But can you remember the feeling of waiting for a Bible? Probably not, because five minutes at the counter of any bookshop isn't long. Someone had already spent years translating it for you and making it freely available in your country.
Now imagine waiting 2,000 years for a Bible in your own language.
Imagine not being able to read God's Word in a language you can understand and connect with. Imagine what it's like to think that God isn't interested in your community or nation.
But the fact is that this is the reality for millions of people around the world. Out of 6,900 languages, more than half still wait for just one book of the Bible. Only one in seven languages has a complete New Testament. Just 422 languages have a translation of the whole Bible.
At Bible Society, we call this Bible poverty.
And this year we've committed to ending the wait for millions of people by raising money for translation projects. This year, we hope to see new translations born, outdated Scriptures revised to speak today's language and the Bible recorded into audio for millions who can't read.
We believe this is vitally important because at the very heart of the Christian faith is the belief that God became human and lived among us. It was the ultimate translation! It's our challenge now to make the Word of God come alive in different cultures and communities across the world.
You may already do a bit of translation work yourself. If you talk about your faith to neighbours or colleagues who aren't Christians, you probably use words and phrases that are accessible and meaningful for them. You probably present it in a certain format.
