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Puneet Aggarwal, Delroy Williamson, Ashok Patel (top row, from left to right); Mark Sleger, Jouni Palmu, Hiroshi Aoki (bottom row, from left to right)

JULY 10, 2020
GLOBAL NEWS

Six Bibles Released for Second Weekend in a Row

Six Bibles Released for Second Weekend in a Row

For the second consecutive weekend, Jehovah’s Witnesses announced the release of six Bibles. On July 4, 2020, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released in Bislama and Oromo. The following day, July 5, the New World Translation was released in Latvian and Marathi, and the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was released in Bengali and Karen (S’gaw). The Bibles were released in electronic format during prerecorded talks. Publishers tied in to the special programs electronically and were thrilled to receive these spiritual gifts.

Bislama

The revised New World Translation was released in Bislama by Brother Mark Sleger, a member of the Fiji Branch Committee. Publishers in Vanuatu tied in to the program, which was delivered in Bislama and interpreted into Bislama Sign Language.

The translation of the Bible took over three years to complete and involved two translation teams. One translator stated: “The brothers will love the revised New World Translation because it’s easy to read and the spelling has been adapted to modern, everyday language. It will help us all to understand the truth more clearly.”

We are confident that this revised Bible will assist the more than 700 Bislama-speaking publishers in their personal study and ministry.

Oromo

Brother Delroy Williamson, a member of the Ethiopia Branch Committee, released the New World Translation in Oromo. A total of 12,548 brothers and sisters tied in to the virtual event, including the 2,000 publishers who speak Oromo.

Because of technical limitations, the Governing Body approved the prerecorded program to be broadcast on a satellite television station. Publishers were also given the option of connecting to the meeting by phone.

Five translators spent five years working on the translation. This release will be a valuable tool for brothers and sisters who serve in the vast Oromo-language field.

Latvian

After 12 years of diligent work, the New World Translation in Latvian was released. All Latvian-language and Russian-language congregations in Latvia were invited to watch the program.

Brother Jouni Palmu, a member of the Finland Branch Committee, gave the Bible release talk. He stated: “We are delighted to present this modern, easy-to-read Bible translation to our Latvian readers. We hope that it will increase the joy of studying and meditating on God’s Word.”

Commenting on the research features included in the newly released Bible, a translation team member said, “This new Bible translation is like a spiritual ‘smart device’ that offers great possibilities for deep personal study and meditation.”

Marathi

The New World Translation in Marathi was released during an event held for all the Marathi-speaking congregations in India. Brother Puneet Aggarwal, a member of the India Branch Committee, announced the release of the Bible.

To complete the Marathi translation, six translators spent three years working on the project. One member of the translation team said: “This translation will especially help parents and Bible teachers as they instruct their children or those interested in the true teachings of the Bible.”

Another translator stated: “It is deeply satisfying to know that this Bible restores God’s name, Jehovah, wherever it appeared in the original text. Readers will be able to read Jehovah’s name on almost every page of this translation, and Jehovah’s name will receive the praise it deserves.”

More than 83 million people speak Marathi in central India.

Bengali

The Christian Greek Scriptures in Bengali was released by Brother Ashok Patel, a member of the India Branch Committee. More than 1,200 publishers tied in to the program from India and Bangladesh.

Over 265 million people speak Bengali, the seventh most spoken language in the world. In order to produce a translation that is easily understood by the majority of the population, a team of translators from different parts of India and Bangladesh collaborated for three years to complete the project.

In his talk, Brother Patel commented: “Bengali was among the first Indic languages into which the Bible was translated. A complete translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was published in 1801. The strength of the earliest Bible in Bengali was its proper rendering of the divine name, Jehovah. However, in modern translations, the divine name has been replaced with the title ‘Lord.’ The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures will fill the need for an accurate and easy-to-understand translation.”

A member of the translation team said: “This translation is proof that Jehovah God loves people from all walks of life and is inviting them to learn about him and his son, Jesus Christ.”

Karen (S’gaw)

Brother Hiroshi Aoki, a member of the Myanmar Branch Committee, released the Christian Greek Scriptures in Karen (S’gaw). A total of 510 from six congregations and four groups were tied in to the program.

The Karen (S’gaw) translation project took just over a year to complete. One member of the translation team stated: “Brothers and sisters and people in the field will enjoy reading this Karen (S’gaw) release because it restores Jehovah’s name and uses modern language. It is clear, accurate, and easy to understand. We thank Jehovah for this amazing gift that will help us draw closer to him through the language of our heart.”

Another translator commented: “The New World Translation is written in everyday language, so it will help readers understand the feelings of Bible characters, imagine their circumstances, and imitate their faith.”

We rejoice with our brothers and sisters who received these Bibles. We are confident that the Bible releases will help the publishers who speak these languages continue to draw close to Jehovah and to share the truth with others.—John 17:17.