NLT Blog

Congratulations to Philip Ryken--new President of Wheaton College and Tyndale Author

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:37:00 +0000

Congratulations to Wheaton College and Dr. Philip Ryken on the recently-announced selection of Ryken as eighth president of the college. As a current (part-time) grad student at Wheaton, I look forward to meeting him and seeing what the Ryken era will bring.

As a Tyndale employee, Ryken's name sounds familiar to me because he co-authored Ryken's Bible Handbook along with his father, Dr. Leland Ryken and my friend Dr. James Wilhoit. It's a useful handbook and unique because of the distinctive perspectives of the three authors, bringing strongly biblical literary, pastoral, and Christian formation perspectives to the table for elucidation of the themes and genres in the Bible.

In celebration of Dr. Ryken's appointment, I'll be offering some free copies of the handbook for review through the Tyndale Blog Network.

Mosaic Lent Resources

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:10:00 +0000

On Ash Wednesday, many of us intend to spend the next several weeks preparing for Easter.

The Lent section from Holy Bible: Mosaic is a helpful tool for reflecting on the cross, our sinfulness and our dependence on God.

Here are some resources for using Mosaic during Lent:

Devotions for Lent for Kindle (Free. Pick this one if you've given up spending money for Lent)
Mosaic Hardcover
Devotions for Lent ($2.99). Includes five weeks of Lent and Passion Week, with all the full-color art and writings from those weeks in Mosaic.
Devotions for Lent 10-Pack (for your small group, church, etc)
Mosaic for iPhone
Mosaic Deluxe Edition (or win a copy here)

Why Erik Switched to the New Living Translation

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Erik Kowalker, of Kowalker.com, wrote a post yesterday, "Why I switched to the New Living Translation." He describes his journey to considering the NLT and his thorough, thoughtful inquiry into Bible translations, centered on his three big questions

What method did the NLT translators use in making the NLT?
Who were the translators of the NLT?
What texts did the NLT translators use in their translation work?

Here's the bottom line:

In summary, I couldn't be happier with the NLT Bible. Many folks who pick up a
copy of the NLT and read it for the first time say that it's like they're
reading the Bible for the very first time. I couldn't agree more. It's a breath
of fresh air. The readability is absolutely fantastic and knowing that the
NLT is translated by top notch scholars with a deep care for the original
languages put me over the top.

It's well worth reading how he arrived at this conclusion, complete with a graphics and a Bible Translation chart (though we envision the chart a little differently--it's not an exact science). And once he made up his mind, he purchased a Tyndale Select Bible and took an amazing 100 photos of this Bible.

Update: New Tyndale.com is live

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:14:00 +0000

Our stellar web team has launched the new Tyndale.com ahead of schedule--drop by and let us know what you think!

Here are the links that I couldn't provide yesterday:
Bible section
Bible chooser/feature search
Ways to interact with Tyndale authors
(daily giveaways in February will be accessible from front page starting 2/1)

New Tyndale.com

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:08:00 +0000

Tyndale.com is getting a new look and new functionality. I've been involved in some of the beta testing, and it's very nice. The site will launch tomorrow (Feb 1), so come take a look around. It will be easier to find books that you're interested in, easier to connect with you favorite authors via social media and it'll be easier on the eyes, too.

To celebrate the relaunch, there will be lots of giveaways--including a Bible giveaway every day in February. Let me know what you think of the Bible finder in the Bible section of the site. Purchasing a new Bible can be overwhelming, so we're hoping this makes it easier to find exactly what you want (within the Bibles published by Tyndale).

Textual Variants

mt@tyndale.com (Mark D. Taylor) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:10:00 +0000

Most serious readers of the New Testament know that there are thousands of minor textual variants among the hundreds of ancient manuscripts available to us. And most recognize that there are no make-or-break theological issues that hang solely on a variant reading.

My colleague Philip Comfort has written a scholarly (yet very readable) compendium of the major variants called New Testament Text and Translation Commentary (Tyndale House Publishers, 2008). If you have a question about any textual variant, Phil undoubtedly addresses it in this book.

