Santa Maria de Jesus Kaqchikel New Testament (CAKSMJ)

Overview

The Santa Maria de Jesus Kaqchikel New Testament (Ri c'ac'ac' Testamento pa kach'ab'al), published by Wycliffe Bible Translators in 2010, is a dialect-specific translation for the Kaqchikel community of Santa María de Jesús in the Sacatepéquez department of Guatemala. Kaqchikel is a Mayan language spoken by approximately 1,070,000 people across central Guatemala and is a member of the Quichean-Mamean branch of the Mayan language family; the language has multiple regional dialects, and Wycliffe produced separate New Testaments for several of them to ensure accessibility for distinct speech communities. [1] The history of Kaqchikel Bible translation is particularly significant: Cameron Townsend, founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International, first went to Guatemala in 1917 to distribute Spanish Bibles, then devoted himself to learning Kaqchikel and translating the New Testament, which was published in 1931 — an effort that directly inspired the founding of Wycliffe and SIL. [2]

Language and People

Kaqchikel (ISO 639-3: cak) is spoken by approximately 1,070,000 people in Guatemala. [Glottolog: kaqc1270]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.

References