Good News Bible translator Bratcher dies at 90

Good News Bible translator Bratcher dies at 90

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Robert Bratcher, the New Testament translator for the “Good News Bible,” died July 11. He was 90.

Born in Brazil the son of L.M. Bratcher, a Southern Baptist missionary for 35 years, Robert Bratcher taught at Baptist Theological Seminary in Rio de Janeiro from 1949 until 1956. He then worked with the American Bible Society (ABS) until his retirement in 1995.

In the early 1960s, the then-Home Mission Board asked ABS to recommend the best translation for people who speak English as a second language. ABS leaders decided no single version really fit that need, so Bratcher was asked to do an English translation “for Southern Baptists.”

Released with the title “Good News for Modern Man,” the New Testament was first issued in 1966. The complete Bible was published in 1976 as the “Good News Bible,” also known as “Today’s English Version.” It was once the best-selling Bible in America.