A New Bible - The Revised 2013 New World Translation

A revised, New World Translation Bible has been released to Jehovah's Witnesses, during their Annual General Meeting this year.  This 2013 revision is supposed to make for a better, easier reading in a modern English language. 

However, there is much more to it than just that.  They have catered verses and manipulated others (Even more so than the previous edition) to suit their teachings and agenda.

Some more noteworthy aspects include the complete removal of Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:58 thru 8:11 from the Gospel accounts.

A softer, kinder ‘Father’, Jehovah is presented that does not promote women to be raped or treated like property.  For instance, Numbers 31: 17, 18 as presented in the previous revision from 1984 states:

"And now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has had intercourse with man by lying with a male.  And preserve alive for yourselves all the little ones among the women who have not known the act of lying with a male."


In the 2013 Revision it now states:

"Now you should kill every male among the children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man.  But you may keep alive all the young girls who have not had sexual relations with a man."


This provides the opportunity for Jehovah's Witnesses to believe and promote that they have a better picture of how loving Jehovah is and only those other (false) religions state from their (false) Bibles that God wanted the virgins to be taken by the men.  Their organization has increased light and understanding.

To promote the Watchtower's teaching of Jesus dying on a stake instead of a cross, they have changed the scripture in John 19:6.  In the previous 1984 edition, the verse reads:

"However, when the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying: "Impale [him]! Impale [him]!"  Pilate said to them: "Take him yourselves and impale him, for I do not find any fault in him."


In this new 2013 revision, they changed the scripture to suit their doctrine better:

"However, when the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted: "To the stake with him!  To the stake with him!"  Pilate said to them: "Take him yourselves and execute him, for I do not find any fault in him."


Additional manipulation to verses includes the Watchtower Society replacing previous listings of 'older men' to 'elders' to harmonize with their congregational arrangement.

Further along those lines, the term 'loose conduct' has been replaced with 'brazen conduct', which has been defined to the elders essentially as the going against anything the elder's state or implement. 

It provides greater latitude to the body of elders to make judgments as they see fit towards, not just the actions, but also the attitude of a Jehovah's Witness.  They have the potential to become more authoritarian and control the congregation better.

The Watchtower Society even managed to slip in their business originating term of 'governing body' into the 2013 revision of the New World Translation under the highlights section for Acts chapter 15, on page 1459:

It marks another change to the Bible to give support to the Watchtower Society ideas and practices towards Jehovah’s Witnesses; specifically, that such a group existed back in the first century and that the current spiritual leaders of the Watchtower Society (A few men who sit at headquarters), are carrying on that legacy.

The Watchtower Society promotes on the surface what may appear to many, if not most Jehovah's Witnesses, just a better and easier to read Bible.  The reality is this 2013 revision is one that has been further manipulated from their own prior translation in an appeal to authority to promote their agenda and teaching with little regard to original texts, despite their claims to the contrary. 

The leaders of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses want to control the information and manipulate emotions with this updated Bible, which in turn will impact the follower’s behavior and thinking.  All to the praise and honor of the organization...'Praise the Watchtower you people!'