Vietnam
(MNN) — Many Vietnamese Christians are using a Bible that was last translated
in 1926 by an American missionary. The World
Bible Translation
Center is
wrapping up an Easy-To-Read (ERV) Old Testament translation and will be
releasing the full Vietnamese Bible later this year.
Editor Tam Pham says it was high time. Rather than wait for someone else to
undertake the project, he says he began working with WBTC with the New
Testament translation 18 years ago. Why? "The language has changed so much
that many passages are hard to understand. So, I feel that a new translation
with an Easy-To-Read format would reach more people for Christ."
WBTC's President Gary Bishop says now is the time to move
because the Vietnamese government has relaxed its restrictions. That makes the need for more support even more
urgent.
For most Vietnamese, the cost of a Bible is beyond
reach. They're looking for people to
help subsidize or sponsor Bibles for believers who cannot afford one on their
own. "The World Bible
Translation Center
is committed to doing 20,000 New Testaments, 20,000 Bibles, as soon
as we get the entire Bible completed, and then 20,000 Vietnamese English
New Testaments. That's a drop in the
bucket, so we have a huge need for Bibles because of the extraordinary
numbers."
Pham is finishing up work on the glossary and other
references, then the project will be ready for print. At this point, Bishop says the Bible will be
released in both the United States
and in Vietnam,
although the timing is contingent on the printing deadlines.
WBTC is committed to providing the ERV Bible to aid
in bringing people to an understanding of who makes up the church and how the
church is to work. They provide ERV Bibles and New Testaments in 30 languages
around the world to ministries and churches working to plant more
churches. Click here if you can help.
