On June 5, 2022, the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures in Iban was released. Many brothers and sisters gathered at Kingdom Halls to watch the prerecorded program. Other publishers viewed the program by videoconference. Printed copies will be made available in July or August 2022.

In preparing this Bible release, the translation team had to take into consideration the differences in the Iban dialects from different regions. A team of independent readers from a number of regions helped the translators arrive at renderings that can be understood by the majority of Iban-speaking people.

This recent translation will also assist publishers to explain Bible truths accurately in their ministry. For example, in the past, it has been difficult for publishers to explain John 4:24, which says in part: “Those worshipping him [God] must worship with spirit and truth.” Previous Iban Bibles inaccurately translate “spirit” with a word that means “spirit of the dead.” This made it difficult for interested ones to understand how they should worship God.

Speaking of the value of this new release, a member of the translation team said: “Having the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures in our language clearly shows how deep Jehovah’s love is toward all people.”

We pray that this recent Bible release will assist even more Iban-speaking people to understand the Bible better, to draw close to God, and to bring praise to Jehovah’s name.—Psalm 117:1.