जिरेल — Jirel New Testament (Nepal)
Overview
जिरेल (Jirel) is the complete New Testament (27 books) in the Jirel language of Dolakha District, Nepal, published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. in 1992 and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 3866). This is one of Nepal's earlier minority-language NT translations, predating many of the similar WBT projects in eastern Nepal. The Jirel live in the Jiri valley, site of the famous Jiri Technical School and Hospital — one of the most important development institutions in pre-Maoist Nepal, built through Swiss Development Cooperation assistance in the 1970s. The Jirel NT (1992) was produced well before digital scripture platforms existed, and its availability on YouVersion represents an important step in making this older translation accessible to the Jirel diaspora.
Language and People
Jirel (ISO 639-3: jul; autonym: Jiri; also spelled Jirel, Jirel Bhote) is a Tibeto-Burman language: Sino-Tibetan → Tibeto-Burman → Bodish → Tibetan branch → Sherpa-Jirel group. Jirel is most closely related to Sherpa (shp) — the two languages are mutually intelligible to a significant degree — and both belong to the eastern Tibetan branch (as opposed to the Central Tibetan of Lhasa). Jirel is written in Devanagari script (as shown in the title जिरेल), following Nepal's standard practice for Himalayan minority languages.
The Jirel community inhabits:
- Jiri area, Dolakha District, Bagmati Province (formerly Janakpur Zone), eastern Nepal
- The Jiri valley and surrounding ridges (~1,900 m–2,100 m elevation) on the trekking route to Everest Base Camp
- Small diaspora communities in Kathmandu and other towns
Estimated speakers: approximately 4,000–5,000 (Jirel is one of Nepal's smallest recognized Tibeto-Burman communities; Joshua Project: ~5,200).
Cultural Context
Jiri is best known internationally as the traditional starting point of the overland trek to Everest Base Camp — before the construction of Lukla's STOL airstrip, virtually all Everest expeditions began at Jiri. The Jiri Technical School and Hospital (JTSH), founded in 1977 with Swiss development funding, brought significant outside contact to the valley and provided medical care and vocational training to a large catchment area including many Jirel people. The Jirel are predominantly Buddhist (Tibetan Buddhist), with Sherpa-style Buddhism and its distinctive high-altitude calendar, festivals, and monastic traditions. They practice a traditional agropastoral economy combining terraced farming and seasonal yak and cattle herding.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. in partnership with Wycliffe Nepal translation teams.