New Living Translation

Ninety evangelical scholars from various theological backgrounds and denominations spent seven years in revising the New Living Translation. This version is based on the most recent scholarship in the theory of translation. Entire thoughts, rather than just words, were translated into natural, everyday English. Thus, this is a dynamic-equivalence translation. Three scholars were assigned to a portion of Scripture, usually one or two books. One general reviewer was assigned to each of the six groups of books.

The text used for the Old Testament was Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (1977), along with such aids as The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Septuagint, other Greek manuscripts, The Samaritan Pentateuch, The Syriac Peshitta, The Latin Vulgate, and others. The texts for the New Testament were the Greek New Testament, published by the United Bible Societies (1977), and Novum Testamentum Graece, edited by Nestle and Aland (1993).

There was an attempt to use a gender-neutral rendering where the text applies generally to human beings or to the human condition. El, elohim, and eloah have been translated as “God.” YHWH has been translated as “the LORD.” Adonai has been translated “Lord.”

Genesis 1: 1, 2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface.

John 1: 1 – 3
In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make.

The following comparative studies include this version:

1. From Eternity or From Ancient Times?
2. Falsifying Scribes
3. Fringe on the Borders of a Garment
4. God So Loved the World
5. Horses from Egypt and Kue
6. Jude’s Advice About Saving People
7. Lord Is My Shepherd: An Anthology
8. Offering Sacrifices to the He-Goat
9. Reference to the Trinity
10. Scripture Inspired by God
11. Sides of the Court of the Tabernacle
12. Speech Problem of Moses
13. Those Who Work Iniquity
14. Tragedy at Beth-Shemesh
15. Words with Heathen Origins in the Scriptures