An interesting textual variant is in 1 Cor 13:3. Which of these English translations reflects what Paul originally wrote?
NIV: If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
TNIV: If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship, that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

The difference between the two translations reflects a single letter within a single word in the Greek. The translators have to choose between kauthesomai ("that I may be burned") and kauchesomai ("that I may boast"). Pretty big difference, though neither variant is central to Paul's point, which is the need for love.

The Textus Receptus reads kauthesomai, which is followed by KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB, TLB, NEB, NIV, NKJV, ESV, and HCSB.

The UBS Greek text chooses kauchesomai as the more likely original reading. This variant is followed by NRSV, NAB, NLT, TNIV, and NET.

Note the movement within revisions of English translations:
RSV ("to be burned") to NRSV ("I may boast"). But ESV, which is also a revision of the RSV, retains "to be burned."
TLB ("burned alive") to NLT ("I could boast").
NIV ("to the flames") to TNIV ("I may boast").

For the most part, the newest generation of translators have chosen to follow the UBS text. I wouldn't expect the NKJV to switch, because it is philosophically committed to following the Textus Receptus. But it will be interesting to watch over the next decade to see if NASB, ESV, or HCSB switches to the alternate reading.

Holy Bible: Mosaic on your iPhone

KeithWilliams.NLT@gmail.com (Keith Williams) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:51:00 +0000

One of my favorite editions of the NLT, Holy Bible: Mosaic, is now available in an electronic edition for your iPhone or iPod Touch (link will open iTunes).

This is the first application that Tyndale has submitted to the iTunes store, and I'm pretty excited about it. It includes the complete text of the NLT, along with all of the excellent Mosaic content. The artwork came across beautifully, all the scripture references are hyperlinked so you can access them with one tap on the screen, and you can take notes in both the NLT text and within the Mosaic material.

This app is powered by the excellent BibleReader engine from OliveTree Bible Software, which I highly recommend for your mobile Bible software needs on any platform. You can get the NLT Study Bible from them as well.

Psalm 146:2

mt@tyndale.com (Mark D. Taylor) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:34:00 +0000

On a separate thread, Danielo asks whether the NLT is perhaps too dramatic in the way it translates the last phrase of this verse:

"I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God even with my dying breath."

He points out that some other translations translate the last phrase "as long as I live." The challenge for the translator, of course, is to convey in English (or any receptor language) the correct meaning and the full impact of the original text.

In this verse the psalmist presents a couplet that communicates essentially the same message in each of the two lines. The Hebrew text has two expressions to communicate the concept of "all my life," so the translator must also find two expressions to communicate the concept of "all my life." The NLT uses "as long as I live" in the first line--as do RSV, NRSV, NET Bible, and ESV. So a different phrase is needed for the second line. Look at the variety in translations:

KJV: while I have my being
ASV: while I have any being
NRSV: all my life long
NIV: as long as I live
NET: as long as I exist
NLT: even with my dying breath

The Hebrew idiom doesn't literally translate into English as "even with my dying breath," but neither is it literally "as long as I live" or "while I have my being." All of the translations are striving to communicate the sense of the idiom, which might be translated literally "with as long as." The psalmist is expressing the absolute limit of his praise for God. So various translations use various expressions to communicate that same sense of the ultimate.

Back to Danielo's question: Is the NLT being too dramatic? I don't think so, since it strives to communicate in English that same sense that "I will praise my God with everything I've got for as long as I've got anything in me."

Download the NLT for iPhone for Free

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:07:00 +0000

Tyndale House Publishers ~~The Tyndale Foundation~~ and our friends at LifeChurch.tv have been working together to make the NLT available to you offline on the YouVersion iPhone App. You have a 90-day window in which to download it, but the content won't expire after 90 days (or ever) after it's downloaded. See this post on on the YouVersion blog for instructions and a little more information.

Merry Christmas

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:05:00 +0000

No Room at the Inn?

mt@tyndale.com (Mark D. Taylor) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:07:00 +0000

We've all heard the Christmas story from Luke 2 many times, and we'll hear it again this Christmas. And you'll probably hear that "there was no room in the inn." But was it an inn (that is, a public place of accommodations) where Joseph and Mary found no room?

