Biebel in et Stellingwarfs — The Stellingwerfs Bible

Overview

The Biebel in et Stellingwarfs is a complete translation of the Bible (including deuterocanonical books, 1,771 pages) into Stellingwarfs, the Low Saxon dialect of the Stellingwerf region in the Dutch province of Friesland. The project was initiated and led by Piet Bult (of Nijeberkoop) and Frank de Vries (of Blesdijke), who established the Stichting Stellingwerfs Eigen (Foundation for Stellingwarfs Heritage) on July 27, 2004 specifically for this purpose.

The translation was based on the Dutch Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling (NBV), adapted into the Stellingwarfs dialect with machine-assisted methods. The first copy was presented on May 12, 2010 at a mini-symposium and subsequently to the mayor of Weststellingwerf. 750 copies were printed at €49.80 each, sold through regional bookstores in Oosterwoolde and Wolvega.

The foundation ceased all activities in 2012 and its website (stellingwerfs-eigen.nl) was taken offline. No dedicated digital reading version exists; the Bible is available in print only. Individual PDF previews of some books were formerly hosted on translator Piet Bult's personal website (pbinfr.eu) but are no longer reliably accessible.

Language and People

Stellingwerfs (ISO 639-3: stl) is a Low Saxon dialect spoken in the municipalities of Weststellingwerf and Ooststellingwerf (the "Stellingwerven") in Friesland, Netherlands. It is one of very few Low Saxon dialects to have a complete Bible translation.

Publishing and Organizations

Translated by Piet Bult and Frank de Vries; published by Stichting Stellingwerfs Eigen (Nijeberkoop). The foundation has since dissolved (2012). The translation was based on the Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap NBV.

References