"Unchanging Words for a Changing World: A First Translation from Scratch in 31 Years"
The Bible Society's Joint Translation aims not only to be a dignified and beautiful Japanese Bible suitable for readings in Christian church worship and liturgy, but also to be a translation that will contribute to the formation of the Japanese language and culture for future generations.
31 years have passed since the publication of the "New Interconfessional Translation" in 1987, which is adopted by 80% of churches and Christian schools in Japan. The "Bible Society's Joint Translation" is a newly translated Japanese Bible intended to become the standard for the next generation. The first edition was published in December 2018 after approximately nine years of translation work. Following the New Interconfessional Translation, this is also a joint translation project supported and cooperated with Catholic and Protestant churches. It was translated by outstanding Bible scholars and Japanese language specialists in Japan, based on research results from the United Bible Societies (UBS), the world's largest network of Bible translators. It reflects as much as possible the achievements of biblical studies, translation studies, and biblical archaeology over the quarter-century since the New Interconfessional Translation.
The 2018 first edition included cross-references and notes, but this standard edition omits them, resulting in a larger text area per page.
It's ideal for those who want to keep it at their desk for daily reading, and also suitable for chapels and libraries in Christian schools. It features 10-point font, a large A5 hardcover format, and is a great choice for that purpose.
Features of the "Bible: Joint Translation by the Bible Society"
● A "joint translation" by Catholic and Protestant churches
● A dignified and beautiful Japanese translation suitable for reading in worship services
● Proper nouns and book titles conform to the "New Interconfessional Translation of the Bible"
● Includes 12 color Bible maps and a glossary of 143 terms as an appendix at the end of the book
Source Texts for the "Bible: Joint Translation by the Bible Society"
(1) Old Testament
"Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia" (German Bible Society) and previously published volumes of "Biblia Hebraica Quinta" (same)
(2) New Testament "Greek New Testament (Fifth Revised Edition)" (German Bible Society)