Chairo Bible

• Location: Asia
• Pseudonym: Chairo (pronounced Hye’-roh)
• New Testament Completion Date: 2012
• Bible Completion Target Date: 2031

The Chairo people reside in a few Asian countries and number nearly three-quarters of a million people. Christians make up less than 10% of the population. Most of the Chairo people follow Theravada Buddhism. With a literacy rate of 70%, the educated Chairo and most men use their local state language in addition to their own language.

Missionaries from the Baptist Missionary Society of Great Britain brought the gospel to the Chairo people in the early 19th century, but mission work ceased when those missionaries died. Another British Baptist missionary resumed the work in the early 20th century.

A New Testament in Roman script, published in 1926, proved to be too difficult for modern readers, so the Chairo received another New Testament that was published in 1991 in the state script. Unfortunately, the translation did not resolve these reading difficulties. Problems persisted since the Chairo complete their education in English, do not always speak the state language, and are not able to read the state script.

Bibles International received a request for translation and publication of a new Chairo New Testament in Roman script from a Baptist church association in June 2000. This association, made up of 300 Chairo churches, became the sponsorship committee for the translation project. The Chairo believers, church association members, and several BI personnel dedicated this New Testament on August 5, 2012.

Although three different New Testament translations have been produced for the Chairo people in the past century, the Chairo believers look forward to having a complete Bible in their language. After receiving a formal request for a Chairo Old Testament translation, BI adopted the project, intending to make necessary revisions to the New Testament before the printing of the Old Testament translation. In 2019, BI printed and distributed the first trial edition of Genesis to the Chairo people.