Thai Bible Translations


I've found it very hard to find centralized information on Bible translations into the Thai language. Karl Dahlfred's article A Brief Survey of Thai Bible Translations prompted me to summarize my initial findings on Thai Bible translations.


Thai Holy Bible (Thailand Bible Society, 1971)

Also called: ฉบับ มาตรฐาน, ฉบับ 1971, Thai Standard Version 1971.

Most used in Thai churches. Literal translation principles, high language. http://www.thaibible.net

Audio of New Testament can be downloaded on http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com (the Non-Drama version)

The Thailand Bible Society website gives a summary (in Thai) of the history of Thai Bible translations.


Thai Standard Version (Thailand Bible Society, 2002,2009)

Also called: ฉบับ มาตรฐาน 2002.

A revision of the 1971 edition. Only Pentateuch, Psalms & Proverbs and New Testament ready yet.

Audio of New Testament can be downloaded (as a whole) from Faith Comes By Hearing (the Drama version). Each chapter can be downloaded as an mp3 from The Internet Archive.


Thai New Contemporary Version (Biblica, 2007)

Mark 1:4 - ยอห์นจึงมาให้บัพติศมาในถิ่นทุรกันดารและเทศนาให้กลับใจเสียใหม่และรับบัพติศมาเพื่อรับการอภัยโทษบาป

Also called: TNCV, ฉบับ อมตธรรมร่วมสมัย.

NIV used as a base for translation; easier to read but still good for study version. Used in student work. Sold at the Thai Biblica website.

There is also a 1999 edition (when the New Testament was completed); the audio has been recorded at Lopburi Language Centre by khruu Toye (called: the NIV version). The current TNCV is different. Text (also almost all of the Old Testament) can be downloaded from the Biblica website ( Biblica used to be the International Bible Society, then was called IBS-STL).

There is also a Thai Living Bible (1978?) that IBS/Biblica was involved with before the TNCV, also called ฉบับ อมตธรรมเพื่อชีวิต.


ฉบับ อ่านเข้าใจง่าย (World Bible Translation Center, 2001)

Only New Testament, text freely downloadable at the World Bible Translation Center.


New Thai Translation Version (Youth With A Mission, 1998)

Also called: NTTV, Jerry Crow Bible, ฉบับ แปลใหม่.

Only New Testament, distributed through Kanok Bannasaan


Thai King James Version (Philip Pope, 2003)

Mark 1:4 - ยอห์นให้เขารับบัพติศมาในถิ่นทุรกันดาร และประกาศเรื่องบัพติศมาอันสำแดงการกลับใจใหม่ เพื่อการยกโทษความผิดบาป

Also called: ฉบับ KJV.

Used in conservative baptist churches. Text available from Philip Pope's website. This seems to be the only translation that is used in free Bible software like Crosswire and e-Sword. This restrictive practice is no surprise with regards to the IBS, but one can hope & pray the Thailand Bible Society will let their texts be used for free...


พระคัมภีร์ ประกอบภาพ

Also called: Thai Cartoon Bible, ฉบับ รวมเล่ม

This is a collection of smaller publications by ไอวา ฮอท, making up a lot of the story sections of the Bible. Distributed through Kanok Bannasaan.


Good News for Modern Man

I've only heard about this version; apparently it uses more Roman-Catholic Thai words. (I've also heard that Roman-Catholics in Thailand also standardize on the Thai Bible Society's translations.)



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Comments (1)

Karl Dahlfred 125.26.23.147 21-10-2009 21:30
Hi Peter, this is a good brief write-up and I appreciate you including the link to it on the comments section of my article. This will be good for people to check out as well. I see you point about mixing IBS/Biblica in with the Easy to Read version from WBC. I'll make that correction in the main article. Thanks for pointing it out.
 
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