In the 20th century, the translation of the Bible into the local languages of the archipelago continued. In the midst of this journey came Rev Jaulung Wismar Saragih (1888-1968), a native who devoted his life to the translation of the Bible into the Simalungun language.

He was born in Sinondang, near Pematang Raya, Sumatra. From childhood, he was moulded by his father's upbringing. He learnt to read, work, and absorb various wisdoms of life, ranging from proverbs to oral traditions passed down in his neighbourhood. Before studying at the zending school, Jaulung thought that the Lord Jesus was Toba.

He heard all the teaching about the Bible, church songs, and the Law of God in the Toba language. In order to understand the lessons, he studied the language diligently. But one day, while attending a service in Sigumpar led by Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen, his heart was struck by a prayer: a plea for the Simalungun people of Raya, Purba and Tigaras to be guided to God. For the first time he felt named, cared for, and loved in church prayer. From then on, the seed of faith began to grow in his heart although he also struggled to see people who still mixed the Christian faith with old belief practices.

Education at the zending school introduced her to the Latin script and Bible stories taught in the Toba language. His interest in Bible stories and the person of Jesus grew, as he observed the faith around him. There was a teacher at this school who became his role model, Johannes Hermanus Meerwaldt. From Meerwaldt he learnt to believe in Christ as the Son of God who forgives human sin. Since then Meerwaldt became his spiritual father. In the end, he was baptised without leaving his identity as a Simalungun.

As an adult, Jaulung became a teacher and evangelist, then continued his theological education until he was ordained as a pastor. He ministered in several languages: Simalungun, Toba, and Karo, according to the context of the congregation he serves. From this experience, there grew an increasingly strong concern for the Simalungun language, which has not yet gained an adequate place in the life of the church.

This realisation encouraged him to gather materials to compile a Simalungun dictionary as an effort to preserve the language. He remembered an expression, "Barbed wire, wood, or bamboo is the fence of a field; a dictionary is the fence of a language. He worked on the Partingkian ni Hata Simalungun Dictionary (1938) for almost twenty years. Jaulung did not want his people to be distant from God because of language issues. His co-worker in Bible translation, Pieter Voorhoeve, stated that to his knowledge, "Jaulung Wismar Saragih was the first country boy in the Dutch East Indies to compile a dictionary in his own language from the very beginning". The acknowledgement confirms Jaulung's perseverance and courage.

This then led him further into the work of Bible translation. The Gospel of Luke, published in 1939, was the beginning of a long labour of love. He attempted to work together through "Kongsi Bibel Simalungun", but eventually chose to continue the translation independently.

In the process, Rev Jaulung compared different versions of the Bible: Toba, Angkola, Karo, Indonesian, and Dutch, as well as referring to dictionaries and commentaries. He also had the assistance of Pieter Voorhoeve in reviewing his translation.

One of the major challenges arose when he had to translate the word "Allah." The term Naibata was known in Simalungun culture, but its meaning varied. He did not replace it with a foreign term, but rather purified its meaning through teaching and preaching. For him, the gospel does not erase the meaning of a word in a language, but illuminates and renews its meaning.

After a long process, in 1950 the translation of the Simalungun New Testament was completed. For many Simalungun people, it was not simply a new translation, but rather an electrifying spiritual experience, as for the first time they heard God speak in their own heart language. It turned out that God was willing to communicate in a language they understood.

At a meeting of Bible translators in Jakarta led by J.L. Swellengrebel, he was recognised as the only Indonesian to translate the Bible on his own initiative. All other translators at that time were European. This dedication earned him the nickname "Luther of Simalungun". His translated Simalungun New Testament was published in 1953.

In his old age, despite his failing eyesight, he continued to translate parts of the Old Testament with the support of Pastor L. Purba, teachers R. Purba and T. Sidadolog, and his daughter Minaria who graduated from STT Jakarta. After his passing, the work was continued by Rev P. Purba, until the complete Bible in Simalungun was published by LAI in 1976.

The story of Jaulung Saragih shows that Bible translation is a silent vocation that must be endured steadfastly and faithfully. In his limitations, Jaulung recorded and preserved the language, so that the Word of God would come closer and live in the midst of his people. His greatest legacy is not just a dictionary or a Simalungun Bible, but the belief that when God's word greets and speaks in the mother tongue, a nation will dare to rise up and stand taller, on an equal footing with the tribes that have gone before.