The NLT (2^nd ed.) renders this familiar phrase, "because there was no lodging available for them." In a similar vein, the TNIV reads, "because there was no guest room available for them." Why have these modern translations moved away from the traditional term "inn"?

I'll let Prof. Allison A. Trites explain:

"The accommodation facilities of little Bethlehem were stretched to the limit by the demands imposed by the Roman census (2:1-5). Traditionally, the story has told us 'there was no room in the inn' (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB). However, there is anther possibility, for the rare word used here (kataluma [^TG2646, ^ZG2906]) might not mean an 'inn' but rather a 'guest room' in a house, as in 22:11 (and Mark 14:14), where it is used to describe the room where the Last Supper was held. It is thus possible that the room had been planned for Joseph and Mary but was occupied by others by the time they showed up." (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol. 12, Luke [Tyndale House Publishers, 2006], 53)

One more comment regarding the Greek terminology: The more typical Greek word for an "inn" is pandocheion, the term used in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34). The fact that Luke did not use pandocheion to describe the situation in Bethlehem convinced the NLT translators to switch from "no room for them in the village inn" (1st ed.) to "no lodging available for them" (2^nd ed.).

Either way, the application in our lives is just as real: May there be room for the Christ child in our hearts as we celebrate his birth. Merry Christmas!

Mark D. Taylor

Last day to win a trip to Israel

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:00:00 +0000

This is the last day to enter the NLT contest to win a trip for four to Israel. Visit the "Breakthrough to Clarity" contest site to enter.

FREE Christmas Promotion from Tyndale!

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:00:00 +0000

(this is a repost from the Tyndale Blog, written by Adam)

Tyndale House Publishers would like to invite you to be a part of a special holiday offer. Christian recording artist and author of 101 Ways to Give This Christmas Away, Matthew West, is offering a free download of the Christmas story from Luke read by the singer/songwriter himself. In fact, our goal is to reach 1 million total downloads. You can also download a free copy of the Gospel of John in the New Living Translation.

Just visit http://www.thechristofchristmas.com/ scroll to the bottom and click on "Download the Christmas Story".

Some ways this download is being used:

Family time listening experience (hot cocoa, fire place, Christmas cheer)
Christmas E-cards (include a link to the download in your Christmas card this year)
Posting the link in the comments sections of other blogs you read to spread the word- Embed the audio file into your Facebook page or website so it plays automatically
Spread the Gospel though Twitter
Send the link through a text message or through your smart phone so you can download the file and play it all around town

Think you have a fun, interesting, or unique way that you’ve used the download? Want to share it with the world and in the process enter to win a Tyndale House January new release? Post your story in the comments section of [the Tyndale.com blog post], and we’ll draw 5 winners on Christmas Eve.

Here’s what you could win:

The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory

Raising a Modern-Day Princess by Pam Farrel & Doreen Hanna

The Busy Couple’s Guide to Sharing the Work & the Joy by Kathy Peel

The Courteous Cad by Catherine Palmer

Blackout by Jason Elam & Steve Yohn

Tyndale’s New : NLT Holy Bible Mosaic HC

Thank you for helping us reach a million people with the Gospel this year!

Spread the word!

Merry Christmas!

(note: I'm closing comments on this post, so you can go to the original post at the Tyndale.com blog and comment)

Share a story about the NLT and win a trip to Israel

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:55:00 +0000

Do you have something to say about why you use the NLT, an example of a passage that the NLT has clarified for you, or the impact that the NLT has had in your life or ministry? If you're reading this blog, I'm going to guess that you probably do.

That story may win you a trip for four people to Israel for ten days including airfare, hotel and tour. We're collecting stories like this through December 22 and will choose one entrant to win the trip. There are other prizes too:

Everyone who enters gets a free download of the Gospel of John Bible Study from the NLT Study Series.
One entrant every day wins a hardcover NLT Study Bible
One person will win 100 NLT Bible for their church

You can read details about it on the contest page.

