SOLOMON'S BRIDGE {Part I}

ARE WE LOST IN TRANSLATION? *16*

THE HRBC @McFoy House
Every Wednesday (5 p.m.)

Today, I'm wearing a tomato red three quarter sleeve light chiffon gown that cinches at my waist, but flares out in iron straight pleats, it's fluid, copious drop progressively widening till it crowds my ankles, hemmed out in snow white embroidery. My hair is wrapped up in a tight bun at the crown of my forehead. Anyone that knows me, will know that I was nervous, dressing up, so I think I overdid it. I mean, I didn't know what I'd meet in class today; people, or empty seats.

Attendance has really picked up. I can see eighteen people, mostly new faces, all my first members returning, except that Radio girl, which is very disappointing! Mrs. Inyang Maye Hatta, her mother, is here, so is the Boy. Jessica Harris's presence surprises me. A wrapround bandage is on her head, with one or two plastered gauzes on her face, revealing that she's eh, had a bit of a rough weekend, even her left arm is in a sling... well. I welcome everyone, introduce myself again, tell them what they can expect in this class, then I humbly make a request for an opening prayer, adding that everyone should please bow their heads and close their eyes. I quickly snatch my white lace scarf from my desk, using it to cover my head. Dr. Jay's deep baritone is another surprise. I guess he has fallen in love with Africa, with our mysterious little Canaan. Yes I saw him on network news, I know who he is, it's just that I've got that feeling, you know, like I've seen another other him somewhere before but, the details are so... fuzzy.

He prays for insight, and then for solution to difficult challenges. Its a good point to remember, that everyone here is probably facing one challenge or the other. There are too many pains in this world, too many people in a desperate need of any kind of relief. The tree of good and evil knowledge is all about living inside a fatal mix of both truth and lies. But when people get knowledge of the truth, the lies cannot hurt them anymore.

"Today's topic is..." My laptop is already open before me on my desk. I pick up a remote, press a button, My Sony 262 inch tv screen comes on with the title: Are We Lost In Translation? "Today's topic is going to be a bitter pill to swallow," I set the first three slides of my power point presentation to flip every ten minutes,

"Do we know that God does not want His Word changed? (Rev. 22: 18-19,) Do we know that to have a counterfeit Word (Isa. 8: 20,) is to have a counterfeit Salvation (Luk. 11: 35-36,) and a counterfeit Messiah? (1 John. 4: 1,) Some may argue it's impossible to preserve God's Word from a time He gave it, up to now (Jer. 1: 12; Psa. 12: 6-7,) If mankind is in charge, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible (Matt. 19: 26.) Only God can punish souls the way He says He will do, in (Rev. 22: 18-19,) Now, lets use precedent as our standard metric. The original King James 1611 Version is in fact, the HRBC's tool box. For those just coming in, this is Holiness Revival Bible Class, my name, is Miss Edima, and our topic this Wednesday is, Lost in Translation!

We are going to compare different bible versions of a very important verse. Many bible versions today seem to attack the saving grace, the divinity, the power unto our salvation, of Jesus, the Christ. In (Matt. 1: 25) the King James bible says,

"And knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son: and he called his name Jesus." But in the American Standard Version it says, "and knew her not till she had brought forth a son : and he called his name Jesus."

The RSV phrases it similarly, the NIV elaborates on the error by saying, "But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."

Uh; in case it's not apparent yet, this translation implies that Mary might have had daughters before birthing our Saviour. The NWT goes to town with this harmful change, "But he had no intercourse with her until she gave birth to a son; and he called his name Jesus."