the NIV reloaded

I sent an email to my students and it occurred to me that it might be of more general interest:

Chi Alphans,

You might be interested to know that the NIV translation of the Bible has been revised. You can’t buy it in stores yet, but it is available online at biblegateway.com

I think you’ll find the translator’s notes interesting. They include a section on language and gender and also have a list of key passages that have changed in the newest translation. http://www.biblegateway.com/niv/Translators-Notes.pdf

And while I’m on the subject of new releases of the Bible (which is a weird sentence), I should mention that there is a new, academically legit compilation of the Greek New Testament available at http://sblgnt.com/

Finally, remember that every translation optimizes some things at the expense of others. There is no “best” translation. It’s far more important you read whatever you have than that you engage in some fruitless quest for the ideal. In other words, your existing NIV will do just fine from now until you die.

Glen

P.S. There is no “best translation” but there is an option you might not have considered — you can learn to read the Bible in its original languages. It’s not for everyone, but just think of it: you can earn Stanford credits while growing in your understanding of God’s Word — it’s a twofer!