Falam Chin Bible Revision & Literacy

• Location: Myanmar
• New Testament Completion Date: 2009
• Bible Completion Date: 2018
• Bible Revision Completion Date: 2025

The Falam Chin people of Myanmar historically have resided around the city of Falam, the former capital of Chin State. The Falam Chin speakers in Myanmar number about 69,000, with an approximate total of 108,000 worldwide. The faithful ministry of American missionaries resulted in the majority of Falam Chin people converting to Christianity. An estimated 90% of them profess Christianity, with 60% claiming to be predominantly Baptist. Ethnic religions make up the remaining 10% of the population.

The Falam Chin believers desired an accurately translated, understandable Bible in their language, so the Revival Baptist Churches of Myanmar presented their request for assistance with a New Testament translation project to Bibles International in 2004. BI officially adopted the project in 2005, although BI consultants had been working informally with Falam Chin New Testament translators since 2002. The project team finished, printed, and dedicated the Falam Chin New Testament translation in 2009, which remains the only New Testament that BI has printed inside Myanmar. The BI literacy team developed a writer's handbook, reading primer, and Old Testament Storybook during that time.

Following the completion of the Falam Chin New Testament, several BI consultants began working with the Falam Chin translators in 2010 on the Old Testament translation. Upon completion of the Falam Chin Standard Bible translation in 2018, seven different locations celebrated the publication with dedication services throughout November and December of that year. For only the second time in its history, BI was privileged to support and work with national believers from the beginning to the end of a full Bible project.

Surrounded by the celebration and praise of one of the dedication services, an elderly Falam woman unwrapped her new Bible, opened it, and began to read with tears filling her eyes. For over 16 years, she had said to the translators, "I pray every day that God would allow me to read His Word in my own Falam language before I die." God, with His infinite wisdom and perfect timing, answered her prayer and the prayers of many more believers at the dedication of the Falam Chin Bible.

Literacy development continues, and a third edition of the writers’ handbook was completed in 2022, with the second Old Testament Storybook printed in 2023.

By 2021, all 20,000 copies of the new Bible had been distributed, with pleas for more. Noticing a few word choices that could be improved upon and with an update on how words are connected in Falam, BI adopted the Falam Bible for revision in 2022. By the end of 2025, a quantity of 25,000 copies of the Falam Chin Revised Standard Bible were being printed and shipped to 24 locations worldwide. On April 25, 2026, the Bible was formally dedicated in Yangon, Myanmar.

Download this Scripture to your Android device:

Download this Scripture to your iOS device:

Read or listen to this Scripture online:

Bible.is, a ministry of Faith Comes By Hearing