Tedim-Zokam Bible

For many years a small team in Burma (Myanmar) have been translating the Authorised (King James) Version into Tedim Zokam. This is a developing language with 61,000 speakers within Burma, and a further 20,000 speakers outside of the country.

In 2017 two TBS staff members were able to meet with the Tedim-Zokam Bible translators at our USA Branch Office, and spent several days working closely with them. Since that time the translators in Burma have completed a review of their first draft of the entire Bible and recently commenced a further revision round on the second draft text. It is painstaking work, which is carried out alongside the translation team’s other considerable church and mission commitments.

Whilst such tribal languages are spoken by relatively few, many of these tribes have very high numbers professing Christianity, of which at least half would be committed Christians. This means that it is very important that these strongly Christian tribal groups have a faithful edition of God’s Word in their own heart language, something that is also essential in helping to strengthen the church.

As recorded on the Day of Pentecost: ‘And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?’ (Acts 2.7-8).