Bible Portions (BSZ) (SHRBSZ)

Overview

This is a full Bible with deuterocanonical books in the Shi (Mashi) language, published in 1997 by the United Bible Societies. The Shi language is spoken by the Bashi people of the Bushi region in South Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. [1] Bible translation work in Mashi has been documented since at least 1950, making this edition part of a longer tradition of Scripture in the language. [2] The translation encompasses 74 books, including the deuterocanonical texts, reflecting the predominantly Catholic context of the Bashi community.

Translation History

The Bashi people have had contact with Christianity primarily through Catholic missions in the eastern Congo. The Southern Rhodesian Missionary Conference model of collaborative Bible translation influenced many African translation projects in the mid-twentieth century, and the Mashi Bible followed a similar pattern of missionary and local collaboration. The 1997 edition published by the United Bible Societies is classified as a first translation. [3]

Language and People

Shi (ISO 639-3: shr) is spoken by approximately 654,000 people in Northern Democratic Republic of Congo. [Glottolog: shii1238]

The Shi people (also known as Bashi, singular Mushi) inhabit the Bushi region of South Kivu Province in the eastern DRC, centered around the city of Bukavu. [1] Mashi is a Central Bantu language (Zone J) that has served as a regional lingua franca in the area. [4] The Bashi are historically an agricultural people organized under a traditional chieftaincy system. [1]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by United Bible Societies. Translation type: First.

References