth Taylor's Living New Testament (1967). The prefaces of these versions of the New Testament mentioned only committees, and gave the impression that the versions were produced by them. But there is a large difference between a committee of translators who hammer out a version together in meetings, and a panel of reviewers who are only asked to make helpful comments about some individual's translation. Such reviewers cannot be called a version's "translators," because the version was not executed by them, and they are not responsible for it.
The complete New Testament was published in 1988, and in 1990 the name of the version was changed to "New Evangelical Translation." A second edition of the New Evangelical Translation New Testament was published in January 1992. The copyright page of this second edition states that there were "slight revisions" in the four printings between 1988 and 1990, and "major revisions" in the second edition. An Old Testament translation for this version never appeared.
In 1991 the translation project was reorganized. Dr. Eugene W. Bunkowske of Concordia Theological Seminary, who had been employed as a missionary translator by the United Bible Societies from 1974 to 1982, was put in charge of another revision of the New Testament. Also, arrangements were made for the translation of the Old Testament. Bunkowske was assisted by "a team of five full-time Bible scholars and three (soon four) English reviewers," according to the history published on the publisher's website. But the New Testament produced by Bunkowske and his associates cannot be described as a revision of Giessler's—it was in fact a new translation. This translation of the New Testament, together with the Old Testament, was published as God's Word in 1995. In this way the revision of Beck's New Testament done by Giessler was replaced, after being in print less than ten years.
A brochure printed by the publisher of this version in 1990 states that "every shade of the original meaning is captured" in the translation; it is "so literal, scholars can learn from it, yet so simple children can understand it... an ideal Bible for all Christians, from clergy to congregation, from seminary to Sunday school." Nevertheless, the truth is, in translation there is always a trade-off between literal accuracy and ease of reading. As the third pararaph quoted from the preface above explains, translators must decide upon some appropriate point of balance between these two desirable qualities in a translation. When we examine this version, it quickly becomes evident that the reviser aimed to make Beck's version more accurate and more formal in style, but not as literal or formal as the Revised Standard Version. In accuracy and formality it exceeds the simplest versions (e.g. the Good News Bible), but it falls a little short of the New International Version. This version would be most appropriate for students of normal ability between the years of 12 and 16. Probably Giessler had in mind the teenage students who are ordinarily attending catechism classes in Lutheran churches during those years. The failure of the version to catch on in this segment of the Bible market was due to fact that it came into direct competition with the NIV, published ten years previously.
Now we give a sample passage from the second edition (1992) of God's Word to the Nations and from Beck's version, next to the literal translation from the English Standard Version
BeckI'm telling the truth in Christ, I'm not lying, as my conscience by the Holy Spirit assures me, 2 when I say I have a great sorrow and in my heart a pain that never leaves me. 3 I could wish myself cut off from Christ and damned for my fellow Jews, my own flesh and blood. 4 They are the people of Israel. They were made God's family. They have the glory, the covenant, the Law, the worship, and the promises. 5 They have the ancestors, and from them according to His body came Christ, who is God over everything, blessed forever. Amen. |
GWNI am telling the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as my conscience assures me by the Holy Spirit, 2 when I say that I have great sorrow and continuous pain in my heart. 3 To be sure, I could wish myself cut off from Christ and damned for my fellow Jews, those who are my own flesh and blood. 4 They are the people of Israel. They are God's adopted children. They have the glory, the covenants, the Law, the worship, and the promises. 5 They have the ancestors, and from them, according to His human nature, came Christ, who is God over everything, blessed forever. Amen. |
ESVI am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. |
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6 It doesn't mean God failed to do what He said. Not all who are descended from Israel are the real Israel, 7 and not all who are descended from Abraham are for that reason his real children. No, Isaac's children will be called your descendants. 8 This means children born in a natural way are not God's children. Only the children he had because God promised them are counted his descendants. |
6 This does not mean that God failed to keep His word. For not all who are descended from Israel are the real Israel, 7 and not all who are descended from Abraham are for that reason his real children. No, Isaac's children will be called your descendants. 8 This means that Abraham's children who are born in a natural way are not counted as the children of God. Only the children of the promise are counted as his descendants. |
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. |
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9 God promised: I will come back at the right time, and Sarah will have a son. 10 The same thing happened to Rebekah. She was going to bear children for our ancestor Isaac. 11 They had not been born yet or done anything good or bad. Even then—in order that God may carry out His purpose according to His choice, which doesn't depend on anything we do but on Him who calls us— 12 she was told: The older will serve the younger. 13 And so the Bible says: I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau. |
