On April 25, 2020, Brother Mark Sanderson, a member of the Governing Body, announced in a prerecorded video the release of the revised New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures in the Croatian and Serbian languages. The Serbian translation was released in both Roman and Cyrillic scripts.

In compliance with governmental restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, the congregations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia did not meet together for the release. Instead, a special meeting was held via videoconference. A total of 12,705 were tied in.

One of our brothers who tied in to the program described the revised Bible as a “true jewel,” and exclaimed that he felt “as if Jehovah is talking to me personally.” Another brother who serves as a congregation elder explained: “As I read this new revised translation of the Bible in my mother tongue, I feel Jehovah’s love deeper—I sense his feelings and care for me. And, as a shepherd in the congregation, I will now be better able to convey to the brothers and sisters how much Jehovah loves them and appreciates them.”

The release culminates translation efforts that began in late 1996. After less than three years, in July 1999, the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was released in Croatian and Serbian. Seven years later, in 2006, a complete New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released in both languages.

We are confident that these accurate and easy-to-understand revised editions of the New World Translation in Croatian and Serbian will continue to help all their readers see that “the word of God is alive.”—Hebrews 4:12.