THE BURMESE BIBLE by Little Helpers

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 30, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 38.

THE BURMESE BIBLE.

By Little Helpers

THE Bible was translated into the Burmese language by Dr. Judson. It takes many years of study and labor to translate the whole of the Scriptures into any language, and it was twenty years after Mr. Judson reached Burmah before he finished this work. By this time he so well understood the hard Burmese tongue, so well knew all the shades of meaning, that I believe this Burmese Bible is one of the best and most faithful translations of God's word that ever was made. Just before Mr. and Mrs. Judson went to live in "the golden city," he had finished the New Testament. A part of it had been printed, but the larger part was only in writing.

On the 8th of June, 1824, early in the war between England and Burmah, Mr. Judson was taken from his home in Ava, and thrust into prison. Mrs. Judson then took this precious manuscript, and, with her silver and a few things of value, buried it in the earth under the house. But it could not long stay there, for it was the rainy season, and the dampness would soon cause it to mold.

It could not be returned to the house, for, if found by the Burmans, it would be destroyed. When Mr. and Mrs. Judson, three days later, met at the door of his prison, and were permitted to speak a few words to each other, one of the first questions asked by Mr. Judson was, "Where is the New Testament manuscript?" When told, he said he would try to take care of it. So Mrs. Judson put the treasure inside of a roll of cotton, carefully sewed it up, then put on a cover, and Mr. Judson used it for a pillow. It looked so poor and hard that not even the keeper, who wanted almost everything, coveted it.

When the missionary had been a prisoner seven months, suddenly a change came. The little bamboo room, which Mrs. Judson had been allowed to have made for her husband in the prison-yard, was torn down, the pillow and mats were scattered, and Mr. Judson, with the other white prisoners, hurried into the inner prison. Two more pairs of fetters were put upon their ankles,—they already had three pairs,—and there fastened to a bamboo pole, more than a hundred men expected to be killed before the morning.

Mr. Judson afterward said that, even during this terrible night, he thought of his pillow, and wondered if its precious contents would ever fall into the hands of his wife; and he even thought how he might have better translated some passages of the divine word.

The keeper, to whose share the pillow fell, gladly exchanged it for a good one brought by Mrs. Judson, with, perhaps, some wonder that the white man should prefer the poorer to the better one. Later in the season, when Mr. Judson was hurried away to Oung-pen-la, he, in common with the other prisoners, was robbed of nearly all his clothing, and allowed to take nothing with him. One of the jailers untied the mat which was used as a cover to the precious pillow, and threw into the yard what he thought was worthless cotton.

A few hours later, Moung Ing, one of the native Christians, in looking about found the roll, and took it home with him as a relic of the prisoners. Months after, the manuscript was found within the cotton and not at all hurt. Soon after the close of the war the New Testament was printed and given to the Burmans; and, in 1834, the whole of the Bible was in the language of the country. The day it was finished, Dr. Judson knelt down with the last leaf in his hand, and asked God to use it in "filling all Burmah with songs of praise to our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ."