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The entire Bible was published in Thai in 1894 and there are currently several translations of the Bible in the Thai language.
Contents
Contemporary Translations
Thai translations of the Bible currently in print include the Thai Standard Version (THSV 2011), the Thai New Contemporary Version (NTCV), the Thai King James Version (TKJV), the New Thai Translation Version (New Testament only), and the Easy-to-Read Thai New Testament (THA). A Thai translation of the Apocrypha is also available from Thai Catholic booksellers.
History of Thai Bible Translation
John Taylor Jones, an ABMU missionary, translated the New Testament into Thai language from Greek. Part of the Bible in Thai was first published in 1834. Jones' translation of the New Testament in Thai was printed for the first time in 1846. The translation of the Old Testament was finished in 1883 and the Bible with the complete Protestant canon in Thai was published as a single volume for the first time in 1894. This edition of the Bible was later revised by the Thailand Bible Society using the King James Version (KJV) as the base text and published as the Thai Standard Version in 1940. This translation was subsequently revised using the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and Authorized Standard Version (ASV) as the base text and republished in 1971.
Other Language Bibles in Thailand
In addition to the Thai Bible, several other language Bible translations are used in Thailand, especially among ethnic minorities. These include Chinese, Lao, Burmese, Cambodian, Malay, Karen, Akha, Hmong, Lahu, Lawa, and Shan.