On September 25, 2021, The Bible—The Gospel According to Matthew in the Hmong language was released in digital format. Brother Geoffrey Jackson, a member of the Governing Body, released the Bible book during a special virtual meeting that was streamed worldwide to an audience of more than 2,500.

This is the first Bible book of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures to be released in Hmong, spoken by over 3.9 million people worldwide. a Traditionally, the Hmong people believe in animism and shamanism.

In the 1970’s, many of the Hmong fled to refugee camps in Thailand. Eventually, a number of these refugees resettled in Western countries; the majority immigrated to the United States.

Today, the Hmong people in the United States primarily live in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Jehovah’s Witnesses began translating into the Hmong language in 2007. In 2012, a remote translation office was built in Sacramento, California.

The translation team completed the book of Matthew over a period of three months. They were assisted by a group of proofreaders from five different countries.

The translation team had to overcome a unique challenge during this project. Hmong, which only became a written language in the 1950’s, does not have standardized spelling and capitalization.

Translations of the Bible first became available in this language in the 1980’s, but many Hmong speakers were unable to afford the high cost of those Bibles. The translations also featured a number of inaccuracies that have hindered accurate understanding of the Scriptures. For example, one Bible translation replaced God’s personal name, Jehovah, with the name of a Hmong folktale character.

“Now with the New World Translation in Hmong, honest-hearted ones will finally be able to read Jehovah’s name in their own copy of the Bible and come to be his friend,” said one translator. “This is what we have been waiting for and praying for all of these years.”

Readers have expressed appreciation for the quality of the translation. One reader said: “When I read the book of Matthew in Hmong, I was amazed. I wondered, ‘How is it that this translation is stirring so many emotions inside of me?’ I could immediately see the account come to life.”

The release of the book of Matthew in Hmong is a powerful reminder that our impartial God will make his Word available to all who are searching for him.—Acts 10:34, 35.