In time, the Governing Body gave approval to start translating the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Until then, a 150-year-old Bible translation was used, which contained outdated language and many unfamiliar expressions. The Croatian team took the lead, closely cooperating with Serbian and Macedonian translation teams. All benefited from one another’s work and input.

Friday, July 23, 1999, is a day that Jehovah’s Witnesses in Croatia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Macedonia, will long remember. At all four “God’s Prophetic Word” District Conventions, the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was released simultaneously in Croatian and Serbian, and the audience was told that the Macedonian translation was progressing well. For a number of minutes, the resounding applause kept the speakers from saying any more. Joy knew no bounds, and many delegates could not restrain their tears of delight. “I cannot believe that I have lived to see this day!” said one long-time elder.

The complete Bible was released in each of these three languages in 2006.