New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)

Committee on Bible Translation, 1996 — revised 2014

The NIV rewritten in short sentences and everyday words, for children and for anyone reading English as a new language.

The NIrV starts from the NIV and simplifies it on purpose: shorter sentences, commoner words, one idea at a time. It was made for young readers and for people learning English, and it is the plainest Bible in this catalogue by a wide margin.

Plain is not the same as childish. Adults who find most Bibles heavy going often get much further in this one, and there is no reason to feel odd about reading it.

How it translates

Simplified — the NIV’s meaning, restated in the shortest sentences that will carry it.

Reading level

Around a third-grade reading level.

Best for

Reading with children, reading in a second language, and getting through a whole book without stalling.

Worth knowing: Breaking a long sentence into several short ones can make its connections harder to see. Paul often links each step with words such as "therefore," "because," and "so that." The NIrV keeps the steps, but the argument may feel more like a list. Compare a fuller translation when the logic of a passage matters.

Read the NIrV by book