The Old Tavoy Version in Karen (KSWOKV)

Overview

The S'gaw Karen Bible was translated primarily by Francis Mason (1799-1874), an American Baptist missionary stationed at Tavoy (now Dawei), Myanmar. [1] Jonathan Wade developed the first written script for S'gaw Karen in 1831-32 by adapting the Mon-Burmese script. [1] The New Testament was completed and printed in 1843 in an edition of 2,000 copies at the American Baptist Mission Press in Tavoy. [1] Mason then translated the Old Testament from 1848 to 1853, with the complete Bible finished in September 1853. [1] Other contributors included Jonathan Wade (Corinthians), Mr. Abbott (Epistles to Timothy), and Rev. J.H. Vinton (Hebrews, Peter, Jude, 2-3 John). [1] Mason's translation was used with scarcely any alteration for over 100 years. [1]

Translators and Contributors

  • Francis Mason (1799-1874) — American Baptist missionary; primary translator of the S'gaw Karen Bible. [1]
  • Jonathan Wade — Created the S'gaw Karen script (1831-32); translated Corinthians. [1]
  • Mr. Abbott — Translated Epistles to Timothy. [1]
  • Rev. J.H. Vinton — Translated Hebrews, Peter, Jude, 2-3 John. [1]

Language and People

S'gaw Karen (ISO 639-3: ksw) is spoken by approximately 2,170,000 people in Central Myanmar. [Glottolog: sgaw1245]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by American Baptist Mission Press.

References