Just saw with MY OWN eyes the JWs have THEIR OWN Bible!

by FollowedMyHeart 34 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  FollowedMyHeart

  First, I wouldn't have seen this w/o Simon's JWN, PublishingCult's Bible Humor thread, SweetBabyCheezits' Non Stamp Collector link, and Non Stamp Collector. THANK YOU!

  I've always heard this, but this is the first time I've actually seen it for myself!

  JEPHTHAH AND HIS DAUGHTER

  So, as a born-in I grew up believing that Jephthah's daughter went away to a sort of convent as the sacrifice for Jah's helping Jephthah's victory over the Ammonites. However, I watched Non Stamp Collector's Jephthah video and it didn't go according to the story, so I thought. Jephthah's daughter was sacrificed, as in burnt offering sacrificed! I checked the comments on the video expecting to see others complain that he had gotten it wrong. What I found was NSC stating that he had done research etc.

  So then I read Judges 11 in a few different Bibles. Jephthah vowed to give the first out of his house as a burnt offering. NWT also says this.

  The differences: vs 35

  NWT "You have indeed made me bend down, and you yourself have become the one I was ostracizing"

  NIV 2001 “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated"

  NASB "You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me"

  NLT “You have completely destroyed me! You've brought disaster on me!"

  NKJV "You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me!"

  vs 40

  NWT "From year to year the daughters of Israel would go to give commendation to the daughter of Jeph´thah"

  NIV "each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah"

  NASB "daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah"

  NLT "young Israelite women to go away for four days each year to lament the fate of Jephthah’s daughter."

  NKJV "daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah"

  In verse 35, ostracizing is added. Ostracizing is something very different from troubling, devastating, or bringing disaster upon! It is obviously added to help change the story.

  Which story is then carried out in verse 40 by saying the the young women would go to give commendation to his daughter. She wasn't dead at all! NO HUMAN SACRIFICE HERE!!!! That, however, is VERY different from commemorating or lamenting her, which makes it obvious that the story states that Jephthah did, in fact, offer his daughter as a BURNT OFFERING!

  So now I understand that in order to thank Jah of Armies for His help in killing the Ammonites, Jephthah killed and burnt his daughter!
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  EntirelyPossible

  You're hot. Let's talk ;)
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  transhuman68

  LOL.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/185928/1/Jephthahs-Daughter

  The footnote in the Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition) says: 11:39: Human sacrifice, common in Canaan and surrounding lands, was never permitted in Israel; cf Lev 18.21. The few cases we find were due to foreign influence or to an erroneous conscience ; cf 2 Sam 21. 4-6; 2 Kings 23.10.
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  palmtree67

  This is a perfect example of why I love this forum. No JW does this kind of research, because they are not allowed to look at outside sources. Or even THINK for themselves.

  Way to go, Followed My Heart!!
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  WontLeave

  I don't believe Jephthah actually killed her. She was offered wholly to God, but alive. This has actually been the subject of much discussion for hundreds of years and most Jewish scholars agree that literally offering her on an altar would make no sense for several reasons.

  The only people who really seem to push the "burnt sacrifice" version are atheists and feminists, each trying to make God appear evil for their respective reasons. A brief discussion can be seen here, but many more lengthy and scholarly discussions can be found easily online.

  That being said, in our current society - where women are seen as people instead of property - just making someone a slave for life to live in a temple and wait on priests kind of sucks, too. At least the slaves in a rich man's house had a life other than servitude, whereas the temple servants were so devoted to their duties and holiness, they had to remain single and celibate.

  People put too much negative spin on slavery in the Bible, making it out to be much worse than it was. First of all, slaves are property and were expensive. A slave owner isn't going to abuse a slave any more than someone would key their own car. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but I'm sure they were rare.

  Things were really rough for most of human history. The slave of a rich man had a much cushier life than the vast majority of free people.
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  J. Hofer

  it's not a historical event anyway. the hebrews came from a culture of burning animals and previously humans. the stories about abraham & isaac, jephta and his dauther etc. are memories of old stories that were changed and adapted over time and made into that collection of books that was written hundrets of years later. it's like arguing about whether king arthur did find the holy grail or not.

  but yes, of course the NWT is written for JW doctrine. pretty much every bible out there has some spin. they also "corrected" numerous contradictions, especially numbers.
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  lovelylil

  This is a common misconception about Jephthah. He did not sacrifice his daughter. First of all burnt offerings had to be male (leviticus 22:18-19). Also Burnt offerings were made only for sins of evil, not as thanksgiving offerings.

  Jepthah's daughter was merely given over to temple service, in which she would never marry. That is why she says "I will never marry". And Jepthah bewailed his daughter because she was an only child and all his possessions would be lost as he now had no heir to leave them to when He died. Jepthah was not a very smart person, made a foolish vow because he did not KNOW who would walk out of his house. However, he was not a murderer.

  And even if he was, NOWHERE does the text say that God actually endorsed this vow. But like I said it is a commonly misunderstood passage.

  For more concise information about this text, here is a very good article that addresses all these points I have already made and more;

  http://www.tektonics.org/gk/jepthah.html

  By the way though the New World Translation is still the WT's own bible translation that was made to back up their strange teachings. They changed over 200 bible verses, especially in the NT to hide the divinity of Christ. So I would tell everyone to go ahead and buy another bible for study of the scriptures.

  Peace to all, Lilly
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  Perry

  Good point lovelylil. The bible records a lot of historical events as well as the wishes of God.

  In this case, the recording and possible carrying out of a foolish vow in no way proves that God caused human sacrifice.

  My research into this matter is found here:

  www.wordfamine.com
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  lovelylil

  Thanks Perry. I love your website. I have a link to it on my blog here; http://thekingstable2011.blogspot.com
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  OnTheWayOut

  A great source on this and other strange stuff on the Bible is the book by Jonathan Hirsch: THE HARLOT BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

  I have been trying to post the link to amazon, but JWN isn't letting me. It's easy to find.