New Testament

Preface to the Third Edition

The third edition of the "New Testament and Psalter in Modern Russian Translation" was prepared for publication by the Institute for Bible Translation in Zaoksky at the suggestion of the Ukrainian Bible Society. Aware of their responsibility for the accuracy of the translation and its literary merits, the staff of the Institute used the opportunity of a new edition of this Book in order to make clarifications and, where necessary, corrections to their previous long-term work. And although in this work it was necessary to keep in mind the deadlines, every effort was made to achieve the task facing the Institute: to convey to readers the sacred text, as far as possible in translation, carefully verified, without distortion and loss.

Both in previous editions and in the present, our team of translators has sought to preserve and continue the best that has been achieved by the efforts of the Bible societies of the world in the translation of the Holy Scriptures. In an effort to make our translation accessible and understandable, however, we still resisted the temptation to use coarse and vulgar words and phrases, the kind of vocabulary that usually appears in times of social upheaval, revolutions and turmoil. We tried to convey the message of the Scriptures in generally accepted, well-established words and in such expressions that would continue the good traditions of the old (now inaccessible) translations of the Bible into the native language of our compatriots.

In traditional Judaism and Christianity, the Bible is not only a historical document to be cherished, not only a literary monument to be admired and admired. This book was and remains a unique message about God's solution to human problems on earth, about the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, who opened the way for mankind to the unceasing life of peace, holiness, goodness and love. The news of this should be heard for our contemporaries in words directly addressed to them, in a language that is simple and close to their perception. The translators of this edition of the New Testament and the Psalms have done their work with prayer and hope that these holy books in their translation will continue to support the spiritual lives of readers of all ages by helping them to understand and respond to the inspired Word by faith.

April 25, 2005

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

Less than two years have passed since the "New Testament in Modern Russian Translation" was published at the Mozhaisk Printing Plant by order of the Dialogue Educational Foundation. This edition was prepared by the Institute for Bible Translation in Zaoksky. It was warmly and approved by readers who love the Word of God, readers of various denominations. The translation was also met with considerable interest by those who were just getting acquainted with the original source of Christian teaching, the most famous part of the Bible, the New Testament. A few months after the publication of "The New Testament in Modern Russian Translation", the entire circulation was sold out, but orders for publication continued to arrive. Encouraged by this, the Institute for Bible Translation in Zaoksky, whose main goal was and remains to promote the introduction of compatriots to the Holy Scriptures, began to prepare a second edition of this Book. Of course, we could not help but think that the translation of the New Testament prepared by the Institute, like any other translation of the Bible, needed to be checked and discussed with readers, and this was the beginning of our preparations for a new edition.

After the first edition, the Institute, along with numerous positive reviews, received valuable constructive suggestions from attentive readers, including theologians and linguists, who prompted us to make the second edition as popular as possible, of course, without compromising the accuracy of the translation. In doing so, we tried to solve such problems as: a thorough revision of the translation we had previously made; improvements, where necessary, stylistic plan and easy-to-read design of the text. Therefore, in the new edition, in comparison with the previous one, there are significantly fewer footnotes (footnotes that had not so much practical as theoretical significance have been removed). The previous letter designation of footnotes in the text has been replaced by an asterisk to the word (expression) to which a note is given at the bottom of the page.

In this edition, in addition to the books of the New Testament, the Institute for Bible Translation publishes its new translation of the Psalter, the very book of the Old Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ loved to read and to which he often referred during His life on earth. Over the centuries, thousands upon thousands of Christians, as well as Jews, have considered the Psalter to be the heart of the Bible, finding in it a source of joy, consolation, and spiritual illumination.

The translation of the Psalter was made from the standard scientific edition of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Stuttgart, 1990). A.V. Bolotnikov, I.V. Lobanov, M.V. Opiyar, O.V. Pavlova, S.A. Romashko, V.V. Sergeev took part in the preparation of the translation.

The Institute for Bible Translation offers to the widest range of readers the "New Testament and Psalter in Modern Russian Translation" with due humility and at the same time with confidence that God still has a new light and truth ready to illumine the reader of His holy words. We pray that, with the blessing of the Lord, this translation will serve as a means to that end.

April 25, 2002