New Life Version
Encyclopedia
The New Life Version of the Bible
is a simplified English language
translation by Gleason and Kathryn Ledyard.
The translation was born out of the Ledyards' missionary
work in the Canadian Arctic to First Nations
populations, who did not always speak English fluently. The NLV uses a limited vocabulary of about 850 words, not including proper name
s. This was done to make the text easier to read and understand, a goal that the Ledyards felt was not adequately met by existing English translations of the Bible
.
The translation of the New Testament
was completed in 1969, and the complete NLV Bible with Old
and New Testaments was first published in 1986.
The NLV Bible is published by Christian Literature International.
: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."
New Life Version of John 3:16 : "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God's Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever."
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
is a simplified English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation by Gleason and Kathryn Ledyard.
The translation was born out of the Ledyards' missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work in the Canadian Arctic to First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
populations, who did not always speak English fluently. The NLV uses a limited vocabulary of about 850 words, not including proper name
Proper name
"A proper name [is] a word that answers the purpose of showing what thing it is that we are talking about" writes John Stuart Mill in A System of Logic , "but not of telling anything about it"...
s. This was done to make the text easier to read and understand, a goal that the Ledyards felt was not adequately met by existing English translations of the Bible
English translations of the Bible
The efforts of translating the Bible from its original languages into over 2,000 others have spanned more than two millennia. Partial translations of the Bible into languages of the English people can be traced back to the end of the 7th century, including translations into Old English and Middle...
.
The translation of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
was completed in 1969, and the complete NLV Bible with Old
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and New Testaments was first published in 1986.
The NLV Bible is published by Christian Literature International.
Example for comparison
King James Version of John 3:16John 3:16
John 3:16 is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible, and has been called the most famous Bible verse...
: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."
New Life Version of John 3:16 : "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God's Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever."