From October 7 to 11, 2026, IBT held a workshop in Baku, Azerbaijan on oral Bible translation. The training event brought together team members from the Ahiska, Budukh, Kryz, and Khinalug translation projects.

These peoples live  primarily in their own ethnic enclaves within  the Caucasus region: the Budukhs, Kryz, and Khinalugs reside in the Quba and Khachmaz districts, as well as in Baku and Sumgait, while the Ahiska Turks (a.k.a. Meskhetian Turks) historically lived in the Ahiska (Meskhetia) region of southwestern Georgia.

The Institute for Bible Translation (IBT) continues its work towards a complete translation of the Bible in the Kabardian language. As part of this project, digital editions of four Old Testament books have been released: Joshua, Judges, Ezra and Nehemiah.

Kabardian belongs to the Circassian language branch and is spoken by more than 515,000 people in Russia, primarily in Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Adyghea, and North Ossetia, as well as in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions.

IBT has released a new edition, the Zabur (Psalter) in the Nogai language. Previously published by IBT in this language were the books of Ruth, Esther and Jonah (2005), the New Testament (2011), Genesis (2016), Gospel Parables (2016), Proverbs (2017), the Pentateuch (2023), and the Children’s Bible (2025).

The Nogai language belongs to the Kipchak group of Turkic languages. The Nogais are settled over a wide area in the North Caucasus and the Southern Volga region of Russia. According to the 2021 census, over 109,000 people speak Nogai...

Audio versions of the Old Testament books of Genesis and Exodus in the Kalmyk language have been recorded at the office of the Institute for Bible Translation (IBT) in Moscow. The project brought together Sandzhi Pursyakov, Honored Artist of the Republic of Kalmykia,  and Elistina Shinyakaeva, one of IBT’s Kalmyk Bible translation team members. The two alternated in the roles of narrator and text editor.

IBT has published the book of Genesis in the Khakas language of south Siberia. This first book of the Old Testament includes key biblical narratives, including the creation of the world, Adam and Eve, Noah’s Flood, the Patriarchs, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Joseph and his brothers. The 500-copy print run features the Russian Synodal translation side by side with the Khakas text and includes maps of the ancient Near East.

The Khakas (who call themselves the Tadhar) number about 61,400  according to the 2021 census of Russia and live primarily in the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai and the Republic of Tuva...

The Institute for Bible Translation (IBT) has released a new edition — the book of Genesis in the Abaza language of the NW Caucasus. The edition was published as a diglot with a parallel Russian text, as well as maps. The print run was 300 copies.

Genesis is the first book of the Old Testament and the opening book of the biblical canon. It presents key narratives of fundamental importance to all Abrahamic religions: the creation of the world, the story of Adam and Eve, the account of Noah and the great flood, the life of Abraham and his willingness to sacrifice his son, the stories of Sodom and Gomorrah, Joseph and his brothers, and others...

With immeasurable sorrow, the Institute for Bible Translation announces that on May 27, 2026, Dr. Marianne Beerle-Moor passed away at the age of 82 following an accident in Zürich. Marianne was a linguist who studied the cultures and languages of the Caucasus (specializing in the Lezgi language) and a biblical scholar. Her work made an invaluable contribution to Bible translation into the many languages of Russia and the surrounding countries...

IBT has published the books of Ruth and Jonah in the Kaitag language of Dagestan. These editions continue a series of translations produced via the oral translation method in Tsudakhar and Agul. Kaitag belongs to the Dargin group of the Nakh-Daghestanian language family. It has an estimated 33,000 to 40,000 speakers. The language is primarily used in the Kaitag, Derbent, and Kayakent districts of Dagestan, as well as in other regions of Russia and abroad (notably in Turkey)...

The Institute for Bible Translation (IBT) has released the first-ever translation of the book of Genesis in the Lak language. This is the first book of the Old Testament and the Pentateuch (Tawrat)and contains key narratives common to all three Abrahamic religions: the creation of the world, the story of Adam and Eve, the account of Noah and the great flood, the lives of the Patriarchs, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and others.