In Genesis 3:1 the serpent asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” What has God really said? Before we can obey Him, we must know what He has said. The Psalmist prayed twice in his affliction, “Give me life through Your word” (Ps 119:25, 107). When Jesus was afflicted by the Devil in the wilderness (Mt 4:1-11), He defended Himself with the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17) – God’s Word. But Christians must know what God has said if we are to find strength and healing from affliction and defense against the Devil. Bible translation is not a casual enterprise because it involves bringing the life-saving Word of God to people in their own language. And selecting a Bible translation is not on the order of picking out a sweater. It’s more like picking a doctor – someone you can trust. This book is about how Bible translation is done. And it commends a particular translation – the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) – as a trustworthy guide to what God has really said.