Sunday, December 01, 2013

About the NIrV Bible Translation

The New International Reader's Version® (NIrV) of the Bible is a version of the New International Version® (NIV) written for a third grade reading level. More people read the NIV than any other English Bible. Like the NIV on which it's based, the NIrV combines great accuracy to the Bible's original languages with English that is easy to read and understand.

The NIrV uses the words of the NIV whenever it can. Sometimes it uses shorter words. It explains words that might be hard to understand. The NIrV also makes sentences shorter. And it avoids using words that could have more than one meaning. All of this makes it a great Bible for children, for those learning English as a second language, or anyone who wants an easier to understand version of the Bible.
God has always spoken so people would know what he meant. When God first gave the Bible to his people, he used their languages. They could understand what they read and heard. God wants us to understand the Bible today, too. So we have worked hard to make the New International Reader's Version easy to read and understand.

Is the NIrV an Accurate Bible?

At the time the Bible was written, God's people used the Hebrew and Greek languages. So the first writers of the Bible used those languages. We wanted the NIrV to say just what the first writers of the Bible said. So we kept checking what the Hebrew and Greek said.
The NIrV uses the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek Bible manuscripts. Some of the first English Bibles could not use those copies because they had not yet been found. But today we can check copies that are closer in time to the ones the first Bible writers wrote. We wanted to make sure we were giving you the actual Word of God.
As with the NIV, the NIrV Bible text is reviewed and updated to keep it current with today's English. Accuracy in Bible translation means paying attention to both the original languages and to our language today. This keeps the Word of God fresh for people reading the Bible today.

Key Points About the NIrV

  • Based on the best-selling NIV
  • A third grade reading level
  • Accuracy to the original languages
  • Short sentences, easy to understand language
  • Perfect for children, those learning to read English, or anyone who wants an easier to understand Bible

What Is our Prayer for You?

The Lord has blessed both the NIV and the NIrV in a wonderful way. He has used them to help millions of Bible readers. They report that they can read and understand the Bible well. Many have put their faith in Jesus after reading these translations. Many others have become stronger believers.
We hope and pray that God will continue to speak to his people, and to you in particular, through his Word, the Holy Bible.

No comments: