FROM SCHOOL LEADER TO TRANSLATOR OF THE MESSAGE BIBLE IN NORWEGIAN
by Ann-Kristin Iversen
In June 2022, a long chapter in my life came to an end. For seventeen years, I had worked as a teacher, department head and vice-principal at Oslo Christian Senter’s Elementary and Junior High School. For the last four years, I had been working on starting up the church’s Senior High School department, an extensive faith-project that I was passionate about. Unfortunately, after one year of operation, we had to realize that there was no financial basis for continuing operations due to low student numbers. I was very sad but I also felt at peace about ending my employment at the school. In the fall of 2022, I was therefore without a job and said to the Lord: "What do you want me to do?»
When the director of Hermon Publishing, Svein Andersen, contacted me and asked if I would consider taking on an editing assignment for their translation of The Message New Testament, my immediate response was: "No, I know nothing about editorial work. I don't think this can be what God has for me." I looked at my own lack of experience and abilities and thought, "This is no way! I’m not good enough for the job!»
But Svein didn't give up, and he asked me to think about it during the fall. I pushed it aside at first, but it didn't let go. The Message had long held a special place in my heart. I had been familiar with Eugene Peterson's new Bible translation ever since I attended Rhema in 1998-2000. This was a colorful, modern Bible translation in an everyday language that made the texts more readable and accessible. After many years as a pastor and theologian, Eugene Peterson had seen that people were not interested in the Bible because they felt it was too difficult to understand, or because they had read so much of it that they were bored. He therefore began to paraphrase the texts in his sermons to make them easy to understand and vivid for his listeners. After all, that's how the texts were experienced by the first Christians! They received the gospel in a language that was their own, words and expressions that were part of their everyday lives. Eventually, this resulted in the Bible translation The Message, which was published 1993-2002. Eugene Peterson's goal was to create enthusiasm for the Bible among both new and old readers. And The Message did just that. It was a huge success and has been translated into many languages.
So what was it about "The Message" that grabbed me?
Perhaps the fact that I saw familiar texts in a new language? New words and expressions made me stop and think about the text I was reading. The stories gained a new and fresh perspective. Often when I read familiar texts in "my" Bible from 1988, I read the same ones in The Message. Time and again I had "aha" experiences. The colorful language made the texts vivid and close to reality. Eventually, I used it diligently as an addition to my everyday Bible. Translating and editing it from English to Norwegian would be incredibly exciting, but far too big a task for me. Or would it?
During the fall, I began to play with the idea. What if I just opened the door a little bit? When I met Svein in November, I asked if I could try my hand at one of the gospels. I really felt like I was walking on thin ice. Christmas 2022 was a deep dive into the Gospel of Luke, and I knew immediately that this was for me. I loved it! Silent hours immersed in these wonderful texts that I had been reading since I was little. Every day I sat glued to the screen, twisting and turning English expressions to render them in Norwegian. I had always loved working with people in a hectic environment, but now I was all alone - it was just me and God's word. And every day I felt such joy that I had the opportunity to do this. Gradually, I saw how my education, skills and experience were actually very relevant to the task, but at the same time completely useless without the anointing of the Holy Spirit. As we have heard Pastor Hagin say again and again: "The natural and the supernatural coming together, make an explosive force for God!»
I have been allowed to work on the translation work for over a year and a half. The Message New Testament was published just before the New Year, and when I held the first book in my hand it was almost unreal. I couldn’t believe that I’d been allowed to help bring this living edition of the Bible to people in Norway!
I would like to add a few final words.
Sometimes what we have dedicated our lives to can come to an end. It can feel incomprehensible and painful, and we are left at a crossroads wondering where God will take us next. Now that plan A is dead, does He have a plan B?
No, he doesn't. He does not have a plan B for us! It's not that because a door is closed, we end up with the next best thing. He who has seen our lives from the time we were in our mother's womb, He has seen all our days, and He has already planned the way forward. It's still His plan A for us. It's still the best plan! He takes all of our life experiences, our knowledge and our natural gifts and crowns it with His anointing and election. What may seem impossible and unattainable becomes possible because of Him. All we have to do is open the door and give Him a chance to lead us further into the unknown.
A chapter may be closed, but the book on you is far from over. Don't look back and dream about what was. Say to God: "Here I am, send me. What will be the next chapter in our book?"
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