Wycliffe Bible translators killed by militants in Middle East

Four Bible translators have been killed by militants who stormed their office in the Middle East and destroyed some of their equipment. Two were shot dead while the other two died of the injuries they sustained from being beaten, according to Christian Headlines.

The militants beat the last two translators with their empty weapons. The translators were able to shield the lead translator from the attack by lying on top of him when the incident happened, the report details.

Aside from that, the attackers destroyed their Print on Demand equipment and some of their books and translation materials. Fortunately, the computer hard drives which contain eight language projects were spared from the attack, the report relays.

In the wake of the deadly attack, Wycliffe asked people to pray for the families of the murdered translators. The company also asked for prayer for new translators who will continue the project.

"Will you pray with me for the injured translators? Pray for others to step up and take on the translation task...," said Wycliffe. "Pray that God will strengthen their minds, their hearts, and their bodies to be able to continue the translation of the gospel for their people."

Moreover, Wycliffe also requested for prayer that God let the killers realize the wrong that they have done. The ministry also asked that the people pray that the attackers will come to know the Lord and be able to ask forgiveness for their sins.

Wycliffe Associates recently made headlines when it decided to break away from its umbrella organization Wycliffe Global Alliance. The separation stemmed from a long-running disagreement over the translation of the Trinity in Arabic versions of the Bible.

In a statement, Wycliffe Associates president Bruce Smith said they will only stick with Bible translations that use the term "Son of God." For them, the verbatim translation of the term is non-negotiable.