M’CHAKA cha 1627, m’busa wina wa ku England, dzina lake William Bedell, anasamukira ku Ireland komwe anakapeza zinthu zomwe samayembekezera. Pa nthawiyi anthu ambiri a m’dziko la Ireland anali Akatolika, ngakhale kuti dzikoli linkalamuliridwa ndi dziko la Britain lomwe linali lachipulotesitanti. Anthu ena omwe anachoka m’Chikatolika anali atamasulira Baibulo m’zinenero zambiri zomwe zinkalankhulidwa ku Europe. Koma Bedell anadabwa kwambiri ataona kuti palibe amene anaonetsa chidwi chofuna kumasulira Baibulo m’Chiairishi.

Bedell ankaona kuti anthu a ku Ireland “sankawerengeredwa kwenikweni pokhapokha ngati ataphunzira Chingelezi.” Choncho anaganiza zomasulira Baibulo m’Chiairishi. Komabe anthu ambiri, makamaka achipulotesitanti, sanagwirizane ndi zimenezi.

Bedell anayamba kuphunzira Chiairishi. Atakhala woyang’anira koleji ya Trinity ku Dublin komanso atakhala bishopu wa dayosisi ya Kilmore, Bedell analimbikitsa ophunzira a pa sukuluyi kuti azilankhula Chiairishi. Zimenezi zinali zogwirizana ndi cholinga chimene Mfumukazi Elizabeti woyamba wa ku England anakhazikitsira kolejiyi. Cholinga chake chinali choti ophunzira a pa kolejiyi aziphunzitsidwa Baibulo m’chinenero chawo cha Chiairishi.

Anthu ambiri a mu dayosisi ya Kilmore ankalankhula Chiairishi. Choncho Bedell anayesetsa kwambiri kuti mu dayosisiyi mukhale ansembe olankhula Chiairishi. Ankachita zimenezi potsatira zimene mtumwi Paulo ananena pa 1 Akorinto 14:19, pomwe pamati, “Ngakhale zili choncho, ndi bwino kuti mumpingo ndilankhule mawu asanu omveka, kutinso ndilangize ena ndi mawuwo, kusiyana n’kulankhula mawu 10,000 m’lilime lachilendo,” kapena kuti m’chinenero chimene anthuwo sakanatha kuchimvetsa.

Komabe akuluakulu ena a boma, sanagwirizane ndi zimenezi ndipo anayesetsa kumuletsa. Zimene akatswiri ena a mbiri yakale ananena zimasonyeza kuti akuluakuluwa ankaletsa kuti anthu asaphunzire Chiairishi poganiza kuti “zikanachititsa kuti anthu aukire boma” komanso “zikanabweretsa mavuto ambiri.” Pomwe ena ankaona kuti dziko la England linkachita dala n’cholinga choti anthu a ku Ireland akhalebe mbuli. Moti boma la Ireland linakhazikitsa malamulo oletsa anthu kulankhula komanso kutsatira miyambo ya ku Ireland n’kumawalimbikitsa kuti azilankhula Chingelezi komanso kuphunzira chikhalidwe cha anthu a ku England.

Komabe Bedell sanabwerere m’mbuyo ndi zimenezi. Chakumayambiriro kwa zaka za m’ma 1630, Bedell anayamba kumasulira m’Chiairishi, Baibulo lachingelezi la King James lomwe linali litangotuluka kumene. Bedell ankafuna kuti anthu ambiri azitha kumva uthenga wa m’Baibulo mosavuta. Ankaona kuti ngati Baibulo silimasuliridwa m’chinenerochi, ndiye kuti anthu ambiri osauka sadzapulumuka.—Yohane 17:3.

Koma sikuti Bedell ndi amene anali woyamba kukhala ndi maganizo amenewa. Zaka 30 m’mbuyomo, bishopu wina dzina lake William Daniel, ankaona kuti  n’zovuta kuti munthu aphunzire Baibulo “ngati litakhala m’chinenero chimene sakumva bwinobwino.” Choncho pofuna kuthandiza anthu olankhula Chiairishi, Daniel anamasulira Malemba Achigiriki Achikhristu kapena kuti Chipangano Chatsopano m’chinenerochi. Ndiyeno Bedell anayamba kumasulira Malemba Achiheberi kapena kuti chipangano chakale. Zimene Bedell anamasulira zinaphatikizidwa ndi zimene Daniel anayambirira kumasulira n’kupanga Baibulo limodzi lomwe limadziwika kuti Baibulo la Bedell. Ili linali Baibulo lokhalo lomasuliridwa m’Chiairishi moti panadutsa zaka 300 kuti Baibulo lina limasuliridwe m’chinenerochi.

