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New Living Translation (NLT)

• Approximate Reading Level: Grade 6
• First Published: 1996

The New Living Translation is a highly accurate yet understandable Bible translation that is:
Accurate: faithful to the original-language texts and designed for in-depth study
Understandable: clear and accessible for all readers to engage with meaningfully
Audibly Enjoyable: beautifully crafted for reading aloud, teaching, preaching, and memorizing

The NLT was translated by over 100 leading biblical scholars from the earliest and most reliable Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, ensuring its accuracy and clarity. Its natural, flowing style makes it ideal for personal and group Bible studies, classroom teaching, and preaching—and it resonates deeply when read aloud.

The NLT’s focus on meaning-for-meaning accuracy allows readers to connect deeply with God’s Word, engaging both the heart and mind. The NLT powerfully and clearly communicates the truth of Scripture to today’s reader.

Note from the Translation Committee

The HOLY BIBLE, New Living Translation (NLT) is one of the best-known Bible translations in the English-speaking world. The NLT is the result of many years of work by a committee of top Bible scholars and linguists. The NLT Bible Translation Committee (BTC) was first commissioned in the late 1980s. The BTC scholars were committed to creating a fresh Bible translation that was both accurate and understandable. For over eight years this committee of twelve worked hand in hand with over ninety additional scholars to carefully review the translation against the best Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic texts. They incorporated the latest linguistic and cultural insights to create a translation that is profoundly accurate without sacrificing its accessibility.

The goal of any Bible translation is to convey to contemporary readers the meaning and content of the ancient texts as accurately and clearly as possible. The result is a translation that seeks to communicate as accurately and powerfully to people today as the original texts communicated to readers and listeners in the ancient biblical world. Since written copies were scarce in the ancient world, Scripture was regularly received through listening to it read aloud. The NLT translation process includes reading the text aloud to ensure that it communicates clearly and powerfully, whether it’s read in public or in private. The New Living Translation is the result of an exacting scholarly translation process, ensuring that it is accurate, understandable, and accessible for all uses—from sermons, to teaching, to serious Bible study, to group discussions, to everyday reading for all ages and stages of life.

The New Living Translation communicates God’s word powerfully to all who read or hear it. Our continuous prayer is that God uses it to speak his timeless truth to the church and the world.