ISINGENISO
Ukuphendulelwa kokuqala eSiNdebeleni kweThestamente eliTsha kwenziwa ngabafundisi abamhlophe be‐London Missionary Society. Ugwalo lukaMathewu lwabhalwa ngomnyaka ka‐1884, kwasekuphendulelwa lonke iThestamente eliTsha kuwona lowomnyaka, kodwa kwacindezelwa amaThestamente amalutshwana nje. IThestamente eliTsha leSiNdebele laqaliswa ukucindezelwa ngabe British amp Foreign Bible Society ngomnyaka ka‐1903, laphindwa ukucindezelwa ngomnyaka ka‐1912. Ngomnyaka ka‐1930 amaHubo aphendulelwa eSiNdebeleni, ahlanganiswa leThestamente eliTsha ogwalweni lunye, olwacindezelwa ngawona lowomnyaka.
Ngomnyaka ka‐1961 kwamiswa iKomiti labantu abamele amabandla amanengi aselizweni laMaNdebele (Matabeleland) ukuba ilungise kutsha iThestamente eliTsha lamaHubo, lokuba ukubhalwa kwamabala kufanane lalokho okwenziwa ezingwalweni zonke zalamhla. Umsebenzi lo waphela ngomnyaka ka‐1968.
Ngemva kwalokho abeBible Society bamisa ukuba iThestamente eliDala liphendulelwe eSiNdebeleni okwesikhathi sokuqala sokwenziwa kwalokhu, ukuze abantu babe leBhayibhili lonke ngeSiNdebele. Njalo kwavunyelwana ukuba izingwalo ezithiwa yiDutero‐Khanonika, amanye amabandla azibiza ngokuthi yiApokrifa (Apocrypha), lazo ziphendulelwe eSiNdebeleni njengokwenziwa khathesi emazweni amanengi. Kwavunyelwana njalo ukuthi kuzalungiswa amaBhayibhili amabili, elinye libe lezingwalo lezi, lelinye lingabi lazo. Ngakho kwasekumiswa iKomiti entsha elabameli bamabandla amanengi. Yaqalisa ukwenza umsebenzi lo ngomnyaka ka‐1966.
Abe‐United Bible Societies bamisa ukulungisa lokucindezela iBhayibhili leli elizweni lakithi, atshi ngaphetsheya njengakuqala. Ngakhoke umsebenzi wokucindezela waqaliswa ngomnyaka ka‐1976 ngabacindezeli baseSozibele.
Abaphendulela iBhayibhili eSiNdebeleni basebenzisa ingwalo ezinengi zokubanceda emsebenzini wabo, kodwa ukuziloba zonke lapha kakudingeki. IBhayibhili elithiwa yiRevised Standard Version Common Bible yasetshenziswa yaba yisiqondiso esiqakathekileyo kulumsebenzi; futhi kwasetshenziswa kakhulu lamanye amaBhayibhili aweSiNgisi njengala: Today’s English Version; New English Bible; Jerusalem Bible. Lencwadi zasendulo zesiHeberu lezesiGriki zasetshenziswa kakhulu.
Bonke ababala iBhayibhili leli kabananzelele lezizinto:
Lanxa kukhona encwadini zasendulo ezehlukeneyo amavesi amanengi alamazwi awehlukileyo, ukwehlukana lokho kakutshengiswa kuleli iBhayibhili, njengalokhu kutshengiswa emaBhayibhilini esiNgisi ngaphansi kwamapheji, ngoba lokhu kakusizi kakhulu, njalo kungaphambanisa abanengi.
Uphawu lolu [ ] lutshengisa ukuthi amavesi athile aphakathi kwalo kawafunyaniswa encwadini zonke zasendulo.
Indawo ezimbili eThestamenteni eliTsha (uMarko 16:9–20; uJohane 7:53—8:11) lazo zilaloluphawu [ ] ngenxa yalezizizatho.
IKomiti le iyathemba ukuthi isebenze kuhle langobuqotho kulumsebenzi wokuqala wokuphendulela eSiNdebeleni iBhayibhili lonke. Kungathi bonke abalisebenzisayo labalibalayo bangafumana kulo iNdaba ezinhle leLizwi lokuPhila, ukuze uNkulunkulu abe lodumo.
Ndebele
This is the first full Bible in isiNdebele. It was an interconfessional translation prepared by a committee including A. Mzileti, and J.N. Pelling (London Missionary Society), Bernard Ndlovu, Francis Gröger, and John Villecas (RC), and others. The title was Ibhayibhili Elingcwele elilezingwalo zeDuterokhanonika. It was published in 1978 by the Bible Society of Zimbabwe.
Digital Edition
The Ndebele Bible was digitised for the Bible Society of Zimbabwe with the help of MissionAssist in 2024.