The translation was released at a special event held at one of their educational centers in Area 32, Lilongwe, and was live-streamed to all districts around the country, including the Civo Stadium in Lilongwe and Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe, Blantyre.

Kenneth Cook, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, presented the new translation.

A total of 41,737 attended the program and thousands more across the country streamed the program in Chichewa and English. All those in attendance received a printed copy of this new revised Bible translation.

Cook noted that the new Bible version is crucial in spreading the Gospel as more than half of the population in Malawi speak Chichewa and there are 1622 Chichewa congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the country.

The Chichewa Bible is available in full in print and digital formats.

The audio format was also released for the Christian Greek Scriptures (also known as the New Testament).

“Eventually, the 39 books of the Hebrew Scriptures, also known as the Old Testament, will also be made available in audio format,” said a statement from the church.

Up until now, Jehovah´s Witnesses have used an existing translation of the Bible in Chichewa known as the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, also published by Jehovah’s Witnesses, which has been available since 2010.

The translation incorporates recent adjustments to the language, added the statement.

“It was a joy to see the completion of this project. All translation work was carried out by volunteers. The result is an accurate translation that clearly conveys the Bible’s message of comfort and hope,” comments Augustine Semo who supervises the Translation Department of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Malawi.

Charity Hokeya, a Chewa Jehovah's Witness from Kamphata who was in attendance, enthusiastically stated: “I am so happy! I know that God was behind the translation and production of this new Bible. It could never have come about without his help! I am so appreciative to have a copy. I’m excited to be able to read God’s thoughts in the language of my heart and the way it is currently spoken! God´s Word is very much alive, just like our language.”

Around the world, the New World Translation has been translated in whole or in part in more than 260 languages.

(Additional reporting by George Kalungwe)