V'nen P'as iv'i Turanien Trtarep' m'a Turanien M'dah — The V'enen Taut Bible

Overview

The complete Bible in V'ënen Taut (also known as Big Nambas) — V'nen P'as iv'i Turanien Trtarep' m'a Turanien M'dah — was completed in 2023 and launched on April 13, 2024 at the Seafront in Port Vila, Vanuatu, with 3,500 printed copies distributed. The copyright is held by the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Australia (PRCA), with digital distribution handled by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.. It is available in full on YouVersion (version 3688).

The translation work spanned more than 50 years. Greg Fox arrived on Malekula Island in 1969, settled in Brenwei village, and conducted foundational language study, publishing a grammar and dictionary in 1979. Ken Zylstra and his family joined in 1972. The New Testament (Turanien m'dah) was first published in 1986 by Covenanter Press. The Old Testament translation was completed in Australia, led by Luke and Marie Zylstra. Andrew Fox is credited with completing the full Bible translation in 2023.

The 2024 Bible dedication event also included 2,000 copies of the Lenakel NT (for Tanna Island), distributing 5,500 Bibles in total across both language groups.

Language and People

V'ënen Taut (ISO 639-3: nmb), also called Big Nambas, is a Southern Oceanic language spoken in the northwest of Malekula Island in Vanuatu. The name "V'ënen Taut" means "the language of the Big Nambas people."

Publishing and Organizations

Copyright held by the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Australia; digital publishing by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. The New Testament (1986) was published by Covenanter Press.

References