Scripture That Speaks the Way People Listen
For years, Jesus felt like a visitor. That’s how one man in an African tribe described life before Scripture arrived in his own language. When the Bible was only translated for them, Jesus felt distant. Then Scripture came in his heart language. “Now Jesus does not feel like a visitor anymore,” he said. “He is Emmanuel - God with us.” When the Word speaks the way people listen, faith becomes personal - and it doesn’t stop with one people group.
Today, 1 in 5 people on earth still do not have the full Bible in their heart language. And roughly 3,600 languages still need full Scripture translation work. For a broader look at the scope of this need, you can explore more on our Stats page.
“Now Jesus does not feel like a visitor anymore,
He is Emmanuel - God with us”
For many of these communities, written text is not the primary way meaning is formed. Story, memory, and spoken word shape how truth is understood and passed on.
That’s where Oral Bible Translation comes in. Oral Bible Translation (OBT) begins with the spoken Word - translated, shaped, and shared within a culture’s oral framework. Today, more than half of all new Bible translations globally are oral-first. This approach is not a shortcut. It is careful, accurate, and deeply contextual.
In one region, translators discovered that when people heard John the Baptist ate “locusts,” they imagined a warrior preparing for battle - because in their culture, warriors eat locusts for strength. Without clarification, a major misunderstanding could have taken root. OBT allowed translators to ensure the meaning - not just the words - were clearly understood.
This is why heart-language Scripture isn’t just translation. It’s clarity. It’s revelation. It’s encounter.
The T* People of Benin
Right now, the Project42 community is helping bring Scripture access to the T* People of Benin. More than 71,000 people speak T*, a dialect of the Yom language. They are almost entirely unreached and almost entirely oral.
This is Scripture sinking roots into a culture for the very first time.
Until now, Scripture reached them only through another language - one carrying someone else’s cultural history and meaning. Today, T* believers are translating Scripture for their own people through Oral Bible Translation.
In every translation session, they sit together, listen to Scripture, absorb it until deep understanding takes root, and speak it back in the language only T* hearts can fully feel. The first approved passages of Luke are already being shared through phones. When Luke is complete, it will be loaded onto Proclaimers and Bible apps. Acts will follow and a Gospel Film will be adapted.
This is Scripture sinking roots into a culture for the very first time.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” - John 1:14
This is why we keep going. Because when the Word dwells, God stays.
Check out our Advocate Resources to help share more stories like these.
