Characteristics of Major Bible Versions
Version	Year Published	Characteristics	Grade Level	GN?	Apoc?
KJV King James Version	1611 1861* 1932* 1962*	• This is the most popular and widely used English Bible ever published. • The translators utilized a “literal” (formal equivalent) approach. • It has undergone three revisions and many changes since it was originally published in 1611. • The KJV is a revision of the Bishop’s Bible (1568), which was a revision of the Great Bible (1539). • Sentence structure, expressions, and vocabulary represent Elizabethan-era English, making it difficult for many to understand today. • The KJV uses a different manuscript basis from other modern versions.	12		X
NKJV New King James Version	1979 NT 1982*	• The NKJV is an update and modernization of the KJV. • The original translators and updaters utilized a literal (formal equivalent) approach. • The translators replaced all the Elizabethan English with modern English. • The NKJV uses a different manuscript basis from other modern versions.
RSV Revised Version	1952 1971*	• This is a revision of the American Version (1901), but less literal. • It became the most ecumenical version, accepted and used by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox believers.	NA		X
NRSV New Revised Version	1990	• This is a revision of the RSV. • As the most ecumenical version, it is accepted and used by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox believers.	10.4	X	X
ESV English Version	2001	• The ESV is an evangelical revision of the RSV. • It is an “essentially literal” (formal equivalent) translation.	NA
NASB New American Bible	1971 1995*	• The NASB is one of the most literal (formal equivalent) translations available. • It was produced between 1959 and 1971 by 58 evangelical scholars from a variety of denominations. • It is based on the American Version (1901).	11
NIV New International Version	1978	• The NIV is the most popular evangelical translation. • It attempts to find an optimal balance between exactness (formal equivalence) and readability (dynamic equivalence). • It was produced by a team of evangelical scholars, all of whom were committed “to the authority and infallibility of the Bible as God’s in written form.”	7.8
TNIV Today’s New Int’l Version	2002	• This is an update and revision of the popular NIV. • The publisher states that about seven percent of the text has been revised.	NA	X
HCSB Holman Christian Bible	2000	• Like the NIV, this translation endeavors to maintain an optimum balance between exactness (formal equivalence) and readability (dynamic equivalence). • Commissioned by the Southern Baptist publishing house of Holman Bible Publishers, this translation was produced by a team of 90 scholars from a variety of denominations.	NA
REB Revised English Bible	1989	• The REB is a revision of the New English Bible (1970). • It is a thought-for-thought (dynamic equivalent) translation produced in Great Britain. • The translation reflects many British idioms.	NA	X	X
TEV Today’s English Version	1966 NT 1976	• This thought-for-thought (dynamic equivalent) translation was produced by the . • It makes use of colloquial English.	7.29		X
LB Living Bible	1967 NT 1971	• The LB is not a translation, but a paraphrase of the American Version (1901) in understandable and colloquial English. • This Bible was produced by Kenneth N. Taylor, who decided to paraphrase the ASV to help his 10 children understand the Scriptures. • More than 40 million copies have been printed.	8.3
NCV New Century Version	1991	• This dynamic translation was based on the International Childrens’ Bible (1986). • It uses vocabulary at a third-grade level and avoids long sentences.	NA	X
CEV Contemporary English Version	1995	• This dynamic modern-language translation was produced by the .	5.4	X	X
NLT New Living Translation	1996	• This is an actual translation—not a paraphrase—using a dynamic-equivalence approach. • The translation was completed by a team of 90 evangelical scholars from various denominations.	6.3	X
	1993 NT 2002	• is an actual translation—not a paraphrase—into idiomatic English (“the way we actually speak and think”). • It often uses additional details to convey a thought.	4.8