New Bible gets green light from Chinese authorities

The Chinese authorities have given the go-ahead for the printing of Bible Society’s translation of the whole Bible into the Inner Mongolian minority language. 

It’s a wonderful answer to prayer, because in our Bible a Month prayer letter and in our magazine, Word in Action, we recently asked if you would pray for this. Thank you for your prayerful support, and, of course, praise the Lord!

The approval this year caps an amazing project that has taken 18 years to complete, with the translation itself being completed in late 2021.

The Bible proofs can now be sent to the printer for publication and later distributed in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a vast swathe of land that borders the country of Mongolia to the north.

The success of the project is an example of the trust the Chinese authorities have in Bible Society. We’ve carefully built up and maintained this trust over many years, including being involved in setting up the biggest Bible printing press in the world in Nanjing, Eastern China. This means your prayerful giving has a direct impact in mainland China.

‘We appreciate the prayers of Bible Society supporters over the past 18 years,’ said Liu Zhanrong of the Inner Mongolia Bible Translation Team, a group of experts who you’ve helped to support all these years.

‘The translation of the Bible into Mongolian language holds extraordinary significance for the 4.2 million Inner Mongolians who share a common heritage. Throughout history, Mongolians have predominantly worshipped idols, performed rituals to drive away evil spirits, burned incense and worshipped mountains and rivers, ancestors, and sought auspicious days for important events such as weddings, funerals and starting businesses,’ explained Liu.

‘Due to God's intervention and the spread of the gospel, most believers have been freed from such superstitious practices. However, there is still a large portion of Mongolians who have not yet come to know God. Through God's word they can be saved, for the truth is found in the Bible.’

This story first appeared in Bible a Month. 

The regular monthly giving of Bible Society supporters through Bible a Month enabled this immense long-term project to be successfully completed. If you want to support more Bible translation teams, sign up today for as little as £10 a month. 

You’ll be joining more than 20,000 Bible Society supporters and you’ll receive a prayer letter every three months sharing the amazing impact of your giving. Best of all, you’ll be ensuring that more and more people around the world can engage with the Bible in their own language.