As the United States prepares to celebrate National Bible Week from November 24 to December 1, 1991, Latter-day Saints have an opportunity to reaffirm our belief in and love for this great "book of books."

As a Church we believe the Bible, but as stated in our eighth Article of Faith, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. . . . "

Errors of translation are understandable because no original texts were available to the translators of the English versions of the Bible. The Savior likely taught in Aramaic, but most early manuscripts rendered His teachings in Greek that then had to be translated into English. The Hebrew of the Old Testament had been translated into Greek, Latin, or other languages before our English versions.

Latter-day Saints are not alone in accepting the fact that through a variety of translations from differing types of manuscript materials errors crept in, omissions occurred, and individuals put in meanings they felt agreed with their own ideas. The fact that there have been so many versions or editions of the Bible published in recent years affirms that scholars and theologians throughout the world are still striving to present the Bible in clearer or more understandable terminology.

Should the weaknesses of translation bother us as Latter-day Saints?

Not really, especially when you view it in the perspective expressed by President Brigham Young when he said: "The Bible is true. It may not all have been translated aright, and many precious things may have been rejected in the compilation and translation of the Bible; but we understand from the writings of one of the Apostles that if all the sayings and doings of the Savior had been written the world could not contain them. I will say that the world could not understand them. They do not understand what we have on record, nor the character of the Savior, as delineated in the Scriptures; and yet it is one of the simplest things in the world, and the Bible, when it is understood, is one of the simplest books in the world, for, as far as it is translated correctly, it is nothing but truth, and in truth there is no mystery save to the ignorant." (See Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 124.)

We also have the Book of Mormon, and the writings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and other prophets, seers and revelators that add great clarity, commentary and interpretation to the teachings of the Bible.

The Church is firmly anchored to the Authorized King James Version of the Bible. The ease with which the Book of Mormon and the Bible were cross-referenced to each other when the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible was published in 1979 attests to the support found in our modern-day testament of Jesus Christ for the Bible. In the LDS edition of the King James Bible are also found many explanations from the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. These aid greatly in our understanding of many otherwise obscure or incomplete passages in the Bible.

But perhaps most important, we have the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us discern the true meanings of Biblical passages that might seem unclear. When the Savior met with His disciples in that upper room prior to His death, He declared:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26.)

When we read the Bible, or any of the sacred books of scripture, we must do so prayerfully with the Spirit of the Holy Ghost as our companion. Meanings will come through the Spirit. Teachings will be made more clear. Truths will be evident, and learning will take place.

Beyond any people or group on the earth Latter-day Saints should value the Bible and cherish its teachings. Its importance to us is beautifully expressed in these words of President George Q. Cannon:

"This book is of priceless worth; its value cannot be estimated by anything that is known among men upon which value is fixed. . . . To the Latter-day Saints it should always be a precious treasure. . . . It is, as it were, a constant fountain sending forth streams of living life to satisfy the souls of all who peruse its pages." (See Gospel Truth, vol. 2, p. 248.)