On December 3, 2022, Brother Samuel Campos, a member of the Angola Branch Committee, released the Bible books of Matthew and Acts in the Chokwe and Ibinda languages. The Bible books were released in digital format during a prerecorded program, which was streamed to an audience of some 2,000.

The history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Chokwe-language field began in 2007 when the first Chokwe group was formed. There are now 10 Chokwe-language congregations in Angola and 23 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A Chokwe translator commented: “There are several versions of the Bible available in Chokwe. One of them uses easy-to-understand expressions, but it paraphrases the text. Another is a more complete translation, but it is difficult to understand. When I read this new translation, I feel that Jehovah is speaking directly to me.”

The first Ibinda-language congregation was established in 2014. There are now 13 congregations. Prior to the release of the Bible books of Matthew and Acts in Ibinda, there were no portions of the Bible available in the language, so publishers would use the New World Translation in Portuguese. A member of the Ibinda translation team said: “There are some Bible verses I have read many times that I can understand more clearly now. It is a privilege to be part of this project. It has strengthened my faith.”

We are confident that these Bible releases in Chokwe and Ibinda will help our brothers and sisters draw closer to Jehovah.—James 4:8.