Hi folks,
The New World Translation (NWT) JW Bible is actually a decent translation in most scriptures, but there are many areas where changes have been made to suit their doctrines. It does bring out an accurate rendering of many of the Hebrew scriptures though and I actually prefer it for reading the Psalms.
There is no substitution though for checking out the original languages to learn and understand the truth in scripture. A very good tool for this is the Interlinear Scripture Analyzer (ISA) which enables a search of a particular Hebrew and/or Greek word and all occurrences of it. It also gives you additional information such as case, gender, Strong's numbers etc. It can be found at
http://www.scripture4all.org/By the way Yellowstone, the NWT does use everlasting,
- "And these will depart into everlasting [aionion] cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting [aionion] life" (Mt 25:46)
I was a JW for 15 years and used this Bible all the time. I can quote it automatically and so I knew it said everlasting, and it does in many other places too. It is a decent translation but an even better one that the WTS produced was the 'Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures' which is a Greek interlinear with the NWT in a side column.
I used it when some elders visited me to 'discuss' the 'teachings' I was putting on my web site. They said that I might stumble other Witnesses who still viewed me as a Witness. I used Jo 8:44, reading the Greek sub-linear which clearly shows that Satan has 'not stood' in the truth, I asked them a simple question,
"If I said I have NOT STOOD at the top of Blackpool tower, would you think that I have ever been there, or that I have been there but just didn't remain there?"
They said that it was obvious that I have not been there, then I read the scripture to them and asked the same about Satan and the truth. They couldn't answer! One then started to ridicule me saying that I couldn't see things clearly, the other was dumbfounded, he confessed that he thought it is interesting and that he will need to study it further. I never saw them or any other elders again.
If any of you ever get talking to Witnesses, encourage them to use their Interlinear, most of them have a copy but they rarely use it. Usually only elders or ministerial servants actually use it for preparing talks from the platform for the congregation. It is a very good reference book and it shows 'aion' to mean 'age' in the sub-linear. It is very good for reasoning with Witnesses as they only like to use their own literature, and this IS a WTS publication and so they recognise it as 'authoritative'. Interestingly, they put 'everlasting' under the word 'aionion' at Matthew 25:46.
Just something I thought I'd share as 15 years as a JW was part of my 'road' to the truth.
Love, grace and peace to you all
Nelson