ၵုသိၼ်ႇ သမ်ႇမႃႇၵျၢမ်းလိၵ်ႈတႆး ဢၼ်မႂ်ႇ
Rewriting Cushing’s Shan Bible
We have discovered at the Bible Translation Workshop that Cushing’s translation is better and more accurate than our own translation. We all agreed to do a new translation based on Cushing’s translation. But our new translator failed to follow. We have to remember that Rev. Cushing was an expert in Hebrew and Greek.
I have been preaching and producing a Shan radio program every day since 1989 for the Far East Broadcasting Company. I have to read the Bible in Shan and preach in Shan. I find it quite difficult to read and understand Cushing’s Shan Bible because of the old writing system. I have to read the Bible first to understand it, and then translate it into my language when I do radio broadcasting. I need a good Shan Bible, which I can read well, understand well, and preach well to Shan listeners so that they will also understand well. The New Shan Bible, published by Myanmar Bible Society in 1994, is easy to read, but there are problems with wording, terms, and theological meaning. I am very burdened not only for myself but also for all Shan Christians and non-Christians alike to have a good Bible in the Shan language.
In July 1996, when my family and I were on a visit to Burma, I met my old friend on the bus on our way back from Mandalay to Rangoon. He was a former chairman of the Shan Cultural and Literary Committee of all Universities. He kindly introduced me to the Shan literature experts in Rangoon for my plan of rewriting Cushing’s Bible into new Shan writing. I met with the leaders of the Shan literature and cultural committee and asked them for their help, since they are the experts in Shan new literature, in my project of rewriting Cushing’s Shan Bible into ‘New Shan Writing System’ without changing a single original word or phrase from Cushing. They were willing to help. I happily paid them for their labor. With the help of Shan literature expert Sai Myat, I have been able to finish the whole Cushing’s Shan Bible into the new Shan writing system without changing a single word or phrase from Cushing’s original Shan Bible. I then check, edit, rewrite, and restructure the grammar in the new Shan writing system so that the people can read and understand more easily. Basically, nothing has been changed from Cushing’s Shan Bible. We can call it “Revised Cushing Shan Bible in New Shan Writing” or “Cushing New Shan Bible”
After fourteen years of hard work, my new ‘New Testament & Psalms’ in new Shan writing was finished and printed in Burma in the year 2001 by sponsorship of Asian Outreach and Bible League.
So far, I have not received a single negative comment from a reader, any organization, or any Church. However, some leaders from the Myanmar Bible Society and Shan Churches do not encourage Shan Churches to use this new translation by citing the reason that it is not the product of the Myanmar Bible Society. They only recommended that Churches use what the Myanmar Bible Society produced. Nevertheless, some Shan Churches in Burma, Thailand, and individuals are using it. The paper and binding quality are not as good as those of foreign presses.
Editing and restructuring of the Old Testament and New Testament were done and published on 30 April 2023. It is called ” Cushing New Shan Bible” “ၵုသိၼ်ႇသမ်ႇမႃႇၵျၢမ်းလိၵ်ႈတႆးဢၼ်မႂ်ႇ”
Twenty thousand copies were printed with the sponsorship of an unknown donor. They were printed in Japan and then shipped to Thailand, followed by Myanmar and the Shan States.
The total cost of printing and distribution was US$146,000 (one hundred forty-six thousand).
Sayama Nang Wai Hnin Soe from LaShio, Sayama Nang Su Su Htwe from TaChiLeik, and Nang Ando Mercy of TaungGyi were helping in distribution in Myanmar and the Shan States.
The Bibles are given as a gift from God.
Not selling.
The gift from God is priceless.
New Cushing Shan Bible published in 2023
After 22 years of rewriting the Cushing Shan Bible in new Shan writing, it was published in 2023 and printed in Japan.