THE DEDICATION OF THE NEW KHMER BIBLE

June 1998

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A two-hour celebration was held on June 5, 1998 at the Russian Cultural Centre, which is on the capital’s prestigious Norodom Boulevard, to herald the completion and arrival of the new Common Language Khmer Bible.

More than 350 Christians took part in a service of dedication for the new Bible, and it was a time of great joy and thanksgiving, reported Joseph Hong and Arun Sok Nhep*. The entire Christian community, Roman Catholics and Protestants, joined together to thank God for his Word in modern Khmer.

Following a program of music and readings, the congregation listened to addresses by former Catholic Bishop of Phnom Penh, Monsignor Yves Ramousse, and by the Rev Sar Paulerk, a well-known evangelical leader who is Chairman of the Bible Society Advisory Committee. Dr Graham Ogden, UBS Regional Translation Coordinator, spoke of the need for Christians to dedicate themselves to God’s Word.

The King of Cambodia, His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk, sent a message of greetings for the occasion along with an invitation to the Bible Society Advisory Committee for an audience at the royal palace later in the month.

The Phnom Penh dedication marks the completion of a translation project which began in Paris, France, in 1985. It also indicates the work needed to continue making God’s Word available to the Cambodian people in a language they can fully understand.  

History

The history of Bible translation into Khmer is as follows: at the end of the nineteenth century, French priest Jean-Marie Guesdon, one of the first missionaries in Cambodia, translated passages from the Gospels and from the Catholic church liturgy. In 1899 the Gospel of Luke was the first Portion to be published.

Some Khmer translation work was also being carried out in Bangkok, Thailand, under the aegis of the American Bible Society agent there who had recruited the help of a Cambodian Buddhist monk to work on the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts from Thai into Khmer.

But it was not until 1923 that a systematic translation of the Bible into Khmer was begun by a Christian and Missionary Alliance missionary from the United States, the Rev Arthur L Hammond. The translation of the whole Bible took many years until, in 1954, the first Khmer Bible was published.

At the beginning of the 1970s, the Cambodian churches were growing rapidly, and Christians felt the need for a more modern translation, one which could be easily understood by the many new Christians coming into the faith from a non-Christian background.

In 1973, the UBS launched an interconfessional translation project with four Protestant translators and a Catholic priest, and this team had completed the first draft of the New Testament by 1975. It was at this point that the country was plunged into turmoil with the coming to power of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.

In the mayhem that followed, the four Cambodian translators were killed, the Catholic priest had to leave the country, and the draft of the New Testament was lost; only the first chapter of Matthew was rescued.

Ten years later, in January 1985, at the suggestion and with the help of the French Bible Society (FBS), a new translation project was launched in Paris. Four translators were appointed: Father François Ponchaud, Rev Arun Sok Nhep, Mr Prom Chan and Mr Chhoeung Sokhom. They worked in an office located at the FBS near Paris, assisted by UBS Translation Consultant Dr Carlo Buzzetti. The New Testament was completed and launched on October 10, 1993 in Phnom Penh.

The availability of a modern-language Khmer New Testament wonderfully coincided with the re-opening of Cambodia and the first UN-monitored elections. October 1993 also marked the start of the Old Testament translation work, with one major difference: it would be done on Cambodian soil. Partly for this reason a new interconfessional team had to be found.

Three women joined with Father Ponchaud and Pastor Sok Nhep: they were Mrs Troeung Leap Romleuk, Mrs. Yos Em Sithan and Mrs Salay Sangkhum. The UBS Translation Consultant was Dr Joseph Hong. Under pressure from the churches, and always aware of the instability of the political situation in the country, the translators had finished drafting both the Old Testament and the deuterocanon within four years.

High quality

With Khmer artwork on the covers, the new Khmer Bible is a product of high quality: 9,000 copies were produced by the Korean Bible Society, and half of these were ordered and paid for by the churches. With two editions available, one with and one without the deuterocanon, it is estimated that this supply will be sufficient for the immediate needs of the 36,000 known Christians in Cambodia. But how long before more Bibles are needed is unknown; the number of Christians has grown fourfold since the launch of the New Testament in 1993.

Two days before the launch, more than 100 church leaders from all denominations and from all over the country gathered for a seminar on the new Bible. Participants appreciated understanding more about the difficulties of translation, and each one was given a copy of the new Bible.

The Word of God was received on this historic day with deep emotion by the Christians who have lived through years of terror. But it inspires them with hope, and is a source of real life for those who seek it. And now, with its up-to-date language, the Bible is open to the young people of Cambodia – 50% of the population is under 15 years – the legacy of a church which has known much violence and emotional suffering but has found a new life.

* Dr Joseph Hong is a UBS Translation Consultant; the Rev Arun Sok Nhep is a Protestant pastor and translator of the Khmer Common Language Bible.