When the Pioneer Company of missionaries landed in the Islands they “presented his majesty an elegant copy of the Bible, furnished by the American Bible Society (intended for the conqueror), which we had the happiness to convey and deliver to his royal son.”
“It contained the laws, the ritual, and the records of the new religion – the grand message of salvation which we proposed freely to publish, and teach the nation to read, understand and follow.”
“Thus commenced the kind and provident care of the American Bible Society for that benighted nation; a care, which has continued to flourish to this day.”
“The thought of such a present, to such a personage, at this juncture, by that noble institution whose fraternal co-operation with missionary societies, is so uniformly valuable, was exceedingly felicitous. The king seemed pleased to be thus complimented, though he could not read.”
“Bibles, furnished by friends for the purpose, were presented to the daughters of Kamehameha, and a good optical instrument from the Board to the king.”
“Presents, in such circumstances, have doubtless a winning influence, as missionaries are taught by the patriarch Jacob, who understood well the power of a gift …”
“… as a pledge of peace for when he was about to meet his offended, warlike, and perhaps implacable brother, he, with supplication, painstaking, tokens of respect, and a present, ‘prevaIled,’ and left the world a most impressive example for imitation, in uniting self-sacrifice, prayer, and appropriate means for winning souls, and elevating heathen nations.” (Hiram Bingham)
“I had an interesting conversation with Tamoree, last evening, on the subject of religion. He asked, if I had any Bible in his tongue; I replied that I had not now, but it was our intention to make one, as soon as we should be sufficiently acquainted with, the language …”
“… and that we wished to obtain the Otaheite translations and other books, to aid us in translating the Bible into the Owhyhee tongue; as some of the Taheitan language was similar to this, and some was not.”
“He seemed pleased, and replied in English, ‘some is alike, some different.’ I recited to him the first verse of Genesis, in Hebrew, and he repeated it after me. He then asked me what it was in English, and as I repeated it, he repeated it after me.”
“He asked again, what it would he in Owhyhee, and as I replied, he repeated as before, seeming to be pleased, not only with the knowledge of the important truth itself, but with my ability to translate it, and his own ability to repeat it, and with this specimen of the manner in which a Bible was to be made for this nation, in their own tongue.” (Hiram Bingham, July 28, 1821)
“Two important points in the progress of the mission and of the nation were at this period regarded as of special interest and importance, and, in some sense, particularly related to each other-the entire translation of the Bible, printed, published, and open to the whole people …”
“… and a code of laws based on the principles of civil liberty, and suited to a limited monarchy, and the moral and intellectual advance of the people. The former point was reached in 1839, and the latter in 1840.”
“God’s Word, the finishing sheet of which was struck May 10, 1839, has from the commencement of our mission been prominent in our teaching – prominent in all the schools, taught or superintended by our missionaries.”
“The entrance of God’s Word giveth light. He has honored the nation that has nobly welcomed his Word to their families and to their schools. God has honored the rulers who have encouraged its general circulation and free perusal among the whole population.”
“In this the Hawaiian chiefs made more progress during the first nineteen years of the labors of the missionaries than the rulers of Italy, Portugal, and Spain, have made in half as many centuries, with all the aid of bishops, cardinals, and popes.”
“Nor do I believe any anti-Christian power can ever make the free circulation and reading of the Bible unpopular in the Sandwich Islands, unless through the influence of Satan the people can be seduced into gross idolatry and the abominations of heathenism, which the Bible so uncompromisingly rebukes.”
“We are happy to think the Hawaiian translation of the Bible, the labor of a number of hands during a period of fifteen years, is a good translation, giving in general a forcible and lucid exhibition of the revealed will of God; a translation highly acceptable to the best native scholars, and one which all evangelical Christians can patronize and use with confidence.”
“A few foreign words are introduced, and a few original words retained; for ‘Sabbath,’ Sabati; for ‘baptizo,’ bapetizo; and its verbal noun bapetizo ana.”
“For the Supreme Deity we use three terms with discrimination; for the Hebrew ‘Jehovah,’ we use lehova, and ascribe to him all the divine attributes, and deny to him all imperfections.”
“For ‘Alohim’ and ‘Theos,’ we use Akua, and give it the same definition; for ‘Adonai’ and ‘Kurios,’ we use Haku, which corresponds to the word Lord.” (Hiram Bingham)
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