Centenary of the Maori Bible

Te Ao Hou, March 1968, Page 45

Centenary of the Maori Bible page translation of the Letters to the Ephesians and the Philipians. Colenso's goal was a complete New Testament, and the first edition came off the press at Paihia at the end of 1837. Generous grants from the British and Foreign Bible Society made it possible for the missionaries to devote their time and knowledge to Scripture translation. The demand for the books was insatiable, necessitating successive editions in 1841, 1842 and 1844. The Bible Society from then on bore the whole cost of publishing the Maori Scriptures, and supervised a revision of the New Testament which was printed in London and sent out to New Zealand in 1852. By 1854, many books of the Old Testament had been translated and printed, and in 1858 the last of the three volumes completing the Old Testament was produced. A thorough revision of both Old and New Testaments was then done by the Bible Society, and in 1868 the first complete Maori Bible was issued. This 1868 Bible was used for over 80 years, the revisions made in 1887 and 1924 being unacceptable. In 1946, with the need for an up-to-date translation, a committee was set up to make a fourth revision. The responsibility fell upon Sir Apirana Ngata, Mr W. W. Bird and the Very Revd J. G. Laughton. The translators and the committee were rewarded when the Revision of 1952 was fully accepted by the Maori Church.

THE LOST SHEEP One time many tax collectors and outcasts came to listen to Jesus. 2The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law started grumbling, “This man welcomes outcasts and even eats with them!” 3So Jesus told them this parable: 4“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them — what does he do? He leaves the ninety-nine sheep in the pasture and goes looking for the lost sheep until he finds it. 5When he finds it, he is so happy that he puts it on his shoulders, 6carries it back home, and calls his friends and neighbors together. ‘Rejoice with me,’ he tells them, ‘for I have found my lost sheep!’ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine respectable people who do not need to repent.” TE HIPI NGARO I tetehi wa he maha nga kaikohitaake me nga rawaho i haere mai ki te whakarougo ki a Ihu, 2Ka amuamu nga Parihi me nga kaiwhakaako i te Ture, “E whakamanuhiri ana tenei tangata i nga rāwaho a e kai tahi ana me ratou! 3Na katuhi a Ihu ka korero i tenei kupu whakarite ki a ratou: 4“Me he kotahi rau hipi ta tetehi o koutou a ka ngaro teicht o ratou — ka aha ia? Ka waihotia e ia te iwa tekau ma iwa hipi i rō pātītī a ka haere ki te kimi i te hipi ngaro kia kitea ra ano c ia. 5Ka kitca e ia, i tona koa ka wahā e ia ki ona pakihiwi, 6ka amo ki te kāinga, a ka karanga i ona hoa tēpono me ona hoa tata kia whakawhāiti mai. ‘Kia hari tahi tatou,’ ka kii ia ki a ratou, ‘notemca kua kitea e ahau taku hipi ngaro!’ 7Ka pera ano hoki, ka kii ahau ki a koutou, tera atu ano te nui o te hari i te rangi mo te tangata hara kotahi ina ripeneta i te iwa tekau ma iwa tāngata whakapaikanohi kahore he mea c ripeneta ai.”