How many of Jehovah’s Witnesses do you know? Some of us may be your neighbors, work colleagues, or classmates. Or we may have engaged you in Bible discussions. Who really are we, and why do we publicly share our beliefs?

We are ordinary people. We come from various backgrounds and social conditions. Some of us formerly practiced a different religion, while others did not believe in God. Before becoming Witnesses, however, all of us took the time to examine carefully the teachings of the Bible. (Acts 17:11) We agreed with what we learned, and then we made a personal choice to worship Jehovah God.

We benefit from studying the Bible. Like everyone else, we have to deal with problems and our own weaknesses. But by trying to apply Bible principles in our everyday lives, we have experienced a marked improvement in our quality of life. (Psalm 128:1, 2) That is one reason why we share with others the good things that we have learned from the Bible.

We live by godly values. These values, as taught in the Bible, promote well-being and respect for others, along with such qualities as honesty and kindness. They contribute to the development of healthy and productive members of society, and they encourage family unity and morality. Convinced that “God is not partial,” we belong to a spiritual brotherhood that is truly international, free of racial and political barriers. Although we are ordinary, we make up a unique people.​—Acts 4:13; 10:34, 35.

• What do Jehovah’s Witnesses have in common with other people?

• What values have the Witnesses learned from studying the Bible?

Many people think that Jehovah’s Witnesses is the name of a new religion. However, over 2,700 years ago, the servants of the only true God were described as his “witnesses.” (Isaiah 43:10-12) Until 1931, we were known as Bible Students. Why did we adopt the name Jehovah’s Witnesses?

It identifies our God. According to ancient manuscripts, God’s name, Jehovah, appears thousands of times in the Bible. In many translations this name has been replaced by titles, such as Lord or God. Yet, the true God had revealed himself to Moses by his personal name, Jehovah, saying: “This is my name forever.” (Exodus 3:15) In this way, he distinguished himself from all false gods. We are proud to bear God’s holy name.

It describes our mission. A long line of ancient people, beginning with the righteous man Abel, bore witness about their faith in Jehovah. Throughout the centuries, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, and others joined this “great cloud of witnesses.” (Hebrews 11:4–12:1) Just as an individual may bear witness in court in behalf of an innocent person, we are determined to make known the truth about our God.

We are imitating Jesus. The Bible calls him “the faithful and true witness.” (Revelation 3:14) Jesus himself said that he ‘made God’s name known’ and kept ‘bearing witness to the truth’ about God. (John 17:26; 18:37) Christ’s genuine followers must, therefore, bear Jehovah’s name and make it known. This is what Jehovah’s Witnesses are endeavoring to do.

• Why did the Bible Students adopt the name Jehovah’s Witnesses?

• For how long has Jehovah had witnesses on earth?

• Who is the greatest Witness of Jehovah?

The Bible foretold that after the death of Christ, false teachers would arise among the early Christians and corrupt Bible truth. (Acts 20:29, 30) In time, that is exactly what happened. They mixed Jesus’ teachings with pagan religious ideas, and a counterfeit form of Christianity developed. (2 Timothy 4:3, 4) How can we be sure that today we have a correct understanding of what the Bible really teaches?

The time came for Jehovah to reveal the truth. He foretold that during ‘the time of the end, the true knowledge would become abundant.’ (Daniel 12:4) In 1870 a small group of truth-seekers recognized that many church doctrines were not Scriptural. Therefore, they began searching for an understanding of the Bible’s original teachings, and Jehovah blessed them with spiritual insight.

Sincere men carefully studied the Bible. Those earnest Bible Students, our predecessors, pursued a method of study that we still use today. They discussed the Bible subject by subject. When they came across a Bible passage that was difficult to understand, they looked for other verses to explain it. When they arrived at a conclusion that harmonized with the rest of the Scriptures, they wrote it down. By thus letting the Bible interpret itself, they rediscovered the truth about God’s name and Kingdom, his purpose for mankind and the earth, the condition of the dead, and the hope of the resurrection. Their search set them free from many false beliefs and practices.​—John 8:31, 32.

By 1879 the Bible Students discerned that the time had come to make the truth widely known. So in that year, they began producing the magazine that we still publish today, The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom. Now we are sharing Bible truths with people in 240 lands and in over 750 languages. Never before has true knowledge been so abundant!

• After the death of Christ, what happened to Bible truth?

• What has enabled us to rediscover the truth from God’s Word?

For decades, Jehovah’s Witnesses used, printed, and distributed various versions of the Bible. But then we saw the need to produce a new translation that would better help people to learn the “accurate knowledge of truth,” which is God’s will for everyone. (1 Timothy 2:3, 4) Thus, in 1950 we began to release portions of our modern-language Bible, the New World Translation. This Bible has been faithfully and accurately translated into over 130 languages.

A Bible was needed that was easy to understand. Languages change over time, and many translations contain obscure or obsolete expressions that are difficult to understand. Also, ancient manuscripts that are more accurate and closer to the originals have been discovered, resulting in a better comprehension of Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

A translation was needed that was loyal to God’s word. Rather than taking liberties with God’s inspired writings, Bible translators should be faithful to the original text. However, in most versions, the divine name, Jehovah, is not used in the Holy Scriptures.

A Bible was needed that gives credit to its Author. (2 Samuel 23:2) In the New World Translation, Jehovah’s name has been restored where it appears some 7,000 times in the oldest Bible manuscripts as illustrated in the example below. (Psalm 83:18) The result of years of diligent research, this Bible is a pleasure to read, as it clearly conveys God’s thinking. Whether you have the New World Translation in your language or not, we encourage you to get into a good routine of reading Jehovah’s Word every day.​—Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2, 3.

• Why did we decide that a new translation of the Bible was needed?

• What daily practice is good for anyone wanting to learn God’s will?