Bedell, yemwenso anali katswiri wachinenero chachiheberi, analemba ntchito anthu awiri omwe ankadziwa bwino Chiairishi kuti amuthandize kumasulira Baibuloli. Iye limodzi ndi anthu amene ankamuthandiza, ankafufuza mosamala komanso kutsimikizira kuti zimene alembazo n’zofanana ndi zimene zinali m’mipukutu yachiheberi ya Baibulo. Pomasulirapo ankagwiritsanso ntchito Baibulo la Chitaliyana lomasuliridwa ndi Giovanni Diodati, Baibulo lachigiriki la Septuagint komanso Malemba oyambirira achiheberi olembedwa pamanja.

Bedell ndi anzakewa anatengera zimene omasulira Baibulo la King James anachita (N’kutheka kuti Bedell ankadziwana ndi anthu omwe anamasulira Baibuloli) ndipo nawonso anaika dzina la Mulungu m’malo osiyanasiyana m’Baibulo lomwe ankamasulira. Mwachitsanzo pa Ekisodo 6:3, analembapo dzina la Mulungu lakuti “Iehovah.” Zimene Bedell analemba zidakalipobe ndipo zimasungidwa mu laibulale ya Marsh ku Dublin m’dziko la Ireland.—Onani bokosi lakuti “Anakumbukira Ntchito Yotamandika Imene Bedell Anagwira.”

Bedell anamaliza ntchito yake m’chaka cha 1640. Koma pa nthawiyi sanasindikize Baibulo lakelo chifukwa anthu anapitirizabe kulimbana naye. Ena ankamunyoza  kuti sanali woyenera kutsogolera ntchito yomasulira Baibulo. Iwo ankaganiza kuti zimenezi zichititsa kuti anthu asamawerenge Baibulo lakelo. Anthu amenewa sankamumwera madzi moti mpaka anafika pomumangitsa. Kuwonjezera pamenepa, mu 1641 Bedell anavutika kwambiri chifukwa cha chipwirikiti chomwe chinapulula anthu ambiri pamene nzika za dziko la Ireland zinaukira ulamuliro wa England. Mwamwayi anthu ena a ku Ireland anateteza Bedell ngakhale kuti anali wa ku England. Anthuwa anachita zimenezi chifukwa ankaona kuti Bedell anali ndi chidwi chofuna kuwathandiza. Koma kenako asilikali oukira boma anagwira Bedell n’kumuika m’ndende. Moyo wa kundendeko unali wovuta kwambiri ndipo n’kutheka kuti zimenezi n’zimene zinachititsa kuti amwalire mu 1642. N’zomvetsa chisoni kuti Bedell anamwalira asanaone zotsatira za thukuta lake.

Anthu anawononga nyumba imene Bedell ankakhala moti unali mwayi chabe kuti sanawononge zinthu zimene analemba. Mnzake wa Bedell ndi amene anapulumutsa mapepala omwe Bedell ankalembapo zimene anamasulira. Patapita nthawi, Narcissus Marsh, yemwe kenako anadzakhala bishopu wamkulu wa ku Armagh komanso yemwe anali munthu wofunika kwambiri m’tchalitchi cha ku Ireland, anapeza mapepala aja n’kuwasunga. Marsh anasindikiza Baibuloli mu 1685, Robert Boyle yemwe ankachita zasayansi, atamuthandiza ndi ndalama.

Sikuti Baibulo la Bedell linali lotchuka ngati Mabaibulo ena. Komabe Baibuloli ndi lofunika kwambiri chifukwa linathandiza kuti anthu ambiri ayambe kumvetsa Malemba. Mwachitsanzo, linathandiza anthu a ku Ireland, ku Scotland komanso a m’madera ena. Anthu amenewa anali ndi mwayi womva zimene Mawu a Mulungu amanena chifukwa chowerenga uthengawo m’chinenero chawo.—Mateyu 5:3, 6.

Baibulo limene Bedell anamasulira likuthandizabe anthu ngakhale masiku ano. Posachedwapa, munthu wina yemwe amalankhula Chiairishi, ataphunzira Baibulo anati: “Baibulo la Bedell limatifika pamtima chifukwa linalembedwa m’chinenero chamakolo athu. Baibulo limeneli landithandiza komanso lathandiza banja langa kuti liphunzire zinthu zolondola zimene zimapezeka m’Malemba.”