A word to the wise: Make sure you complete all of the steps. The last step is to share what you wrote on one or more social networking sites—a blog, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. It has been amazing to see the hundreds and hundreds of stories of how the NLT has impacted people's lives. The inside scoop to this contest is that a lot of people post the story on the site (which enters them to win a Bible), but don't share on social media, which is what qualifies one to enter the contest for the trip. So, if you do complete all of the steps, this may be the best chance of winning a trip to Israel you'll ever have.

Reflections on Advent Week 2

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Here are the links to Sean's reflections on Advent, Week 2:

Advent 2

Reflections on Advent Week 1

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:52:00 +0000

Sean Harrison, General Editor of the NLT Study Bible, has been reading and blogging the advent readings from Mosaic. Sean is, as you would expect of a study Bible editor, very knowledgeable and thoughtful about the Bible. So I recommend his posts to you. Here's where you can read along in Mosaic (or with the full printed Bible of course). Here are his first week's reflections:

Advent 1
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 25
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Matthew 24:35-51
Isaiah 11:1-16

The Advent of Advent

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:31:00 +0000

Advent starts tomorrow! And so do the readings in Holy Bible: Mosaic. Are you going to be reading it?

If you haven't decided yet, you can try it out for free online: just use this online booklet, which includes the four weeks of advent from Mosaic. (click on the corners of the pages to turn them) Another way to try it out (if you don't fancy reading online for four weeks) is by getting the print copy of the Advent sampler (for $2) which includes the readings, color artwork, and scripture readings for the week. (Scroll down on this page for more details)

Sean and Keith and I will be reading through Mosaic. Who else is with us?

J.I Packer on the One Year Bible

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:14:00 +0000

J.I. Packer recently commented on the One Year Bible in an excellent article called “A Balanced Bible Study Diet” in from our friends at Logos in Bible Study Magazine (Nov/Dec 2009 issue). Here's an excerpt from the article:

As an advocate of Bible study for over sixty years, Packer tells Bible Study Magazine he has long believed Christians should read the entire Bible thoroughly at least once every year. To help facilitate Bible study, he recommends tools such as The One Year Bible, where passages from the New and Old Testaments, Psalms and Proverbs are part of a 15-minute daily reading. “I find that variety, along with the cross references they suggest, keeps my heart fresh and alert in Bible study. I suppose you can compare it to a balanced diet."

I love the "balanced diet" image for the One Year Bible--seems just right.

If you want to read the rest of the article, you should be able to find this issue in many Christian bookstores or check here to see if it becomes available as a back issue.

NLTInterlinear.com

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:44:00 +0000

Reposted from Sean Harrison's post on the NLT Study Bible Blog.

Today we are announcing the beta release of NLTinterlinear.com, a new website dedicated to helping people study the Bible in the original languages alongside the NLT text.

The website is based on a detailed morphological matchup between the Greek New Testament and the NLT text. The matchup is produced by James Swanson, an author and editor who has devoted his career to writing and editing concordances, and lexicography based on semantic domains. This matchup allows us to produce an interlinear that includes an exhaustive Greek-English Concordance of the New Testament.

One of the benefits of using the NLT for this kind of study is that the NLT translates the meaning of each Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic word in context. So, for instance, in the above screenshot of the concordance for χαρις ("grace, favor"), the NLT text on the right highlights all of the different ways that this word is translated into English. This enables us to see very easily the full range of meanings that is possible for a given Greek word, a benefit that is not available when using more "woodenly literal" translations.

I am personally very excited about this release. As one of the men who attends our Wednesday evening Bible study said, "This tool will help average people like me to understand the language of the Bible so much better." And as Jim Swanson said to me in an email, "The site is just beautiful. I could go on and on about the various features. . . . Thanks for making my vision and long work come to harvest time."

So visit the site (NLTinterlinear.com), sign up for free, and take it for a spin. And then please let me know your thoughts and suggestions here in the comments or using the on-site feedback link.

