Central Mnong New Testament in Khmer

Central Mnong New Testament in Khmer (CMOBSCK)

Overview

The Central Mnong New Testament in Khmer script is the first complete New Testament in the Bunong (Mnong) language, published in 2016 by Wycliffe Bible Translators. Translation work into Bunong originally began in Vietnam in the 1960s, but was disrupted by war and the manuscripts were lost. [1] After decades of interruption, including two decades of communist rule, the translation was completed approximately 50 years after the initial attempt, through a collaboration of Vietnam Partnership, the Bible Society in Cambodia, and SIL. [1] The New Testament was published in both Khmer and Roman scripts to serve Bunong communities in both Cambodia and Vietnam. [1] Before the complete New Testament, Bunong Christians had hand-copied available Scripture booklets into Khmer script so they could be shared more widely among Cambodian Bunong people. [1]

Language and People

Central Mnong (ISO 639-3: cmo), also known as Bunong or Pnong, is a Mon-Khmer language spoken by approximately 70,000 people in Cambodia. [Glottolog: cent1992] The Bunong are a hill tribe living in both Cambodia and Vietnam. About 10% of Cambodia’s Bunong are Christians, compared to approximately 75% in Vietnam. [1]

Publishing and Organizations

Translation type: New. The translation was produced through a collaboration of Vietnam Partnership, the Bible Society in Cambodia, and SIL. [1]

References