New International Version
| Abbreviation: | NIV |
| Released: | 1978 |
| Contents: | Old Testament, New Testament |
| Source Used: | International Bible Society (1978) |
| Location: | Tyndale House, Cambridge, United Kingdom |
This is a completely new translation of the Holy Bible done by over one hundred scholars. It followed several years of exploratory study by committees from the Christian Reformed Church and the National Association of Evangelicals. There were participants from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand in the translating process. The denominations included Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Brethren, Christian Reformed, Church of Christ, Evangelical Free, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, and others.
Each book was translated by a team of scholars. An Intermediate Editorial Committee revised their work. A General Editorial Committee checked it in detail and revised again. The Committee on Bible Translation reviewed, revised, then released the translation for publication.
The goals were that the translation would be accurate and have clarity and literary quality so as to be suitable for reading, teaching, preaching, memorizing, and liturgical use. A concern was that the English be idiomatic but not idiosyncratic, contemporary but not dated.
Texts used for the Old Testament included the latest Biblia Hebraica, Dead Sea Scrolls, Samaritan Pentateuch, ancient scribal traditions, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac Peshitta, Targums, Juxta Hebraica, and others. For the New Testament, the best current Greek New Testament texts were used.
The Tetragrammaton is rendered as LORD, in capital letters. King James pronouns and verb endings were considered to be archaic. Poetic passages are printed as poetry.
Sample Verses
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
John 1: 1 - 3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.
Comparisons
The following comparative studies include this version:
- Additions and Omissions in the Synoptic Gospels
- Burden and Yoke to Be Removed
- Entering His Rest
- Epistle of James
- From Eternity or From Ancient Times?
- Falsifying Scribes
- Fringe on the Borders of a Garment
- Gifts of the Spirit
- God So Loved the World
- Gods, God, or Judges
- Hebrew Synoptic Gospels
- Horses from Egypt and Kue
- Israelites and Baal-Peor
- Letters of Paul
- Miracle at Cana
- Offering Sacrifices to the He-Goat
- Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread
- Reference to the Trinity
- Sabbaths and Sundown
- Scripture Inspired by God
- Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9
- Sides of the Court of the Tabernacle
- Some Variations in the Book of Acts
- Song of Solomon
- Story of the Adultress
- That Which Will Happen Before the End
- Those Who Work Iniquity
- Who Will Mourn?
- Words with Heathen Origins in the Scriptures
