Estimates tell us that there are approximately 6500 – 7000 languages in the world. As a result, when missionaries go to another continent or country to share the Gospel, chances are they will first have to learn a new language before they can begin to communicate the truth of God’s love.
In the spirit of this very real discipline, every year in Passport, we learn John 3:16 in one of the primary languages of the continent we are studying. Russian is a prominent language in Europe, as it is the language of the largest country in Eastern Europe – Russia.
This one is a bit difficult, so let’s get started!
This is a look at the verse phonetically (ie. sounding it out with comparable English sounds):
{Note: Accent is placed on the red sound/syllable of the word; Scroll to end for audio version}
For God so loved the world,
Ибо так возлюбил Бог мир,
Ee-bo tak voz-lu-beel Bog meer,
That he gave his only son,
что отдал Сына Своего Единородного,
shto otdal sin-a svoy-ye-vo ye-deeno-rod-novo,
That whoever believes in him
дабы всякий верующий в Него,
da-bee vsya-kee ver-yoo-shee v nye-vo
Should not perish, but have eternal life.
не погиб, но имел жизнь вечную.
ne pog-eeb no ee-mel zhee-zin vechno.
John 3:16 {Russian Synodal Version (RUSV)}
A video of a native speaker saying John 3:16 in Russian is provided to assist in learning John 3:16 in Russia, as well as an audio version of the same verse.
Video:
Audio: