German Bible Project »EsraBibel«
God‘s Word is ever »living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, …« (Heb 4,12 LSB) And just as all temporal things that might entice or enchant must fade away to be no more, so »… the word of our God stands forever.« (Is 40,8 LSB) As it was Martin Luther’s conviction when he wrote of »that Word above all earthly powers«, so it is our conviction to preach, teach and spread the truth that is the word of God in an overwhelmingly secular Germany. The Bible translation project »EsraBibel« (EzraBible) is therefore not a mere translation that will sink in the sands of time, but a monument of truth in a time of lies. The name of the »EsraBibel« has its origin in Ezra 7,10:
»For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of Yahweh and to practice it, and to teach His statute and judgment in Israel.«
The main objective of the project
The »EsraBibel« is for anyone who strives to know and love God, his Word, and his law. Ezra represents such a man in every way, in that he loved God and his love had practical implications in that he:
- had set his heart
- to study the law of Yahweh
- and to practice it,
- and to teach His statute and judgement in Israel.
His example prompted us to call this new translation the »EsraBibel«. It is intended both to encourage the reader to study the Word of God carefully and at the same time to help him to grasp its meaning as accurately as possible.
The special features in detail
In the case of the EsraBibel, particular care has been taken to translate as faithfully as possible without compromising readability. Linguistic particularities, which play an important role in the original languages, have been made visible so that the reader can recognize the message and intention of the text more clearly. Among other things, the sentence structure, emphasized words in the sentence, the use of participles, which differs from German and English, and the particularities of verbs in the original languages were considered. The annotations in the footnotes are partly intended to explain why the translation was made in the respective place. In addition, they provide valuable information on the meaning of many individual terms, which aids understanding of the text. All of this is intended to make God‘s purpose in His Word clearly visible so that the reader can discern timeless truths that form the basis for timely application in their personal life of faith.
The translation project is inspired by Luther‘s conviction to make the Bible accessible to all, but also by the translators of the Legacy Standard Bible, to produced a work of the highest linguistic and philological quality. In an age of declining language, the »EsraBibel« stands as a precise and meticulously produced literal, formal-equivalent translation. That means it is literal and word-for-word. Though over and beyond that it ultimately aims at opening a window into the original text for German readers who mostly have no knowledge of Greek or Hebrew. Dr Benedikt Peters (PhD, The Master‘s Seminary) has considered all the findings of the latest linguistic studies and his own research in Greek and Hebrew. In particular, the translation of the poetic books of the Bible (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) has been advanced and the poetic beauty has been captured. This new translation by Dr. Benedikt Peters and the European Bible Training Center is for the layman, pastor, and scholar alike.
Dr. Benedikt Peters, Ph. D., Translator of the EsraBibel
Our goal
…is to release the complete Bible translation in 2026. Every book of the Bible will be released beforehand as a Bible journal (see pictures). Here the student of the Word can mark up the text and do in depth studies of the specific biblical book. This project will also be very useful for thousands of Bible students connected to EBTC in their studies for EBTC-classes or in their personal study. We are happy to report the translation and publication of Ezra & Nehemiah, Proverbs, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians with many more to come soon. This project is dependent on financial support, to spread a new love and passion for the truth of the Word of God in all German-speaking countries. Please pray for advancement of this invaluable work and that God would bless this effort to spread his word. Also pray for the financial means to realize this project and support us prayerfully and financially.
How to become part of this project
We would love for you to join our mission to make this new translation available to people in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. We are convinced of the transformative power of God’s word and trust that – by God’s grace – we could see a spiritual awakening like in the days of Ezra and Nehemia: »Then all the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate with great gladness, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.« (Nehemia 8:12). Please consider joining our team by helping us carry the financial load of this project. Your contri- bution would be much appreciated!