S'gaw Karen Bible 1963 — Kayin (S'gaw Karen) Bible (Myanmar/Thailand)
Overview
လံာ်စီဆှံ ဒ်ပစံးတၢ်အသိ ("The Holy Bible in S'gaw Karen") is the complete Bible in the S'gaw Karen (Kayin) language, with the current edition published in 1963 by the Myanmar Bible Society, available online and via audio through Faith Comes By Hearing. The community autonym ကညီကျိာ် (Kanyaw/Kayin) designates the S'gaw Karen people and language; the external designation S'gaw (or Sgaw) comes from a Karen-language word distinguishing this variety from related Karen dialects. S'gaw Karen (ISO 639-3: ksw) is the most widely spoken Karen language, with some 2–3 million speakers across Myanmar and Thailand.
Language and People
S'gaw Karen (ISO 639-3: ksw; autonym: Kanyaw ကညီ) is a Sino-Tibetan language: Sino-Tibetan → Tibeto-Burman → Karenic branch → S'gaw Karen. The Karen languages form a distinctive Tibeto-Burman sub-family, and S'gaw Karen is the largest of the Karen varieties — others include Pwo Karen, Pa'O, and Kayan (Padaung). Karen languages are notable for having Subject-Verb-Object word order, unusual among Tibeto-Burman languages (most are SOV).
The S'gaw Karen community inhabits:
- Kayin (Karen) State, Myanmar — the primary S'gaw Karen homeland
- Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar
- Thailand — large Karen communities in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Mae Hong Son provinces along the Thai-Myanmar border
- Diaspora in Thailand, USA (particularly Minnesota and Kansas City), Australia, and Europe
Estimated speakers: approximately 2–3 million S'gaw Karen speakers across Myanmar and Thailand.
Cultural Context
The Karen people are one of the largest ethnic minorities of Myanmar. American Baptist missionaries, led by Adoniram Judson and especially Ko Tha Byu (the "Apostle to the Karen"), achieved remarkable success among the Karen in the 1820s–1830s, and Christianity became central to S'gaw Karen cultural identity. The Karen Bible — first translated in the 1840s by missionary Francis Mason using a romanized script adapted from Burmese — became a major literacy vehicle. The 1963 Myanmar Bible Society edition represents a revised standard text. The Karen script (ကညီ script) is a distinctive romanization-influenced writing system, developed in the 19th century, that remains in use alongside the official Burmese script.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by the Myanmar Bible Society (myanmarbiblesociety.org). Audio edition available from Faith Comes By Hearing / Bible.is (faithcomesbyhearing.com). The 1977 Genesis portion is archived by the United Bible Societies.