Ndebele Contemporary Version (NDEBIB)

Overview

The Ndebele Contemporary Version (IBhayibhili Elingcwele) is a full Bible in North Ndebele (isiNdebele), the language of the Ndebele (Matabele) people of Zimbabwe. Published by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society) with an initial copyright of 2003 and a completed edition in 2006, this translation uses a contemporary, meaning-based approach to make Scripture accessible to modern isiNdebele readers. [1] The Ndebele language did not have a written form until missionary William Sykes reduced it to script around 1860; Sykes translated the Gospel of Matthew in 1884 and later the entire New Testament. [2] The first complete Ndebele Bible was published in 1971 by the Bible Society of Zimbabwe. [2] The Ndebele Contemporary Version represents a fresh contemporary-language translation produced by Biblica, with a 2022 revision released under a Creative Commons license. [1]

Language and People

North Ndebele (ISO 639-3: nde) is spoken by approximately 1,642,000 people in Zimbabwe. [Glottolog: nort2795]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Biblica. Translation type: New.

References