The New World Translation – JWs believe that this is the most accurate translation. That might have something to do with the fact that it’s the one published by their central organization, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. I’d pick out just three verses that highlight some interesting things about the Watchtower translation process.
In the gospel of Luke when Jesus is on the cross alongside two criminals. One of the criminals realizes that Jesus is innocent and shows repentance. According to the JW bible in Luke 23:43, the response of Jesus to the criminal is “Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise.” Do you notice anything fishy? In every other translation – the King James Version, the New International Version, the English Standard Version and more, the verse reads “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” I’ve chosen this example to illustrate the subtlety of the manipulations. What’s happened here is the comma has been moved for the JW bible and it completely changes the meaning of what Jesus says. JWs believe that when people die, they completely cease to exist until the day that Jehovah God resurrects certain people. They’ve moved the comma so that the words of Jesus conform to what they believe. “Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise.” Apparently, Jesus is telling the man today that at some indeterminate point in the future, they will be together in paradise. JWs will say that ancient Greek doesn’t have commas and therefore their placement of the comma is just as justified as ours but in ancient Greek, the words that translate to “truly I tell you” are always used as a precursor to something. Jesus is often starting sentences with “Truly I tell you” so according to virtually everyone else, the best translation is “truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
John 1:1 of the JW bible “In the beginning was the word (the word refers to Jesus), and the word was with God, and the word was a God.” Here’s the same verse in other translations. “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” According to the translations accepted by scholars of ancient Greek around the world, the Word Jesus is “God” but according to JWs, Jesus is “a god”, with a lowercase “g”. They’re trying to suppress the divinity of Jesus. They believe that Jesus is the son of God but not God himself. He is at most a special person. How do they explain the statement that through Jesus all things were made? It’s right there in the next few verses (John 1:1-3), even in their translation. Do you see how all this is easily resolved by the triune God?
Isaiah 9:6 “For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us, and the rulership will rest on his shoulder, his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, mighty God, eternal father, prince of peace…” This Old Testament prophecy speaks of a Son who is mighty God. So who is the son? God.
Romans 8:26-27 from the JW bible “In like manner, the spirit also joins him with help for our weakness for the problem is that we do not know what we should pray for as we need to, but the spirit itself pleads for us with unuttered groanings. But the one who searches the hearts knows what the meaning of the spirit is, because IT is pleading in harmony with God for the holy ones.” Isn’t that baffling? The spirit seems remarkably personified for one of God’s powers. Let’s look at the same verses as they are normally translated. “The spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans and HE who searches our hearts knows the mind of the spirits because the spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”