Nueva Traducción Viviente

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Tyndale Español, the Spanish publishing division of Tyndale House Publishers, announces the launch of the New Testament of a new Spanish translation of the Bible--the Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV). This Spanish counterpart to the NLT is being developed by Tyndale Español in partnership with the Luis Palau Association and the Spanish publishing house Editorial Unilit.

The Spanish language is considered to be the third most spoken language in the world, and the intent is for the NTV to have the same ministry impact in the Spanish-speaking world that the NLT has in the English-speaking world. The goal for the NTV is identical to that of the NLT: to communicate the Scriptures to today's readers as clearly and powerfully as the original texts did to readers and listeners in biblical times. The NTV will bring the style and purpose of the NLT to the Spanish-speaking world.

The Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV) is an entirely new translation of the Bible with roots in the original Hebrew and Greek texts and the style and dynamic approach of the NLT. Phase One of the NTV project was the creation of a Spanish translation from the English NLT and the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The translation went through a rigorous theological, grammatical, and stylistic review under the supervision of Jaime Mirón, Bible Project Director, from the Luis Palau Association in Portland, Oregon. Phase Two, now in its final stages, is being supervised by Senior Bible Editor Dr. Rafael Serrano. In Phase Two the NTV is undergoing an additional theological, linguistic, and stylistic review with emphasis on the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The overall NTV development is being overseen by Andres Schwartz, Publishing Director of Tyndale Español, and Dan Elliott, Editorial Director of Tyndale House Publishers. The NTV project has involved over 50 theologians, translators, linguists and stylists over a course of 9 years.

The New Testament is being released over the course of this summer/fall in several editions. Some beautiful pocket thinline editions just arrived on my desk last week. By the summer of 2010, the Nueva Traducción Viviente will be available in its entirety. It will be published in many styles and bindings, including Spanish-language versions of The One Year Bible, standard text and reference editions, and parallel Bibles.

Tyndale House president and NLT blogger Mark Taylor says, "We pray that the NTV will bring God's word to life in a fresh new way for the Spanish-speaking world. God intended us to read his word with clarity and understanding, and the NTV will provide a wonderful new tool for anyone who wants to read and understand the Bible in Spanish."

Luis Palau, who has often been called the Billy Graham of Latin America, says, "I am proud to be associated with the Nueva Traducción Viviente. This translation boasts an academic precision which is perfect for serious study of the word of God. At the same time, it is characterized by quality, clarity, and the contemporary language of our Spanish-speaking world. I recommend with all my heart that you read and assiduously study this translation of the Bible."

Try it out by downloading the PDF or listening to the MP3 of the Gospel of John at the Nueva Traducción Viviente website.

Who Owns Christian Publishing Houses?

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Blogger Polycarp of the blog The Church of Jesus Christ recently wrote a blog post entitled "We support Christian Publishing Houses, but Whom do They Support?" He takes an interesting look at the major Christian publishing companies and how they're financed, especially putting time into the Tyndale Foundation, which owns Tyndale.

He concludes: "Frankly, I feel pretty good about buying and recommending bibles from Tyndale, knowing some of my money is actually going to helping others – not as a gimmick or a campaign, but as part of the daily routine." (Click here to read the rest of his post)

Does it matter to you who profits (or doesn't profit, in the case of not-for-profit publishers) from the books you buy?

The Winner is...

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Wiliam Guice! William entered the Mosaic giveaway using all three entry media and was chosen today (by me) (at random) to win the $300 Amazon gift certificate and deluxe edition of Mosaic.

From the looks of (Pastor) William's dedicated reading section on his blog, he'll know just what he wants to do with the book money and will put it to good use.

Mosaic surpassed the 2,000 rank today and it has decreased in price a bit.

So, way to go everyone for spreading the word about Mosaic! And there's lots of excitement yet to come, as yesterday kicked off of a blog tour that lasts until the beginning of Advent (which is when the first Mosaic reading begins). Bookmark this post on the Mosaic Blog to keep up with the blog tour, which will include interviews, guest posts, and more with contributors, editors, and artists that worked on Mosaic. Yesterday Joel Watts started things off with an amazing 24-hour blog-a-thon, today Henry Neufeld interviewed General Editor Keith Williams on his blog, and tomorrow the blog tour is hosted by Rick Mansfield at This Lamp.

