New Life Version
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The New Life Version (NLV) of the Bible is a simplified English translation by Gleason and Kathryn Ledyard.[1]
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 names. 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.[2]
The NLV uses gender-specific language and uses no contractions. Confusing wording is avoided. Weights and measures are worded so that anyone can understand them; For example, Noah's ark is described as being: "...as long as 150 long steps, as wide as twenty-five long steps, and eight times taller than a man."[3]
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.[citation needed]
The NLV Bible is published by Christian Literature International. It can be accessed online.[4]