The Institute for Bible Translation has published the book of Ecclesiastes, or “The Preacher”, in the Sakha/Yakut language. The publication is introduced by a preface written by Orthodox Archbishop Roman of Yakutsk, in which he congratulates the readers on the publication of this book and notes that, despite the book’s apparent pessimism, it will help readers to understand their lives more deeply. 

Ecclesiastes belongs to the genre of Wisdom Literature. Jewish tradition draws a parallel between the author and King Solomon, the wise ruler of ancient Israel. The author leads the reader on a journey of liberation from the illusions on which people often rely. The text is rhythmically built on contrasts: wealth and poverty, folly and wisdom, life and death. Ecclesiastes challenges the notion that the righteous will necessarily be successful and prosperous and seeks to give the reader a new perspective on life with God. 

The Yakut edition of Ecclesiastes is supplemented by illustrations depicting "all human affairs": reapers in the field, farmers, and objects that accompany people's lives, such as vineyards, money, and books. One of the illustrations refers to another biblical text, the book of Job, where the sufferings of a righteous man practically illustrate the idea of Ecclesiastes that righteousness does not guarantee earthly prosperity. 

In addition to illustrations, Yakut folk ornaments are used in the design of the book. The text is accompanied by footnotes explaining difficult passages. 

Previous books published by IBT in Yakut include the Children's Bible (1994, 2016), the New Testament (2008, 2017), Proverbs (2016, 2018), the book of Jonah with parallel Russian and English translations (2019), Ruth, Esther (2021), Genesis, Exodus (2022), and the Six Liturgical Psalms (2007, 2025). 

IBT’s Yakut translations in various digital formats can be found on our website.