Pente New Testament

• Location: Asia
• Target Completion Date: 2031

The Pente people (a pseudonym), numbering over tens of millions, reside in a restricted access Asian nation. Approximately 1.5% of the population profess Christianity, about one-third of whom claim to be evangelical. Urban areas boast good education levels, with both reading and writing taught in schools.

As many as 204 different people groups use the Pente language as their primary language, and although the people can speak the national language, they do not fully understand it. A pastor aptly illustrated the need for a Pente translation when he shared, "I originally taught my people in the national language, and read the Bible in the national language. Once finished with the teaching, I asked them what they had learned. All were silent. Therefore, I [began] to teach in Pente, translating the Bible passages into Pente, and everything changed. The people were happy now and could understand and relate back what I was teaching." Fourteen other pastors present in a meeting with the BI research team confirmed this need for a translation.

Bibles International first made contact with these people through Pente speakers living in the United States early in 2014, and after considerable research, BI adopted the Pente New Testament project in January 2019. The translation work will take place with BI personnel, familiar with this region of the world, working closely with Pente-speaking translators to bring the Word of God into their heart language.

The Harvest Dinner in October 2019 focused on the Pente project, raising the amount needed to begin the project. To view the video, click here. Additionally, the Sponsorship Committee in the host nation volunteered to contribute a monthly set amount to help fund the project. The Pente New Testament project has been the first to experiment with tablet technology for its Read-and-Review Committee at Bibles International. Their first Scripture portions, the Gospels of Matthew and John, were printed in 2023 and are being well-received.

To give to this project click here.