A New Bible Translation for Ukrainians

Ukraine’s unique history has resulted in Ukrainian speakers still not having a complete Bible in current literary Ukrainian that is based on the Greek Textus Receptus and Masoretic Hebrew Text. Since 1998 we have been publishing the Kulish translation, which can be understood by Ukrainians in Western Ukraine; however, the dialect is not easy for people in the rest of the country to read and understand.

Eastern Orthodoxy has long been the dominant religion in Ukraine. There is a formal separation between state and religion which gives Ukrainians a high level of religious freedom. However, Eastern Orthodoxy tends to have a considerable influence over Ukrainian politics and society. A 2022 report showed Ukrainians identified as:

• Orthodox: 72%
• Atheist: 10%
• Greek Catholic: 8%
• Unsure/other: 5%
• Protestant: 2%
• Other Christian groups: 2%
• Jews and Muslims: <1%

The demand for our Kulish edition of the Ukrainian Bible has increased dramatically since Ukraine was invaded in February 2022. Since that time, the Society has been able to distribute over 24,000 Ukrainian Bibles, nearly 10,000 Ukrainian New Testaments, and over 21,000 copies of the Ukrainian Gospel according to John.

A native Ukrainian has been working on a reliable translation of the Bible for many years, and Lord willing, we hope shortly to publish, under license, the Ukrainian New Testament in the current literary form of the language, while continuing to stock the Kulish Bible for those that still use, read, and understand that edition, and so that people still have an Old Testament to use while translation work is ongoing on the Old Testament. Please remember the Ukrainian Scriptures and people in your prayers.