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The first luxury Bible in Sotho was handed over to a man of God who harnessed his passion for getting the Word published in a special edition.
Past. Ishmael Notzi received his deluxe Sotho Bible, a special gift from the Bible Society of South Africa, after he served as the driving force behind getting the Bible printed.
Dr Elrika Senekal Van der Berg, team leader in the central region, and Stella Moletsane, sales representative of the Bible Society, handed over the first luxury Bible to Notzi on Friday, 23 February.
Notzi, a leader at the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) at the Meloding Assembly in Virginia, said he received his first Bible when he was at school.
“It took me 11 months to read the whole Bible. I was immediately fascinated. To me, the Bible has so many hidden treasures.”
The newly printed Bible is of the 1909 translation, which many Sotho speaking people prefer to the 1989 translation.
Notzi started the drive to do a survey on the need for a luxury version.
In October the first print edition of this Bible was ordered, and it will arrive soonest, but for the backlog in the harbour.
Senekal Van der Berg said the first order, printed in China like all South African Bibles, was already fully sold out.
“This shows how huge the need for this Bible is. Before the Bibles could be printed, we had to pay upfront. This is why the Bible Society relies so heavily on donations – because orders are placed even before readers can buy their Bibles.”
She asked Notzi to help them with their next drive by doing a survey for large print Sotho Bibles.
“I also dream about a complete children’s Bible that can be translated into all the South African languages,” she said.
