A Bible for the Kurds

A Bible app provides access to God's Word for thousands of Kurds.

In April 2017, over 150 years after the first translation efforts began, the first Sorani Kurdish Bible was printed.

Sorani Kurdish is the second most widely spoken Kurdish dialect, and is the mother tongue of about eight million people from Iran and Iraq. Now, those eight million people can read the Scriptures in their heart language, allowing believers to edify their faith, grow in their knowledge of God and understand more fully what the Bible says.

For those who live in the Middle East, however, very few bookshops stock the Kurdish Bible, making a paper copy difficult to access.

OM has worked with partners to create a simple Kurdish Bible app, so that Kurdish people can easily download Scriptures in their own language onto their phones.

“It’s hard to carry your paper Bible discreetly if you’re a secret Christian,” explains one OM worker. “They’ll question why you have a Bible, but no one’s going to question why you’re going out with your phone.”

The basic app has been available since April 2017, and has had over 6,000* downloads in its opening year. OM is partnering with developers to make the app available on more devices, including Windows computers. They are also adding functions that will allow users to share verses on social media, highlight passages, and make their own notes.

Pray for the development and distribution of the Kurdish Bible app and for Kurdish believers to take ownership of creating relevant resources.

Pray that the new Kurdish translation would have an impact on the Kurdish church and there would be an increase of Jesus followers.

*Numbers accurate at time of writing

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