On June 18, 2023, the complete New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released in Changana (Mozambique). Brother Charles Fonseca, a member of the Mozambique Branch Committee, released the Bible to an audience of 16,245 in the city of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Those in attendance received printed copies of the Bible. A digital edition was also made available for download.

Changana (Mozambique) is spoken by nearly 4.2 million people primarily in Mozambique’s two southernmost provinces, Maputo and Gaza. Since there are many dialects of Changana (Mozambique), the translation team identified and used words that most Changana (Mozambique)-speaking people can understand, regardless of the area in which they live.

Prior to the release of the complete Bible in their language, many Changana (Mozambique)-speaking publishers used the Bible in Tsonga, a language related to Changana (Mozambique). For some, this made learning Bible truths challenging. One translator stated: “Now, with this new translation, the Bible’s message can reach right into the hearts of those who speak Changana (Mozambique).”

Another translator provided an example of the improved clarity found in the New World Translation in Changana (Mozambique). He said: “In other languages spoken in the region, some Bible translations use words for ‘spirit’ that can sometimes be misunderstood to mean an independent being who survives the death of the body. But the New World Translation in Changana (Mozambique) conveys the accurate meaning by expressing that the ‘power of life’ returns to the Creator, not the person himself.”

We rejoice at seeing Jehovah ‘sending out his light and truth’ as his Word becomes even clearer for those who speak the Changana (Mozambique) language.—Psalm 43:3.