JW Bible then and now

A Look major changes in the text of the Bibles of the Jehovah Witnesses over the years.

Editions of The Bible Printed and Distributed By Jehovah Witnesses

1940s JW Printing of the KJV	1940s JW Printing of the ASV	1984 JW Printing of the NWT
In the years before 1950 one of the Bible that was accepted, used, promoted, and distributed by the Jehovah Witnesses (JW) was the King James Version (KJV). The printing arm of the Jehovah Witnesses (the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) published many editions of this popular Protestant Bible.	In the years between 1944 and the late nineteen seventies one of the Bible that was accepted, used, promoted, and distributed by the Jehovah Witnesses (JW) was the American Standard Version (ASV). The printing arm of the Jehovah Witnesses (the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) published many editions of this Protestant Bible.	In 1950 the Jehovah Witnesses (JW) released the own translation called the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT), it printed by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. The New World Translation of the "Christian Greek Scriptures", containing the twenty-seven books from Matthew through The Revelation, first appeared in 1950. In due order the volumes of the New World Translation of the "Hebrew-Aramaic" Scriptures appeared, the first volume in 1953, the second in 1955, the third in 1957, the fourth in 1958, and the fifth in 1960. The entire text of the NWT was published for the first time in one volume in 1961. It was revised in 1971 and 1984.

When the Jehovah’s Witnesses were Founded in 1872 by a man named Charles Taze Russell, the Protestant King James Version (KJV) was the most commonly used (Non-catholic) English Bible. It was the KJV that the Witnesses took as there own. In 1907 The witnesses contracted a out side firm (Holman) to print a special edition of the Authorized Bible (The KJV) specifically for them, it was called "A Bible Students Edition". It is this version that Russell’s Witnesses would use for the first 78 years of the sects existence. J. F. Rutherford (the second president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract society) said this about the KJV:

From 1907 until the early 1940s the Watchtower society contacted out the work of printing the bible to out side firms, in 1942 the first KJV rolled of societies presses. The Watchtower estimated that between 1942 and 1963 the society printed and distributed 1,436,949 copies of the KJV. (1)

But this was not to last, the Jehovah’s Witnesses gradually found this version to be insufficient for defending and upholding their Anti-Christian beliefs and tenants, for example, the Witnesses deny many basic Christian Doctrines such as the Trinity, the Divinity of Christ, and the Immortality of the Human Soul, all of which are Clearly found in the KJV.

In 1901 a revision of the KJV called the American Standard Version (ASV) was published. The Jehovah's Witnesses had quickly took a liking to this new version, part of the reason for this was its extensive use of the word "Jehovah" and the fact this it eliminated many of the "Problem Verses" (found in the KJV) from the text, and placed them in the margin. In the mid 1940's the Witnesses began to print and distribute their of editions of the ASV. The Watchtower estimated that between 1944 and 1963 the society printed and distributed 884,944 copies of the ASV. (1)

Although the changes in the ASV were much applauded Jehovah’s Witnesses, its use still presented many doctrinal problems to the Cult. for example the Divinity of Christ, and the Immortality of the Human Soul, are Clearly found in the ASV.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses (some times known as 'Russellites', after the founder, Charles Taze Russell) soon realized they needed to do was to create there own special translation of the scriptures which would be adapted to fit there beliefs. This Witnesses adaptation of the Bible was released under the title of the "New World Translation" (NWT), and was first printed as a six volume set in 1950. As of 1988, the Watchtower Society had printed 53,500,000 (2) copies of the NWT.

What makes the NWT Interesting is that it was specifically fabricated to dishonestly twist the scriptures to fit the atypical doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The verses found in the KJV and ASV that contradicted the official beliefs of the Witnesses were carefully reworded [such as John 1:1], and in 47 cases completely eliminated altogether. This "New" Witnesses translation (NWT) varies in its wording from the "old" translation (KJV) in tens of thousands of places. This brings up several questions: