ဓမ္မသစ်ကျမ်း ရခိုင်ဘာသာစကား (RKIEBL)
Overview
This is the New Testament in the Rakhine language, published in 2025 by The Word for the World International. Rakhine (also known as Arakanese) is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken primarily in Rakhine State in western Myanmar, with an estimated population of over 2.5 million speakers [1]. The language is written using the Burmese script, with the earliest known Rakhine inscriptions dating to the 14th century [2]. Scripture portions in Rakhine date back to 1914, but this 2025 edition represents the first complete New Testament in the language [1]. The Word for the World is an indigenous-led Bible translation movement founded in South Africa in 1981 that focuses on empowering nationals to translate the Bible for their own communities [3].
References
- [1] Rakhine language resources - Joshua Project. Lists Scripture availability and language details for Rakhine.
- [2] Rakhine language - Wikipedia. Historical and linguistic background on the Rakhine language.
- [3] About Us - The Word for the World (archived) - The Word for the World Bible Translators. Organizational background.
- Global Bible Catalogue - Global Bible Catalogue entry.
- bible.com - YouVersion.
- ebible.org entry - ebible.org.