On October 30, 2021, the Bible books of Matthew and John were released in Venezuelan Sign Language. More than 2,200 brothers and sisters tied in via video streaming to the prerecorded special program. Brother Miguel Guillén, a member of the Venezuela Branch Committee, released the Bible books. The branch has translated almost 7,000 Bible verses into Venezuelan Sign Language since 2006, but this event marks the first time that entire books of the Bible have been made available in the language.

The translators of the New World Translation began with the Gospel accounts of Matthew and John because these accounts of Jesus’ life are well-known and their narrative style is easier to translate than other Bible books.

In 2003, the first sign-language congregation was formed in Cabimas, a city in western Venezuela. Today, 1,204 publishers serve in 53 sign-language congregations throughout the country. Many Venezuelan deaf people are eager to learn about the Bible but struggle to understand Spanish Sign Language, which is considerably different.

“One deaf man said that he found a Bible in Spanish, but as he read it, he couldn’t understand anything,” related one circuit overseer. “He begged God for help. . . . Once it was explained to him that he could learn about the Bible using Venezuelan Sign Language, the man accepted a Bible study right away.”

A team of six translators worked over the course of ten months to produce the translation. They consulted a panel of seven deaf brothers from different regions of the country who reviewed the content. This process helped the translators accommodate any regional differences in the language.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the translators had to work in separate locations via videoconference. Poor Internet connectivity made the collaboration especially challenging. One translator commented: “It was not easy, but Jehovah helped us overcome any obstacles.”

Our prayer is that all of our brothers and sisters in Venezuela can benefit fully from the ‘refined silver’ of Jehovah’s Word in their own language.—Psalm 12:6.