Dendi Bible

• Location: Benin
• Bible Completion Target Date: 2027

The Dendi people of northern Benin, numbering approximately 329,000, reside along the Niger and Medru rivers. They are predominantly Muslim, with 99.93% of the population following Islam and only 0.07 % professing Christianity. The Dendi language is taught in the primary schools.

Evangelical Baptist Missions (EBM) began evangelizing the Dendi people in the 1970s; however, they used the Zarma language to do so. In response, a Dendi speaker asked the missionaries, "Why don't you talk to us in our language? Why don't you read the Bible to us in our own tongue?" They requested EBM missionary Miriam Morin to help them translate the New Testament into the Dendi language. BI joined the translation team in 1991 to help finish the work and provided textual and quality reviews.

BI published the New Testament in 1995 and participated in a four-hour dedication in Guénè on December 4, 1995. After the New Testaments were distributed to the people, a copy was also given to the Departement de l'Interieur. Delighted by the new resource, one of the officials called it "a treasure" and asked the believers to use the New Testament to teach the Dendi language in the villages.

Not content with possessing only the New Testament in their language, the Dendi people expressed a desire for the Old Testament as well. Although BI officially adopted the Old Testament project in 1996, the translation team had already translated Genesis and Exodus prior to the completion of the New Testament. In 2014, the translation team completed a substantial trial edition of the Old Testament, from Genesis through II Samuel, and the local Bible school began to implement the text into their curriculum. As they wait for the printed Old Testament, the Dendi use their New Testament and also have the audio New Testament and Gospel of Mark video through Faith Comes by Hearing.

After many years, the Dendi Bible project is nearing completion. Plans are underway to submit the entire Bible text for formatting in 2026 with a target dedication in 2027.

Download this Scripture to your Android device:

Read or listen to this Scripture online:

Bible.is, a ministry of Faith Comes By Hearing