Faith Comes By Hearing, the world’s foremost Audio Bible ministry, recently released Audio Bibles in five more languages.

The following Audio Drama New Testaments are now available for ministry purposes:

• Gitonga – Mozambique

• Izere – Nigeria

• Quechua San Martín – Peru

• Waiwai (UaiUai) – Brazil

• Chinese Mandarin (Studium Biblicum) – China

These new offerings represent more than 873 million people on three continents. Faith Comes By Hearing now has 424 Audio Scripture recordings available in 359 languages. Nearly 400 of these Audio Bibles are available for free online Bible download.

The size and location of the people groups represented varies dramatically; the Chinese Mandarin, with its 870 million speakers, are located across the globe, and the Waiwai, which has 2,000 speakers, reside in the northern Amazon jungle basin.

First Brazilian Indigenous Language

The Waiwai Audio Drama New Testament is Faith Comes By Hearing’s first indigenous Audio Bible recording in Brazil.

Brazil has 258 tribes, and almost as many different languages—235. More than 90 of these tribes are cut off from the outside world, living deep in the rainforest and firmly protected by the Brazilian government. Out of these 258 tribes, only 20 have strong, indigenous church leadership; but there are more than 35 indigenous languages with a New Testament translation ready for recording.

Low Literacy and Bible Engagement

Some of the people groups represented by these Audio Bibles have significantly low literacy rates.

For example, among those who speak Quechua San Martín, only 10% of the people can read their own language. In Nigeria, among Izere speakers, a mere 1% can read. To these and similar people groups, the truths and hope of Scripture are locked away in the written form.

Morgan Jackson, Faith Comes By Hearing’s international director, said these statistics show the great need for God’s Word in a format people can use—audio.

Faith Comes By Hearing’s mission is to record the New Testament in 2,000 languages and to start 1.8 million Bible listening groups by 2016 to reach the 50% of the world who cannot read and live in deep poverty.

Audio Bibles for Poor and Illiterate People

Jackson said one of the first stories that captured his heart and highlighted the need for Audio Bibles for poor and illiterate people came from missionaries who distributed Spanish printed Bibles in Mexico.

"One of the missionaries on this trip looked over and saw a woman sitting on a bench with the Bible open on her head," he said. "She was just sobbing, so the missionary sat beside her, and through her tears, he tried to get her to explain what was wrong. She kept sobbing, and finally told him that she couldn’t read. She told him she knew that in that book were the words of life for her and her family. She said she was praying for God to take those words from the pages and put them into her heart."

From remote, rugged locations to thriving urban centers, this story is common. Half the world—roughly three billion people—is unable to read.

"All over the world there’s a hunger to use these recordings because so many of the people don’t read," Jackson said. "Please help us reach the poor and illiterate people with God’s Word in audio."