Salim, an older Shabak man, helps with testing translated Bible chapters for comprehension. When he was given Luke 15 to read, Salim was sure he had identified the turning point in the parable of the prodigal son, understanding it to say: “While he was still a long way off, he saw his father, ran to him, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
In Salim’s world, this was the only way to interpret the passage as the God he knows wouldn’t run to reach the lost. The parable was just as confusing to him as it must have been to the original audience that Jesus spoke to!
The team clarified that the passage was, indeed, about God, our Heavenly Father, running towards the sinner. A few weeks later, Salim started meeting and praying with a believer.
The Shabaks are a minority ethnic group living mostly on the so-called Nineveh Plains, east of Mosul. Numbering around half a million, they’ve often suffered from oppression and neglect. Most Shabaks follow Shia Islam, with a minority being Sunni Muslims. A small number have come to know God as their loving father who rejoices in repentant sinners.
There is currently no Scripture available in the Shabaki language, but a team is working on translating the Gospel of Luke.
How to Pray
- Pray for the ongoing translation process and the scheduled release of the Gospel of Luke in the near future.
- Pray that many Shabaks would read, hear, and listen to the Good News in their heart language.
- Pray for God’s kingdom to take root in the Nineveh Plains.
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