Bringing Jeremiah’s Voice to Bangalore: A Kannada Translation Project

I am honored to share some remarkable news that speaks to the universal reach and enduring relevance of Old Testament scholarship. Father Vijayaraj Jaunet, Regional Secretary for the Bible Commission in Bangalore, India, has undertaken a significant project: translating my eight blog posts on the confessions of Jeremiah into Kannada, a major South Indian language spoken by approximately 45 million people.

A Labor of Love and Faith

Father Jaunet not only coordinated this translation effort but shepherded the project through to publication. The book was officially released by the Archbishop of Bangalore, lending ecclesiastical recognition to this endeavor. In his introduction, Father Jaunet graciously described my work as an Old Testament professor and articulated his vision for the project: to cultivate among Indian believers a deeper appreciation for the Old Testament—a portion of Scripture that often receives less attention than the New Testament in contemporary Christian practice.

Addressing a Critical Need

What struck me most profoundly was Father Jaunet’s candid assessment of the challenges facing biblical literacy in his context. He wrote to me:

I must admit that I am distributing the copies for free, because generally the interest to read has gone down among people and biblical books are very rare among Kannada Christians. I am just trying to inculcate in them love for the Word of God in this way.

His words reveal both the difficulty of the task and the passion driving it. In an age of diminishing attention spans and competing media, Father Jaunet has chosen to invest his time and resources—offering the books at no cost—to place solid biblical teaching directly into the hands of Kannada-speaking Christians. This is ministry in its most practical and sacrificial form.

The Confessions of Jeremiah: Timeless and Universal

The confessions of Jeremiah—those raw, honest prayers found primarily in Jeremiah 11:18–12:6, 15:10–21, 17:14–18, 18:18–23, and 20:7–18—represent some of the most psychologically and theologically profound material in the prophetic literature. In these passages, Jeremiah wrestles with God over his calling, his suffering, and the apparent silence of heaven in the face of injustice. His struggles mirror those of believers across centuries and cultures: the cost of faithfulness, the pain of rejection, the testing of faith in difficult circumstances.

These ancient texts speak with surprising immediacy to contemporary believers in Bangalore—or anywhere else—who face their own struggles to remain faithful in challenging environments.

A Global Conversation

While my blog reaches readers in nearly every country around the world—a reality that still amazes me—there is something particularly meaningful about seeing these essays translated into a regional language. English-language content reaches the educated and internationally connected, but translation into Kannada opens these reflections on Jeremiah to a different audience: pastors in rural parishes, seminary students studying in their mother tongue, lay believers who think and pray most naturally in Kannada.

This is how theological scholarship should function—not remaining in academic journals and university libraries, but finding its way into the communities of faith where Scripture is read, preached, and lived.

Gratitude and Hope

I want to express my deepest gratitude to Father Jaunet for his vision, dedication, and sacrifice in making this translation possible. The work of translation is demanding; the work of distribution, especially when offered freely, requires genuine commitment to the mission. May the Lord abundantly bless his efforts and use this small book to accomplish purposes beyond what any of us can imagine.

I pray that through these reflections on Jeremiah’s confessions, believers in Bangalore and throughout Karnataka will encounter afresh the God who hears honest prayers, who sustains his servants through suffering, and who remains faithful even when his ways are difficult to understand. May Jeremiah’s ancient voice find new resonance in Kannada hearts, and may the Old Testament become not a neglected portion of Scripture but a treasured source of wisdom, comfort, and challenge.

As Father Jaunet works to “inculcate love for the Word of God” among his people, he reminds all of us—regardless of our context—that biblical scholarship finds its ultimate purpose not in academic achievement but in serving the church’s understanding and love of Scripture. This Kannada translation of my work on Jeremiah stands as a beautiful example of that truth in action.

Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

If you enjoyed reading this post, you will enjoy reading my books.

VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR’S PAGE

BUY MY BOOKS ON AMAZON (Click here).

NOTE: Did you like this post? Do you think other people would like to read this post? Be sure to share this post on Facebook and share a link on X so that others may enjoy reading it too!

If you are looking for other series of studies on the Old Testament, visit the Archive section and you will find many studies that deal with a variety of Old Testament topics.