New Century Version (NCV)

Version Information

The New Century Version (NCV) is an English translation of the Bible with roots extending to the English Version for the Deaf (EVD) Bible translation (by the World Bible Translation Center, a subsidiary of Bible League International). It is also related to the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), having longer sentences and a more fluent style. The NCV is now published by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

The two overarching principles that stand behind the NCV are that a Bible translation needs to be both accurate and clear. The translation team of 50 Bible scholars and translators included people with translation experience on such acclaimed versions as the New International Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the New King James Version. The best available Hebrew and Greek texts were used, principally the third edition of the United Bible Societies’ Greek text and the latest edition of the Biblia Hebraica, along with the Septuagint.

English vocabulary choice is based upon The Living Word Vocabulary by Dr. Edgar Dale and Dr. Joseph O’Rourke (Worldbook-Childcraft International, 1981), which is the standard used by the editors of The World Book Encyclopedia to determine appropriate vocabulary. The NCV uses contemporary references for measurements and geographical locations when it is feasible.