New Version Of NIV Bible Debuts In US Stores
Zondervan, the world’s leading Bible publisher, announced Monday the nationwide debut of a full-line of Bibles featuring the updated New International Version (NIV) translation.
Zondervan will introduce 177 different product SKUs under 33 print titles, all featuring the updated NIV translation. An additional 188 SKUS will release this fall, including an updated edition of the bestselling NIV Study Bible.
“Since its debut in 1978, the NIV has become the world’s bestselling Bible because it gives its readers the optimum blend of authenticity and accessibility in each and every verse,” said Chip Brown, Senior Vice President of Bibles for Zondervan. “The NIV is the translation of choice for millions of people around the world who want to read and understand Scripture in today’s language. We are thrilled to have the chance to bring the outstanding scholarship of the translators to everyday people.”
The release of the print products follows the debut of the updated NIV eBook, which was released in December 2010 and has become the fastest-selling eBook in Zondervan’s history with more than 50,000 units sold to date. In response to demand from retailers, Zondervan ordered a 1.4 million unit initial print run, an unprecedented scale for a new Bible. Zondervan Bibles sold nearly five million copies last year.
The updated NIV translation was completed in November 2010, following years of rigorous translation work by the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT), the body responsible for the text of the NIV. Since the most recent NIV update in 1984, the CBT has continued to meet every year in accordance with the NIV charter, which requires constant monitoring of developments in biblical scholarship and English usage and the reflection of these developments in periodic updates to the text. The members of CBT, drawn from various denominations and from some of the finest academic institutions in the world, solicited and received input from scholars, pastors, missionaries and lay persons and reviewed every proposal, many of which led to revisions to the text.
“It was a monumental undertaking to update the NIV, as well as a true honor to follow in the footsteps of the NIV founders who decades ago first defined the vision for a Bible translation that brings readers as close as possible to the experience of the original audience,” said CBT Chair, Professor Douglas Moo. “We invested countless hours of study and debate in pursuit of this vision, and we are delighted with the result. With this update, we believe the NIV continues to represent the optimum combination of transparency to the structure of the original documents and ease of understanding for the broad audience we serve.”