The Moscow-based Institute for Bible Translation, a prominent organization that translates, publishes and distributes the Gospels in the languages of the non-Slavic peoples living in Russia and the other CIS countries, this week announced a new edition of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles in the Lak language.
The Lak people, which number roughly 180,000 people in Russia, are an ethnic group native to the central part of the Caucasus Republic of Dagestan. According to the Institute, most Laks adhere to Islam.
The Lak language belongs to the northeast Caucasian family of languages family and is spoken by nearly 146,000 people, according to a 2010 census.
The translation comes at a time when numerous Lak people are turning to Christianity, according to reports.