9 This is how the promise was worded: I will come back at the right time, and Sarah will have a son. 10 The same thing happened to Rebekah. She was about to bear children for our ancestor Isaac. 11 They had not been born nor had they done anything good or bad. Even then—in order that God may carry out His purpose according to His choice, which does not depend on anything that we do but on Him who calls us— 12 she was told: The older will serve the younger. 13 And so it is written: Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. |
9 For this is what the promise said: "About this time next year I will return and Sarah shall have a son." 10 And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call— 12 she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13 As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." |
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14 Does this mean God is unjust? Never! 15 He says to Moses: I will be merciful to whom I want to be merciful; I will pity whom I want to pity. 16 Then it doesn't depend on anyone wanting it or running hard after it but on God being merciful. 17 The Bible says to Pharaoh: I raised you to the throne to demonstrate My power on you and to spread the news of Me all over the earth. 18 So He pities whom He wants to pity and makes stubborn whom He wants to make stubborn. |
14 Does this mean, then, that God is unjust? Never! 15 For He says to Moses: I will be merciful to anyone to whom I wish to be merciful; I will pity anyone whom I wish to pity. 16 Therefore, it [God's choosing] does not depend on anyone's desire or on anyone's effort; rather, it depends on God's mercy. 17 For example, the Scripture says to Pharaoh: I raised you to the throne to demonstrate My power through you and to spread my Name over all the earth. 18 So He pities whom He wishes to pity and makes stubborn whom He wishes to make stubborn. |
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. |
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19 You will ask me, "Why does He still find fault with anyone? Who can resist His will?" 20 But now, who are you, man, to talk back to God? Will anything shaped by a man say to him, "Why did you make me like this?" 21 Doesn't a potter have the right over his clay to make out of the same mud one thing for a noble purpose and another for a lowly purpose? |
19 You will ask me, "Why does He still find fault with anyone? Who can resist His will?" 20 But now, who are you, man, to talk back to God? Will the thing which is formed say to the one who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?" 21 Does not a potter have the right over his clay to make out of the same lump of clay one thing for a noble purpose and another for a lowly purpose? |
19 You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use? |
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22 God wanted to show people His anger and let them know His power, but He waited very patiently before He would punish those who deserved it and had prepared themselves for destruction, 23 so as to show the riches of glory He has in store for those He's merciful to and long ago prepared for glory— 24 I mean us whom He called not only from the Jews but also from the non-Jews. |
22 What if God, wanting to show people His anger and to let them know His power, waited very patiently before He punished those who deserved it those who had prepared themselves for destruction? 23 What if He also did this to show the riches of the glory that He has in store for those to whom He is merciful and whom He long ago prepared for glory, 24 namely, us whom He called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? |
22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? |
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25 So He says in Hosea: Those who are not My people I will call My people, and those who are not loved I will call My loved ones, 26 and where they were told, "you are not my people," they will be called sons of the living God. 27 Isaiah exclaims in regard to Israel: Though the people of Israel are as many as the sand by the sea, only a remnant will be saved. 28 The Lord will completely and decisively execute His sentence on the country. 29 So Isaiah said long ago: If the Lord of armies hadn't left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom and ended like Gomorrah. |
25 So He says in Hosea: Those who are not My people I will call "My people," and those who are not loved I will call "My loved ones"; 26 and where they were told, "you are not my people," they will be called sons of the living God. 27 Isaiah exclaims in regard to Israel: Though the people of Israel are as many as the sand by the sea, only a remnant will be saved. 28 For the Lord will execute His sentence on the land, completely and decisively. 29 So Isaiah said long ago: If the Lord of Armies [Hosts] had not left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom and ended like Gomorrah. |
25 As indeed he says in Hosea, "Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call 'beloved."' 26 "And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' there they will be called 'sons of the living God."' 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay." 29 And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah." |
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30 What does it mean? Non-Jewish people who didn't search for righteousness found a righteousness we get by believing, 31 while Israel, pursuing a Law with its righteousness, didn't find it. 32 Why? They didn't try to get it by faith but thought they could get it by works. They stumbled over the stumbling block, 33 as the Bible says: I'm putting in Zion a Stone they will stumble over and a Rock they will fall over. But if you believe in Him, you will not be disappointed. |
30 What we are saying, then, is this: The Gentiles who were not pursuing righteousness found it, namely, a righteousness which is received by believing. 31 On the other hand, Israel—by pursuing the Law to gain righteousness—did not reach their goal. 32 Why? They did not pursue it by faith but by works. They stumbled over the stumbling block, 33 as it is written: See, I am putting in Zion a Stone which will cause them to stumble and a Rock which will cause them to fall. But the person who believes in Him will not be disappointed. |
30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." |
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