On May 29, 2022, Brother Sylvain Bois, a member of the Benin Branch Committee, released The Bible—The Good News According to Matthew in the Fon language. The digital Bible book was released during a prerecorded program, which was streamed to about 7,000 publishers and interested ones. Printed copies are expected to be available by December 2023.

Although Bibles in the Fon language were available prior to this release, they omit God’s name, and many of the phrases used in those translations convey the original Bible text inaccurately. They are also expensive, and some merchants refuse to sell them to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

This recent release of the Bible book of Matthew accurately conveys the meaning of the Bible’s original language. For example, Matthew 10:28 reads: “Do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” The footnote for this verse explains that the original-language term for “soul” actually denotes “life prospects.” Features like this will assist publishers when teaching interested ones in their ministry.

Brother Palle Bjerre, a member of the Benin Branch Committee, states: “There are numerous references to Matthew in our publications. Having this accurate translation of the Gospel of Matthew will be such an advantage in preaching and teaching the good news. We thank Jehovah and the translation team for their hard work to make this release available.”

We are confident that this release will help our Fon-speaking brothers and sisters continue to care for both their own spiritual needs and those of others.—Matthew 5:3.