William Tyndale

Have you ever heard of William Tyndale? I was listening to this message on the life of William Tyndale today (link below to Desiring God Ministries). We own much of the English translation of the bible to this man, who gave his life for bibles to be available to every person in church.

Many verses that we still use today were Tyndale's hard work in translation. Verses such as:
"Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).
“The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be merciful unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Tyndale's gift for languages (he spoke eight) enabled him to provide us with some of the most beautiful verses that we use and take for granted of today.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1840_Always_Singing_One_NoteA_Vernacular_Bible/

So let Tyndale’s very last word to us, be the last word he sent to his best friend, John Frith, in a letter just before he was burned alive for believing and speaking the truth of Scripture:
Your cause is Christ’s gospel, a light that must be fed with the blood of faith. . . . If when we be buffeted for well-doing, we suffer patiently and endure, that is thankful with God; for to that end we are called. For Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps, who did no sin. Hereby have we perceived love that he laid down his life for us: therefore we ought to be able to lay down our lives for the brethren. . . . Let not your body faint. If the pain be above your strength, remember: “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will give it you.” And pray to our Father in that name, and he will ease your pain, or shorten it. . . . Amen.