The Institute for Bible Translation has released an illustrated edition of the book of Ruth in the Even language of eastern Siberia. The publication was carried out with the blessing of Archbishop Roman of Yakutsk and Lensk.

The new edition is bilingual: the Even translation, produced by translator M.N. Taishina and editor R.P. Kuzmina, is accompanied by a parallel Russian text. The book is decorated with traditional Even ornaments and distinctive illustrations by artist M.P. Adamova. For the readers' convenience, the edition includes a brief Even-Russian glossary and a map of the biblical locations from the time of the events narrated. The print run of the book is 300 copies.

The book of Ruth is one of the shortest books in the Old Testament, consisting of four chapters. It tells the story of Ruth the Moabitess, who, in difficult times, demonstrates exceptional loyalty to God and her mother-in-law Naomi. Ruth is important not only as an example of devotion: she also became the great-grandmother of King David and is included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

The Even language (northern subgroup of the Tungusic languages) has approximately 5,304 speakers (according to the 2021 census) and is spoken in the regions of the Russian Far East and Yakutia.

The publication of Ruth is an important step in the project to translate the Bible into the Even language. A PDF version of this edition can be found on IBT's website in the electronic publications section. Previously published in this language were "Selections from the Gospel of Luke" (1995), the full text of the "Gospel of Luke" (2001), "Bible Stories" (2018), and "Gospel Parables" (2019).