On Sunday, October 25, 2020, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released in three Indian languages: Gujarati, Kannada, and Punjabi. The Bibles were released in electronic format during a prerecorded talk. Publishers tied in to the program virtually. They were able to download a copy of the Bible in their language immediately following the program.

An estimated 61 million people speak Gujarati worldwide.

Two teams of six translators worked for seven years to complete the Bible translation. A member of the translation team said: “This release fills our hearts with joy. It uses simple language that even young children can understand.”

Another translator commented: “Jehovah’s name is restored in this Bible wherever it appeared in the original text. We know that the faith of the brothers and sisters will be strengthened as they use this Bible in their personal study.”

We are confident that this easy-to-understand translation will have a powerful impact on the minds of readers and help “meek ones” learn Jehovah’s ways.—Psalm 25:9.

There is a considerable difference between the spoken and written forms of Kannada. The spoken language tends to vary from region to region. Hence, a primary challenge for the translators was to use natural and simple words while not compromising the meaning of the Bible’s message.

The translation took over seven years to complete. The project involved the collaboration of ten translators. One translator expressed: “I thought this Bible would not be released until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But this release shows that nothing can stop Jehovah’s work.”

Another member of the translation team adds: “The thought that Kannada-speaking people will now be able to read Jehovah’s words in their natural language and find his name in all its rightful places in the Bible is thrilling!”

We are confident that this Bible translation will assist the more than 2,800 Kannada-speaking publishers serving in the India branch territory. It will also be instrumental in reaching the nearly 46 million speakers worldwide, drawing them to “the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge.”—Romans 11:33.

The Punjabi New World Translation team consisted of six translators who worked on the project for 12 years. This translation will benefit the more than 100 million speakers of the language in the Indian subcontinent and around the world.

One of the translators reflects: “We did what we could with limited resources. Jehovah was working behind the scenes to get the work done. This Bible will strengthen our brothers’ faith, soothe their anxious hearts, and help them to cope better with the trials ahead.”

Another translator comments: “Honest-hearted ones will enjoy reading this Bible, especially the poetic books. They will benefit from all the research features in this translation.”

We join our brothers in expressing appreciation to Jehovah for all his “wonderful works” as they are “too numerous to recount.”—Psalm 40:5.