Washington Adventist University’s Bible Translation Institute to Release New Russian Translation of Bible

Mikhail M. Kulakov and Dave Weigley discuss the Bible Translation Institute's Russian Bible project at the Columbia Union Conference Executive Meeting.

In 2010 Mikhail M. Kulakov took over his recently deceased father’s project to translate the Bible into the modern Russian language. And, this week, 23 years after it began, the completed project is finally at press.

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Kulakov, the director and editor-in-chief of the Bible Translation Institute based at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md., says he is looking forward to seeing ordinary Russian people gain strength, hope, joy and a sense of God’s closeness in the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms and Isaiah in their mother tongue.

While growing up, Kulakov used a Russian Bible translated in 1875. “I loved the translation which we had access to, (growing up) but I did not realize that there is greater richness and depth of meaning in those passages … that have became much clearer to me with a mastery of the biblical languages and through the creation of this more accurate translation,” he adds.

The institute led the project, but also worked with Russian Orthodox scholars. Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran and Russian Orthodox websites have already posted portions of the project on their websites.

During the Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee meetings held this week, Dave Weigley, Columbia Union president, prayed for the distribution of the Bible and that the knowledge of His second coming will be made known to many people as a result of this work.

The New Testament can be purchased at Adventist Book Centers across the United States, on Amazon and at russianbible.org.