The Holy Bible

[It] lacked clarity in terms of the diphthong (աւ) original: "au", writing instead: aur day, aurēnkʻ laws, aurhnēl to bless, etc. However, in the case of proper names that were transferred to us from other nations, we indeed considered it inappropriate to follow this custom, even if the initial sound might seem unpleasant to the ears of those accustomed to foreign languages. Therefore, we did not hesitate to write according to our manuscripts: Awnan, Awgostos Augustus, Awazot, Pawghos Paul, and so on. Similarly, regarding names such as Esaw Esau, Ewa Eve, Gēorg or Gēawrg George, Achʻeaw, Ovse Hosea, harewr hundred, vnas harm, arkʻeps archbishop, and others, we have agreed upon the form in our copy according to each respective location.

Second, regarding punctuation, we did not follow our copy in every instance, as it was not consistently punctuated according to a single rule. In some places, it had an abundance of punctuation, and in others, it omitted even important marks. It would end similar clauses in the same passage, without distinction, sometimes with a comma, sometimes with a semicolon, and sometimes with a full stop. For this reason, it seemed appropriate to us to punctuate consistently in all places, except where doing so might alter the meaning of the text, in which case we were careful not to interfere. Likewise, the accent marks above words were not applied uniformly; in some writings, they were very frequent, while in others they were entirely absent. We have appropriately removed the superfluous marks and filled in the missing ones from other sources, especially those that help in accurate reading and the clarification of the meanings themselves. Where it seems surprising is that, in agreement with almost all manuscripts, the accent mark on the names of the Apostles in the Gospel is placed according to Greek pronunciation—Petros, Yakobos, Yovhannēs—which is outside of our Armenian custom, whereby we have learned to accent the final syllable in polysyllabic names, writing: Petros, Yakobos, Yovhannēs.

Third, we considered it important to

divide each book of the Holy Scriptures according to the Latin chapters and the numbering systems, just as those handed down from the model of Łazar of Baberd original: "Ղազարու Բաբերդացւոյ" possessed in the lists prepared for use; and besides these, others also according to the classification of parts alone. For such a detailed division of the themes of the Holy Scriptures greatly assists those who wish to use them for their various needs, in order to seek and find without delay and to be ready to note what they are looking for in the text. For this reason, once the design was formed at the beginning based on the translation of the Latins called the Vulgate, thereafter the same breakdown was kept unchanged, even in the publication of the Hebrew and Greek texts, which we promised to fulfill with complete fidelity to the manuscript documents.

Having brought the authentic Armenian translation of the Holy Scriptures to light in this format according to the best copy, we hope to present our diligent work as acceptable to our fair-minded scholars, especially since it is fittingly suited to their many-needed desires. We hope to find forgiveness through compassionate assessment if, due to the conditions of human nature, our efforts in the care of this great work have fallen short, occasionally straying from the intended goal which we promised to carry out precisely. We have willingly undertaken these labors for the benefit and pride of our nation, as is truly fitting for faithful guardians of the magnificent heritage left by our virtuous Ancestors. We present it back, whole and undamaged, having been cleansed as much as possible from extraneous alterations and impurities, to the children who follow them, in eternal memory and to the glory of the Most High.