New International Reader's Version

The New International Reader's Version (NIrV) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Translated by the International Bible Society (now Biblica) following a similar philosophy as the New International Version (NIV), but written in a simpler form of English, this version seeks to make the Bible more accessible for children and people who have difficulty reading English, such as non-native English speakers. The authors describe it as a special edition of the NIV written at a third grade reading level.^[2]

New International Reader's Version
Abbreviation	NIrV
NT published	1994
Complete Bible published	1996^[a]
Derived from	New International Version
Textual basis	OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (5th ed., 1997); additional sources NT: UBS Greek New Testament (4th corrected ed.); Novum Testamentum Graece (27th ed., 1993)
Translation type	Dynamic equivalence^[1]
Reading level	Third grade^[1]
Version revision	1998, 2014
Publisher	Biblica
Copyright	The Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved.
Religious affiliation	Evangelical^[1]
Webpage	www.thenivbible.com/nirv/
Genesis 1:1–3 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth didn't have any shape. And it was empty. There was darkness over the surface of the waves. At that time, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. God said, "Let there be light." And there was light. John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.

Zondervan and HarperCollins published a children's version of this text in 2011,^[3] targeted at 4 to 7 year olds and featuring the characters of the Berenstain Bears.^[4]

Example text

Here is a comparison of a passage from the First Letter to Timothy in the New King James Version, the New International Version, and the New International Reader's Version:

NKJV

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory." (1 Timothy 3:16, NKJV)

NIV

"Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory." (1 Timothy 3:16, NIV)

NIrV

"There is no doubt that true godliness comes from this great mystery. Jesus came as a human being. The Holy Spirit proved that he was the Son of God. He was seen by angels. He was preached among the nations. People in the world believed in him. He was taken up to heaven in glory." (1 Timothy 3:16, NIrV)

See also

• New International Version
• Modern English Bible translations

Notes

1. The Old Testament had been completed by the end of 1995.

References

1. "Bible Translation Spectrum". Logos Bible Software Wiki. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
2. . Biblica. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
3. NIrV, The Berenstain Bears Holy Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zonderkidz. 2002. ISBN 978-0310726081.
4. Samue, Stephanie (2011-06-14), "Berenstain Bears Author Uses Talents for God in Faith-Inspired Series", The Christian Post.

External links

• New International Reader's Version (NIrV) Bible
• New International Reader's Version Bible
• New International Reader's Version Reading accessible online with concordance.