Bible texts in other Cushitic languages

[in chronological order of the first translation
into a particular language]


Sidaama (1933 ff)

(1) Bible portions
1933

ሞቲቸንኬ ነ ገቲሳንቾንኬ የሱስ ክርስቶሲሀ ቁላሸ ወንጌለ ጣፉኢኖ ጌዴኒ ቁላሸ ቁላሸ ማርቆሲ ። ሲዳሙ ቃሊኒ [St. Mark’s Gospel]. Translated by Glen H. Cain (SIM). London and Addis Ababa [place of printing]: British & Foreign Bible Society, 1933. [View online]

1974

_ _ _ The Gospels. Translated by Domenico Andriollo (MCCJ [Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus]). Mimeograph in Roman script. Hawassa: Catholic Church, 1974.

1982

_ _ _ The Gospels. Translated by Armido Gasparini (MCCJ). Mimeograph in Ethiosemitic script. Hawassa, Catholic Church, 1982.

2006

Woyyote Maxaafi Faarso: Daawitiuu Faarso [Book of Psalms] Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 2006.

(2) Lectionaries
1973

_ _ _ The Sunday Lectionary. Translated by anon. team. Mimeograph in Roman script. Hawassa: Catholic Church, 1973.

1981

_ _ _ Sunday Lectionary. Translated by Domenico Andriollo (MCCJ). Mimeograph in Ethiosemitic script. Hawassa: Catholic Church, 1981.

(3) New Testament

Haaro Gondooro (?) [New Testament]. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 1990.

(4) Bible

_ _ _ Bible. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 2015.


Hadiyya (1935 ff)

(1) Bible portions
1935

ኒ ጌታኪቾ ኒ ገቲሳቾ የሱስ ክርስቶስ ጡማንች ወንጌላ ጡማንች ማቴዎስ ጣፉኪሳ ። ጉዴል ሱሚኔ [The Holy Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as St. Matthew wrote it; in the Gudeela language]. Translated by Clarence W. Duff (SIM), assisted by Sabiro Wesero, Shigute Dada, Norman C. Couser (SIM), Muluneh Habte-Yes and Aseffa Bambure. Tentative edition. London and Addis Ababa: British & Foreign Bible Society, 1935. [View online]

1990

ምሽራች መጣፈ [The Four Gospels]. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 1990. [Ethiosemitic script]

2005

Moollanni Yesuus Kiristoos Bikkina Maatiwoos Xaafukki Mishiraachcha [The Gospel according to Matthew]. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 2005.

2009

Waa’i ixxi oosina wocoohan ihukkisa: Qananaa’immina Keesammi Maxaafiinsi doo’llamaakoo beyyuwwa [Children’s Bible]. Königstein (Germany): Kirche in Not, 2009. [printed in Addis Ababa]

2010

Keesammi Maxaafiinsi Doo’llamaakkoo Mazmuulluwwa [Selected Psalms]. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 2010.

(2) Lectionaries
1983

_ _ _ [Lectionnaries for liturgical years A, B, C.] Transl. by Wolde Ghiorgis Matteos (Fr.), Wolde Jesus Manedo, Antonios Alberto (OFM Cap) and Ghebremeskel Magino (OFM Cap). San Giovanni in Persiceto [near Bologna]: Litografia Edit., 1983 [A.M.?]. [Translation made from the Amharic Bible according to Rijks, Guide, p. 156].

  • Hadiyya Missal Book (published sometime between 2007 and 2010)
(3) New Testament

ሃሬች ህድዕል መጣፈ [New Testament]. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 1992/93.

(4) Bible

_ _ _ Bible. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 2022.


Gedeo (1980 ff)

(1) Bible portions

_ _ _ (1980)

_ _ _ Letters of the Apostles and Revelation. Translated by Rodolfo Cipollone (MCCJ). Mimeograph in Roman script. Hawassa: Catholic Church, 1985. [Cf. Rijks, Guide, p. 155]

(2) New Testament

_ _ _ New Testament. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 1986/87.


Guji [cf. Southern Oromo] (1982)

_ _ _ Sundays and Weekdays Lectionaries. Translated by Charles Giana (MCCJ). 10 vols. (> 1,500 pp). Hawassa, Catholic Mission, 1982. [Cf. Rijks, Guide, p. 155]


Kambaata (1983 ff)

(1) Bible portions

ሙጩሩወ መጣፊች ዶዕረንቶ ጥቅሳከተ ። «ከመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ የተመረጠት ጥትሶች». Key Scriptures—approx. 1600 Bible verses—translated by Ruth Cremer and team in the 1970s. [View online]

Maganu Oosoohans Xawaaqqano: Muccurua Maxaafiichch Aaqqantee Minbaabbata. Addis Ababa: Maarato Wogan, 2004. [Children’s Bible, commissioned by Aid to the Church in Need]

(2) Lectionary

_ _ _ [Lectionnaries for liturgical years A, B, C.] Transl. by Wolde Ghiorgis Matteos (Fr.), Wolde Jesus Manedo, Antonios Alberto (OFM Cap) and Ghebremeskel Magino (OFM Cap). San Giovanni in Persiceto [near Bologna]: Litografia Edit., 1983 [A.M.?]. [Translation made from the Amharic Bible according to Rijks, Guide, p. 156].

(2) New Testament

ሃሮ ህድር መጣፈ [New Testament]. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 1992.

(3) Bible

_ _ _ Bible. Addis Ababa: Bible Society of Ethiopia, 2023.


Burji (1993)

(1) Bible portions

?

(2) New Testament

_ _ _ (1993)


Konso (1996 ff)

(1) Bible portions

_ _ _ (1996)

(2) New Testament

_ _ _ (2001-10)

(3) Bible

Mataafa Qulqulloota [Holy Scripture]. Inaugurated in 2024.


Catalogues of Bible translations

Coldham, Geraldine E. (compiler). A Bibliography of Scriptures in African Languages: A revision of the African sections of the Darlow and Moule ‘Historical Catalogue of Printed Editions of the Holy Scripture’, with additions to 1964. 2 vols. London: The British and Foreign Bible Society, 1966.

Rijks, Piet (ed.), Guide to Catholic Bible Translations; vol. 2: Africa. Stuttgart: World Catholic Federation for the Biblical Apostolate, 1989.