Ukrainian Bible
In a time of war, destruction, and uncertainty, the power of God’s Word remains unshaken. Despite immense challenges, RescueUkraine has successfully printed 5,000 copies of the Bible translated by Rafail Turkoniak—one of the most accurate and scholarly Ukrainian translations to date.
This is a historic milestone, not only because of its exceptional translation but also because it is the first Ukrainian Bible that was entirely created by Ukrainians:
• Translated by a Ukrainian scholar and biblical expert, Rafail Turkoniak
• Printed and stitched by Ukrainians—even in the midst of war
• Manually bound by volunteers during blackouts and missile attacks
• Promoting the church the Bible speaks about—featuring “A Gift from the Church of Christ” on the cover and The Plan of Salvation on the first page
The journey to making this Bible a reality was filled with hardships, delays, and incredible perseverance. This is the story of how faith and determination overcame war and darkness to bring the Word of God to the people of Ukraine.
The Challenges We Faced in Printing This Bible
War & Blackouts: Printing During Missile Strikes
The printing process took over a year due to constant interruptions caused by war. With Russian missile attacks targeting Ukraine’s power grid, Kyiv experienced frequent blackouts, which made printing nearly impossible.
Electricity shortages slowed production drastically, forcing us to find alternative solutions and rely on manual labor to complete the project.
Hand-Stitched with Love: Women Volunteers as Bible Makers
With power outages preventing machine binding, volunteers—mostly women—stitched each Bible by hand.
In a world where mass-produced books dominate, these Bibles stand apart. Each one was bound manually in candle-lit rooms by believers who refused to let war silence God’s Word.
Air Raid Sirens & Sheltering Delays
Throughout the process, air raid sirens forced workers to stop, seek shelter, and wait for attacks to pass. These constant interruptions made progress slow, but the team remained steadfast in their mission. It took time to deliver paper with all attacks, it took time to get materials for the cover with all attacks, it took time to get all the rights for printing and register RescueUkraine as a publisher with all attacks, it took time to deliver it.
This Bible is a testament to the unbreakable faith of the Ukrainian people.
Why Rafail Turkoniak’s Ukrainian Bible Translation?
It took us time to pick the translation for the Bible. First of all we wanted that translation would benefit Ukrainian church that now going through transaction from Russian language into Ukrainian, so translation should be not only perfectly correct but also modern to benefit readers who just started to study the language. It took us a lot of time to compare all existing Ukrainian translations and to find out about rights to print it. After 2 months we made our choice. Rafail Turkoniak’s translation is widely recognized as one of the most accurate and scholarly Ukrainian Bible translations. Unlike earlier Ukrainian translations that were often based on secondary sources or paraphrased from existing versions, his work is a direct translation from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.
Key Benefits Over Other Ukrainian Translations
1. Faithfulness to the Original Texts
• Most older Ukrainian translations relied on intermediary languages such as Latin, Russian, or Polish.
• Turkoniak’s version is directly translated from the Hebrew Masoretic Text (Old Testament), the Greek Septuagint (Old Testament), and the Greek New Testament.
• This ensures that the wording and meanings are as close as possible to the original Scriptures.
2. Integration of the Septuagint and Masoretic Texts
• The Masoretic Text is the standard Hebrew Old Testament, but early Christians also used the Greek Septuagint, which contains valuable textual traditions.
• Unlike some modern translations that rely only on the Masoretic Text, Turkoniak’s work carefully integrates both, aligning it more closely with early Christian use.
3. A More Theologically Accurate Translation
• Many Ukrainian translations were influenced by theological traditions outside of early Christianity.
• Turkoniak’s version is linguistically and doctrinally faithful to the original texts.
• This makes it a trustworthy resource for biblical study, preaching, and personal devotion.
4. A Balance of Literary Beauty and Readability
• Some translations focus on word-for-word accuracy but become difficult to read. Others focus on simplicity but lose depth.
• Turkoniak achieves a balance—his translation is both poetic and clear, making it suitable for both formal liturgical use and everyday reading.
5. A Bible Made for Ukrainians, by Ukrainians
• Many previous Ukrainian translations were created under foreign religious influence or in exile.
• This is the first major Ukrainian translation that is entirely the work of a Ukrainian scholar.
First Ukrainian Bible to Promote the Church of Christ
This Bible is not just a translation—it is also the first Ukrainian Bible designed to introduce readers to the Church the Bible speaks about.
