Editing New World Translation (section)

== History ==

Until the release of the ''New World Translation'', Jehovah's Witnesses in English-speaking countries primarily used the ''[[Authorized King James Version|King James Version]]''.<ref>''The Watchtower'', November 1, 1959, p. 672: "Up until 1950 the teachings of Jehovah's witnesses were based mainly upon the ''King James Version'' of the Bible"</ref><ref>{{Cite book| last = Botting| first = Heather |author2=Gary Botting | title = The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses| publisher = University of Toronto Press| year = 1984| page = 99|isbn = 978-0-8020-6545-2|quote=The King James Bible was used by the Witnesses prior to the release of their own version, which began with the Greek Scriptures, in 1950.| author2-link = Gary Botting }}</ref>{{sfn|Gordon|2010|pp=280}} According to the publishers, one of the main reasons for producing a new translation was that most Bible versions in common use, including the ''Authorized Version'' (King James), employed archaic language.{{sfn|Chryssides|2009|pp=lx}} The stated intention was to produce a fresh translation, free of [[Archaism|archaisms]].<ref>"Announcements", ''The Watchtower'', August 1, 1954, p. 480</ref> Additionally, over the centuries since the ''King James Version'' was produced, more copies of earlier manuscripts of the original texts in the Hebrew and Greek languages had become available. According to the publishers, better manuscript evidence had made it possible to determine with greater accuracy what the original writers intended, particularly in more obscure passages, allowing linguists to better understand certain aspects of the original languages.<ref>"Bible Knowledge Made Plain Through Modern Translation", ''The Watchtower'', October 15, 1961, p. 636</ref>

A fresh translation of the [[New Testament]], which Jehovah's Witnesses usually refer to as the ''Christian Greek Scriptures'', was proposed in October 1946 by the president of the Watch Tower Society, [[Nathan H. Knorr]].{{sfn|Melton|2024}}<ref>"Part Three—How the Bible Came to Us", ''The Watchtower'', October 15, 1997, p. 11, "With this objective, associates of the Society set out in 1946 to produce a fresh translation of the Scriptures. A translation committee of experienced anointed Christians was organized to produce the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures in English."</ref>{{sfn|Mattingly|1951|pp=439}} Work began on December 2, 1947, when the "New World Bible Translation Committee" was formed, composed of Jehovah's Witnesses who professed to be [[Jehovah's Witnesses and salvation#The 'anointed'|anointed]].<ref>"Stand Complete and With Firm Conviction—The New World Translation Appreciated by Millions Worldwide", ''The Watchtower'', November 15, 2001, p. 7.</ref><ref>"How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation:, ''The Watchtower'', January 15, 2001, p. 30.</ref>{{sfn|Chryssides|2016|pp=137}} The Watch Tower Society is said to have "become aware" of the committee's existence a year later. The committee agreed to turn over its translation to the Society for publication<ref name="NWTrelease">"New Bible Translation Completed, Released", ''The Watchtower'', October 1, 1960, p. 599.</ref> and on September 3, 1949, Knorr convened a joint meeting of the board of directors of both the Watch Tower Society's New York and Pennsylvania corporations where he again announced to the directors the existence of the committee<ref>"New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures", ''The Watchtower'', September 15, 1950, p. 315.</ref> and that it was now able to print its new modern English translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Several chapters of the translation were read to the directors, who then voted to accept it as a gift.<ref name="NWTrelease" /> The ''New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures'' was released at a Jehovah's Witness convention at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]], [[New York City|New York]], on August 2, 1950.{{sfn|Chryssides|2009|pp=100}}{{sfn|Taylor|1955|pp=75}}

The translation of the [[Old Testament]], which Jehovah's Witnesses refer to as the ''Hebrew Scriptures'', was released in five volumes in 1953, 1955, 1957, 1958, and 1960. The complete ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures'' was released as a single volume in 1961,{{sfn|Andrews|2018|pp=24}}{{sfn|Gordon|2010|pp=280}} and has since undergone various revisions.{{sfn|Paul|2003|pp=85}}<ref>Watchtower October 1st, 1960 p. 601 para. 13</ref> [[Cross-reference|Cross references]] that had appeared in the six separate volumes were updated and included in the complete volume in the 1984 revision.{{sfn|Bradshaw|2002|pp=261}}<ref>Foreword, ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures'', 1984.</ref>

In 1961, the Watch Tower Society began to translate the ''New World Translation'' into Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; the New Testament in these languages was released simultaneously in July 1963 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By 1989, the ''New World Translation'' was translated into eleven languages, with more than 56,000,000 copies printed.<ref>All Scripture is Inspired of God and Beneficial 1990 p. 331</ref>

For many years, the ''New World Translation'' was thought to be the Watch Tower Society's first original translation of ancient [[Biblical Hebrew]], [[Koine Greek]], and [[Old Aramaic]] biblical texts, until the re-discovery of the German ''Magdeburger Bibel'' ("Magdeburg Bible"), formally called ''Die heiligen Schriften'' ("The Holy Scriptures").<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Magdeburger Bible — A Rediscovered Treasure |url=https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODBibleTranslations/pub-jwb-101_4_VIDEO |access-date=May 5, 2024 |website=jw.org |publisher=Watch Tower Society}}</ref> 
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=== Translators ===

