As posted at https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/how-accurate-is-the-new-world-translation/:
Here is the NWT followed by the NASB translation....
. . . for YOU know that it is from Jehovah YOU will receive the due reward of the inheritance. SLAVE for the Master, Christ. Col. 3:24 (NWT)
. . . knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Col 3:24 (NAS)
First, notice that the NWT replaced the Greek word kuriou that is normally translated as “Lord” with “Jehovah.” Jehovah is a Hebrew word YHWH that does not appear in the Greek text.
Reply: While the writer here prefers the NASB Bible, it should be noted that the NASB mistranslates the Hebrew NAME YHWH as LORD almost 7000 times in their Old Testament. You cannot condemn the one and condone the other for the same thing.
The Website: Second, the NWT arbitrarily substitutes the Greek word for Lord, kurio, for “Master” later in the verse.
Reply: Arbitrarily? Really? The choice of "Master" is actually a better translation as the Scripture deals with a Master/Slave dynamic. That is why many Bibles have also translated the word in question was MASTER, i.e.:
The New Living Translation, the Good News Bible, Weymouth's New Testament, Goodspeed's New Testament, Moffatt's New Testament, International English Bible, New Simplified Bible, New English Bible, Revised English Bible, the Kingdon New Testament by N.T. Wright, Twentieth Century New Testament, Kleisy & Lilly New Testament, NIV Study Bible footnote, Heinz Cassirer New Covenant, 21st Century New Testament.
The BDAG Lexicon gives "lord, master" as the chief definitions of KURIOS, as does Vine's Dictionary. It is interesting that Vine's also adds in regards to KURIOS, "kurios is the Sept. and NT representative of Heb. Jehovah."
In fact, if you go two verses later, at Colossians 4:1, almost all Bibles render KURIOI as "Masters," which is again, another Scripture that mentions the Master/Slave relationship.
The Website: The NWT does not want the reader to understand that the entire verse is about Jesus and that Jesus is God.
Reply: The verse says nothing about Jesus being God. In fact, the very first verse in that chapter says that "Christ" is "seated on the right hand of God." God does not sit at the "right hand of God." In fact, the book of Colossians opens up with "Grace to you and peace from God our Father" which is then followed up with "We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians makes it perfectly clear that the Father is God, and that he is the God of Jesus as well.
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