East Asia (MNN)–The International Bible Society recently completed the Urdu translation of the Bible after 12 years of work.
According to IBS, teams started translating into contemporary Urdu in 1991 under the leadership of Dr. Sam Bhajjan, a distinguished scholar in Islamic Studies.
The New Dehli release makes the contemporary language Scriptures available to more than 400-million Urdu speakers throughout India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Europe.
IBS president Peter Bradley says, more than that, it opens many doors in a Muslim-dominated society. “We invited 25 Muslim leaders from the northern part of India to receive this new translation. It was a wonderful time. We met with them for about four hours. They received this ‘holy book,’ as they call it, with gratitude, and will be taking many copies back to their various villages and cities.”
The Bible was presented to Mr. Arjun Singh, Cabinet Minister for Human Resources for the Government of India, by Mike Richards, Sr., Chairman of the IBS Board. Also present were Mike’s wife Cynthia; Mr. Peter Bradley, IBS President, and his wife Shirley; Mr. PLN Murthy, IBS Group Vice President; Mr. Mathai Samuel, IBS Administrator of the Hindi NIV; and Mr. P.C. Thomas, a member of the Indian Parliament.
Bradley hopes this new tool will encourage the local church. “What we’re doing, of course, is supplying them with an accurate translation of God’s Word so that they can go out and disciple and train up new believers throughout Pakistan. There is quite a growing underground church in Pakistan.”
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