New World Translation

New World Translation

As you can see in this photo of the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation, the words "New World Translation of the" are hard to read; what stands out are the words, "Holy Scriptures." This is by design and reflects the Jehovah's Witnesses' yearning to see their New World Translation accepted as a legitimate translation of the Bible. Here is how to show the Jehovah's Witnesses that it is anything but that.

Christian - Do you know when the New World Translation was first published?
Jehovah's Witness - In 1961.

Christian - Yes, the New Testament was published in 1950, the Old Testament in 1960, and the two were published together for the first time in 1961. Do you know what motivated them to do the New World Translation?
Jehovah's Witness - Well, the King James Version (KJV) uses outdated English.

Christian - That's true, and do you know why the New World Translation is the only translation that doesn't name its translators?
Jehovah's Witness - No.

Christian - The Watch Tower Society disclosed that the translators want to remain anonymous because they don't want to receive glory for their translation work. That's a noble reason, isn't it?
Jehovah's Witness - Yes it is.

Christian - Later, a member of the Governing Body of the Watch Tower Society named Raymond Franz revealed that the translation had been done by five men: his uncle Frederick Franz, George Gangas, Milton Henschel, Nathan Knorr, and Albert Schroeder. Have you heard of them?
Jehovah's Witness - No.

Christian - Have you heard of the ancient Chinese sage named Confucius?
Jehovah's Witness - Yes.

Christian - Have you ever read any of his writings?
Jehovah's Witness - No.

Christian - If I were to translate his writings from Chinese into English without the help of any software and I don't speak Chinese, would you read my translation of his writings?
Jehovah's Witness - Of course not.

Christian - As you know, the Bible was originally written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament). None of the five "translators" of the New World Translation spoke Hebrew or Greek. In fact, all five had only high school degrees. Four of the five had never set foot on a college campus, while the fifth had dropped out of college after just two years. If you won't read the Chinese to English translation by a non-Chinese speaker, why do you read the Hebrew and Greek to English translations by five guys who couldn't speak Hebrew or Greek?
Jehovah's Witness - (silence).

Christian - Do you know why having these five guys do the New World Translation actually made sense?
Jehovah's Witness - Why?

Christian - The official reason for the translation and switching to it was that the English in the KJV is too old, but the real reason was that the Watch Tower Society needed a solution to the King James Version (KJV), which they had been using, contradicting their heresies. These five guys didn't translate from Hebrew and Greek. They couldn't. What they did was simply change the English Bible in the place (eg. John 1:1, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:8, Proverbs 1:20) that contradict their heresies. You believed the New World Translation is the only accurate translation of the original text of the Bible because that is what you were told. You were wrong but at least sincere. But can the same be said about the five men who dared to and intentionally did change the word of God? They knew that God had closed His Bible with a stern warning to add nothing to it and delete nothing from it:

"For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:18-19).