One more thing--if you haven't seen the interactive online sampler, I encourage you to do so--visit HolyBibleMosaic.com and click on "Try Mosaic Online Now." It gives you a good sense of what the real thing is like. When you're browsing this sampler, click on the upper or lower right-hand corners to advance the pages. The sampler is the first few weeks of readings from Mosaic, in a slightly different format--it's a little smaller; it doesn't include ~~the~~ as much response space; and the Scripture is only the selected readings, although the real Mosaic is the full Bible, not just selections. (We had to use this smaller version to make it work in this online format.)

Join our party/giveaway! Mosaic releases today!

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Update: the contest is now complete and we're happy to announce that Holy Bible: Mosaic, hardcover was ranked at 2,504 in books at midnight last night, out of nearly nine million books for sale at Amazon. I'll announce the winner of the deluxe edition and $300 Amazon.com gift certificate this afternoon. Thanks to all who participated!

Holy Bible: Mosaic releases today from Amazon.com! We're definitely celebrating at Tyndale, and we want you to celebrate with us! We're telling everybody we know about Mosaic. Want to help us spread the word? We're hosting a giveaway today only. Join our launch party and you could win a deluxe edition of Mosaic and an Amazon.com gift certificate for up to $500. Get up to three entries:

1. Become a fan of Mosaic on Facebook and share it

2. Mention today's launch of Mosaic on your blog. Be sure to link to http://www.holybiblemosaic.com/ and bit.ly/8xF3P (or feel free to use your own link to this page). Please link to this post too--let me know if your post doesn't show up in the trackback, as that's how we'll measure the blog entries.

3. Tweet it! (Get a bonus entry for tweeting about this giveaway, too)

The Prize:
-A copy of the deluxe edition of Mosaic (Antique Brown with Cross)
-A gift certificate for $100-$500 to Amazon.com. The value will be determined by the Amazon.com sales rank on the hardcover edition of Mosaic by the end of the day (midnight, central time), as follows.

Top 500,000 rank: $100 gift certificate
Top 50,000: $200
Top 5,000: $300
Top 500: $500

The Details
We'll count up all of the unique entries we see on twitter, facebook, and the blogosphere and choose one at random. After verifying that the entry chosen meets the criteria, we'll announce the winner and amount of the prize!

Update: Thanks for your responses! The rank is just about to hit 10,000. That's out of nearly nine million books for sale at Amazon, and up from around rank 500,000 yesterday.

Also, feel free to edit the tweets if you want to so that they're in your own voice.

New Website: HolyBibleMosaic.com

LauraBartlett@tyndale.com (Laura Bartlett) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:39:00 +0000

Visit HolyBibleMosaic.com to learn about the new Bible edition, Holy Bible: Mosaic. The site includes resources for bloggers, a forum for weekly discussion of the Mosaic selections, and a new blog by Mosaic General Editor Keith Williams!

Grappling with the NLT

KeithWilliams.NLT@gmail.com (Keith Williams) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Gary Zimmerli has been grappling with the NLT for a little while now, often commenting about his journey on his blog, Sundry Times.

Today, he posted his second update this week, entitled Changing my mind on the NLT. Here is a higlight:

The NLT is so clear and easy-to-read, yet it is also quite accurate. It’s not without its imperfections, but that’s the nature of Bible translation. I am finding more and more lately that when I read a passage in a different translation, I find myself wondering how the NLT puts it, and I go and get my NLT and check it out. I’m almost embarrassed to say how often I am pleased with the NLT’s rendering. It’s getting so the NLT is the first Bible I pick up.
...
The NLT isn’t a perfect Bible; nothing is! But if you want to gain a much greater understanding of what the Bible says, you can’t get a clearer translation than the NLT.

The whole post is worth reading, along with his post from yesterday and the comments.