The ''New World Translation'' was produced by the New World Bible Translation Committee, formed in 1947. This committee is said to have comprised unnamed members of multinational backgrounds.<ref>''The New York Times'', August 3, 1950 p. 19.</ref> The committee requested that the Watch Tower Society not publish the names of its members,<ref>The Watchtower, September 15, 1950, p. 320</ref><ref>Walsh vs Honorable James Latham, Court of Session Scotland, 1954, cross examination of Frederick Franz pp. 90–92</ref> stating that they did not want to "advertise themselves but let all the glory go to the Author of the Scriptures, God,"<ref>''The Watchtower'', November 15, 1950, p. 454</ref> adding that the translation, "should direct the reader, not to the translators, but to the Bible’s Author, Jehovah God".<ref name="wt741215p454">''The Watchtower'', December 15, 1974, p. 768.</ref> The publishers stated that "the particulars of [the New World Bible Translation Committee's members] university or other educational training are not the important thing" and that "the translation testifies to their qualification".<ref name="wt741215p454"/>

Former high-ranking Watch Tower staff have identified various members of the translation team. In 1983 former [[Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses|Governing Body]] member [[Raymond Franz]] listed [[Nathan Homer Knorr|Nathan H. Knorr]], [[Frederick William Franz|Fredrick W. Franz]], Albert D. Schroeder, George D. Gangas, and [[Milton George Henschel|Milton G. Henschel]] as members of the translation team, adding that only Frederick Franz had sufficient knowledge in biblical languages.<ref>Raymond V. Franz, Crisis of Conscience (Atlanta: Commentary Press, 1983), p. 50.</ref><ref>Tony Wills, M.A., ''A People For His Name—A History of Jehovah's Witnesses and An Evaluation'', Lulu, 2006. Originally published in 1967 by Vantage Press. "[Frederick] Franz is a language scholar of no mean ability—he supervised the translation of the Bible from the original languages into the New World Translation, completed in 1961." (p. 253)</ref> Referring to the identified members, evangelical minister [[Walter Ralston Martin]] said in 1997, "The New World Bible translation committee had no known translators with recognized degrees in Greek or Hebrew exegesis or translation... None of these men had any university education except Franz, who left school after two years, never completing even an undergraduate degree." Fredrick Franz had stated that he was familiar with not only Hebrew, but with Greek, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French for the purpose of biblical translation.<ref>Walter Martin, ''Kingdom of the Cults—Expanded Anniversary Edition'', October 1997, Bethany House Publishers, p. 123-124. "the New World Bible translation committee had no known translators with recognized degrees in Greek or Hebrew exegesis or translation. While the members of the [NWT] committee have never been identified officially by the Watchtower, many Witnesses who worked at the headquarters during the translation period were fully aware of who the members were. They included Nathan H. Knorr (president of the Society at the time), Frederick W. Franz (who later succeeded Knorr as president), Albert D. Schroeder, George Gangas, and Milton Henschel'."</ref><ref>{{cite book  | last = Penton| first = M. James | author-link = James Penton| title = Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses| publisher = University of Toronto Press| year = 1997|edition=2nd| page=174|isbn = 978-0-8020-7973-2}}</ref> In 2003, [[Jason BeDuhn]] noted, "the members of the translation team remain anonymous, just as they do for the NKJB and the [[Lockman Foundation]]'s [[New American Standard Bible|NASB]]".{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=39}}

=== Translation Services Department ===

In 1989, a Translation Services Department was established at the world headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses, overseen by the Writing Committee of the Governing Body. The goal of the Translation Services Department was to accelerate Bible translation with the aid of computer technology. Previously, some Bible translation projects lasted twenty years or more. Under the direction of the Translation Services Department, translation of the Old Testament in a particular language may be completed in as little as two years. During the period from 1963 to 1989, the ''New World Translation'' became available in ten additional languages. Since the formation of the Translation Services Department in 1989, there has been a significant increase in the number of languages in which the ''New World Translation'' has been made available.<ref name=translation>A Milestone for Lovers of God's Word (Watchtower October 15, 1999 pp. 30–31)</ref><ref name="YB 12, pg 26">''2012 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses'', p. 26</ref>

=== 2013 revision ===

At the Watch Tower Society's annual meeting on October 5, 2013, a significantly revised translation was released. Referring to the new revision, the publishers stated, "There are now about 10 percent fewer English words in the translation. Some key Biblical terms were revised. Certain chapters were changed to poetic format, and clarifying footnotes were added to the regular edition."<ref>[https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/w20151215/nwt-bible-2013/ JW.org, "The 2013 Revision of the New World Translation"]</ref>

The [[Jesus and the woman taken in adultery|Pericope Adulterae]] ([[Gospel of John|John]] 7:53 – 8:11) and the [[Mark 16#Shorter ending of Mark (unversed)|Short and Long Conclusions of Mark 16]] ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 16:8–20)—offset from the main text in earlier editions—were removed.{{sfn|Chryssides|2016|pp=142}} The new revision was also released as part of an [[Application software|app]] called ''JW Library''.<ref>[http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20131026/living/131029625?p=1&tc=pg "Jehovah's Witnesses distribute free Bibles", ''The Daytona Beach News-Journal'', October 26, 2013]</ref> As of August 2024, the 2013 edition of the ''New World Translation'' has been translated, in whole or in part, into 300 languages.<ref name="languages" />