Contemporary English Version

It was translated with the attempt that the text be faithful to the meaning of the original and that it can be read with ease and understanding by readers of all ages. It was made directly from the original languages of the Scriptures and is not an adaptation of any existing translation.

Some nouns (e.g., “salvation”) of traditional translations are not used as they describe actions. Every word, phrase, and of the original was carefully studied by the translators. Then, they tried to find the best way to translate the verse so that it could be easily read and understood.

Poetic sections were expected not only to sound good but also to look good. Poetic lines were carefully measured to avoid awkwardly divided phrases and words that run over to the next line in clumsy ways.

The New Testament was translated directly from the Greek text and published by the United Bible Societies (third edition, corrected, 1983). Psalms and Proverbs were translated directly from the Masoretic Hebrew text printed in Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (fourth edition, 1990) and published by the German Bible Society.

Drafts in their early stages were sent for review and comment to a number of Biblical scholars, theologians, and educators representing a wide variety of denominations, also to all English-speaking Bible Societies and to over forty United Bible Societies translation consultants around the world. Final approval was given by the American Bible Society’s Board of Trustees upon recommendation of its Translation Subcommittee.

John 1: 1 – 3
In the beginning was the one
      who is called the Word.
The Word was with God
      and was truly God.
From the very beginning
      the Word was with God.
And with this Word,
      God created all things.
Nothing was made
      without the Word.

The following comparative studies include this version:

1. Bishops, Overseers, Presbyters, and Elders
2. Entering His Rest
3. Epistle of James
4. Gifts of the Spirit
5. God So Loved the World
6. Hebrew Poetry in the Bible
7. Hebrew Synoptic Gospels
8. Jude’s Advice About Saving People
9. Let No Man Judge You
10. Letters of Paul
11. Lord Is My Shepherd: An Anthology
12. Lord’s Day in the Book of Revelation
13. Miracle at Cana
14. Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread
15. Sabbaths and Sundown
16. Scripture Inspired by God
17. Some Variations in the Book of Acts
18. Story of the Adultress
19. Those Who Work Iniquity
20. Was Jesus Forsaken by God?
21. Words with Heathen Origins in the Scriptures