1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings published in the Tabasaran language
December 1, 2023

The Institute for Bible Translation continues to release the books of the Old Testament translated into the Tabasaran language.

The Tabasarans is one of the indigenous peoples of southern Dagestan. There are 151,466 Tabasarans in Russia (Census 2021), they speak the Tabasaran language, which belongs to the Lezghi group of the Nakh-Dagestan family.

Previously, the following translations have been published in Tabasaran: the Gospel of Mark (1997); the Gospel of Luke (2000); Four Gospels and the Acts (2004); Stories about Jesus Christ (2010); the New Testament (2010); Ruth, Jonah (2013); Esther, Daniel (2016); Genesis (2018) and Proverbs (2018).

1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings belong to the historical books of the Old Testament. In these books, written many centuries ago, there are words that are difficult for modern people to understand and are therefore included in the glossary, which explains important biblical terms and concepts. Also at the end of the book are maps of the places where the main events described in this book took place. 

The Tabasaran translation team is continuing to work on the rest of the Old Testament, with current work in progress on several of the Minor Prophets. The Pentateuch is expected to be the next publication in the Tabasaran project.

A PDF version of 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings and other previously published Tabasaran translations can be found in the electronic formats at the IBT website and apps for Android and iOS can be downloaded from Google Play и в AppStore.