The Bible Society of Ghana (BSG) launched a new revised Akwapim-Twi Bible at the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Grace Congregation in Akropong last Sunday.
The new revised Akuapim-Twi Bible, a project single handed by the late Reverend Felicia Adu-Kumi, a deceased member of the church, enabled the BSG to correct some grammatical errors, refine new orthographies to facilitate reading and understanding of the Bible by current and future generations.
Archaic expressions and phrases have also been refined and new features have been added to enable current and future generations to understand and deepen their knowledge of the Bible.
At the launch, the Translation Consultant of the BSG, Very Reverend Professor John David Kwamena Ekem, was glad that after several years, the BSG, through the help of Reverend Adu-Kumi had been completed and launched.
He said the revision of the Akwapim-Twi Bible would benefit the people of the Akwapim communities, adding “God speaks all languages, He is the creator of languages and it is a great privilege for a community to be provided with scriptures in a language they can understand and so this revision has come at the right time.”
The Translator Consultant said the new revised Bible which had been translated, took between 10 to 15 years and cost over US$600, 000.
He added that since a verse cost about US$20, the Bible contained several verse, hence the high cost and the long duration to revise it.
He said the long duration was experienced due to it tedious nature and reasons to make the Bible accurate, clear and natural based on original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and revealed that the culture of the Akuapims, was considered to enable them understand the Bible.
Very Rev Prof. Ekem urged the Akwapims to take advantage of the newly revised Akwapim-Twi Bible for their own benefits and expressed the hope that they would buy, read, pray and practice its teaching, to transform their fortunes positively to the glory of God.
He said the BSG intended to do an electronic version of the Akwapim-Twi Bible but added that it would be possible if funds were readily available.
The General Secretary of the BSG, Rev Dr Enoch Aryee-Atta, expressed his profound gratitude to the late Reverend Felicia Adu-Kumi for single handedly taking over the project and thanked churches in the country as well as individuals Christian families who supported in cash and in kind to complete the revision of the recent Ga –English Diglot project as the Akwapim-Twi Bible.
He urged christians, philanthropist and individuals to continue to support the BSG in its quest to make God’s word available, affordable and usable to transform lives, by purchasing the Akwapim-Twi Bible and others.
For his part, the District Minister of Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Akropong, Rev Christian Amankwah Kwafo said the old version of the Akwapim-Twi Bible had some language which were archaic, adding that the new version would be appreciated better by the Akwapims.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, AKROPONG