Why I Use the New Living Translation! 

Thank you so much for saying nice things about the New Living Translation. I love the NLT. So easy to read and understand but with the assurance of being a legitimate scholarly translation. It makes Bible reading a joy rather than a trial to endure.

I love the NLT. It’s the Bible translation I stumbled upon in a bookstore as a new Christian and I’m glad I did .

Thank you for this video. This just confirmed I made the right choice for buying 2 NLT Bibles. I am new to my rebirth/walk with Jesus and I was that person in the past up until recently, who couldn't understand the other translations. So this brings me comfort to know I really was directed by The Holy Spirit to buy my first NLT to start my journey of reading and understanding God's word. God bless!

I love the NLT. It might not be word for word, but we can always go back to the Greek and compare. NLT actually makes me want to study more.

Thank you so much for this video. In my journey I started reading ESV and then eventually NIV. I saw a lot of people who were kind of critical of the NLT, so i stayed away. But then I started reading it for myself and studying how it came to be and it is arguably my number favorite translation now! This video also helped me a lot too. Thank you!

Thanks for making this video. I too currently prefer the NLT and often feel a bit “judged” by other Christians in my circle who choose ESV. I see a role for most of the translations, but at the end of the day, Christianity is about a personal relationship with Jesus, not academia. The best Bible to have is the one you’ll actually pick up and read!

Good video. I love my NLT. I started with an NIV 40 years go then KJV. Now I use all 3 when I’m doing deep studying.

I really like the NLT. I read Proverbs every day for January in the MEV and then started re-reading it in the NLT this February and I feel like I understand the Bible way more.

Hey Brother, oh man, you just stated every reason I enjoy the NLT and why its been my favorite version for over 20 years. I'm a missionary in Japan and this is the version that I use to introduce to new believers because of the ease of understanding. In fact as I write, I'm currently designing a readers version of the NLT in Japanese and English to be printed on handmade Japanese paper, printed and bound in Japan.

I listening to this video and I couldn't have said it better. The NLT is the best translation for me. I've attempted to read other versions (KJV, NKJV, ESV, AMP) and I found myself losing interest and comprehension quickly. I always return to the NLT and yes, I love to read scripture aloud, I feel it in my spirit more intensely when I read the Bible out loud and yes, the NLT is the very best translation for reading the Bible aloud. I agree with your commentary 💯 percent.

Thank-you for making this video! The church that I started my Christian walk at used the NLT and it has a special place in my heart. If I’m going to read the Bible for enjoyment its what I use.

Thank you for your compelling endorsement of the NLT translation. During my daily bible study I tend to rely largely on formal equivalent translations. That said, after reading them, I enjoy an overall reading of the passage I'm reading in the NLT. It is commonly read from the pulpit in my congregation.

Fantastic Bro! The best Bible is the one you'll read...and I read the NLT a lot.

Very nicely explained. Like you, I love the NLT. God bless you from across the Pond :)

I enjoy reading the NLT it helps my understanding ofGods word. I'm a minister of the church. The Anglican Church. God Bless.

In a Christian bookstor, I found a pamphlet with all the different versions and how they sit with accuracy versus understandability. NLT was the middle ground, and I eventually found out that my pastor at the time was an NLT user anyway. Most Pastors and preachers I follow on RU-vid use KJV, NKJV, or NASB which I don't mind, but I'll look it up on my NLT to see how it compares, and if it gives me a better understanding.

I bought this Bible (NLT LASB) for an unbelieving new Bible reader and he is actually reading it! He says the language .. common English .. draws him in. I am sold on this translation. I have a stash of NLT HelpFinders paperback Bibles to give away to new Christians. Thank you for an informative uplifting review. ✝️🔥♿️ MikeInMinnesota

I Agree with you totally. I had tried other translations but I like NLT the most because of its readabilty.

After years of praying that God would help me to read His Word more, the NLT was the first version I would absolutely _devour_ After reading it so much in the New Testament especially, I thought I’d read through the whole Bible. I read Genesis, I read Exodus in a single day even I enjoyed it so much, I read Leviticus, but somewhere in Numbers I finally got a bit fed up because this weird thing kept happening where I would read a verse and think “I had NO idea the Bible said that!”, and then after looking at other versions and the original languages realizing that it didn’t actually say that at all. I decided that I did not want that to be the first translation I read all the way through, lest I get any weird ideas. Definitely use discernment! Romans 8 is a masterpiece in the NLT, imo. I totally agree that it is so incredibly understandable, unlike any other translation I’ve ever read by far. I think as you said for that reason it’s a great choice to share with others, although I really don’t like how the Critical Text calls Scripture into question on just two or three manuscripts in passages like Mark 16 and John 8 and I don’t think we should be too quick to overlook that just because we like a particular version, especially when sharing with unbelievers who may have never even heard a single Bible verse other than John 3:16.

I have a friend who always read the KJV only. I gave her an NLT version and she gave it back saying she would never use it. I told her to keep it and give it 3 months to either hate it or at least try it out. She now loves it and it is her carry around Bible. She says it reads like a novel and can read it for hours. She always loved her Bible time and now has a lot more of it.

Phil buddy, great video. I love using the NLT as well. Your old friend, Jeff G.

The NLT chronological bible is a fantastic tool for getting ppl who have a hard time with "getting" the bible to make more sense of it. We often forget how mixed up the timeframes of the bible are and how confusing to readers this can be. The chronological version put all of the histories and prophets etc in their proper place in the narrative story of God's plan for mankind. Making it read more like one cohesive story , rather than a disjointed pile of study texts for ppl who already know the narrative arrange by type.

I'm now using the NLT the most. Excellent for reading to patients i visit and esol students and new Christians and those with dyslexia can all read this version. The best.

Thank you, Brother 🌹🌹🌹🌹

This was a great video! I’m torn between NLT, ESV and NKJV. The NLT study bible is my go to bible! And you’re absolutely correct that it is meant ro be read aloud.

I just read an article by Hinderager talking about a lot of what you mentioned in this video and it’s convinced me to experiment with preaching from the NLT! Thank you!

Good points. There is too much trash talk here about the various translations/versions. Having spent time in the world of Bible translation, I can say there is no perfect translation. The best version is the version that you will read regularly. If you want to do some in depth study, then avail yourself of the vast spectrum of English versions we are blessed with. Always remember that there are still thousands of languages without one verse.

Fashionably late to this but I enjoyed listening to your commentary. My pastor and other church leaders use NKJV so I have a very nice NKJV Bible for church settings. It’s great, but for everyday reading it leaves much to be desired. At home, I have a NLT study Bible for my daily reading and devotional. I know it’s designed for a lower grade level of reading comprehension but the flow and ease of reading makes the NLT much more inviting. I know it has its share of issues, but so does any translation, no matter how literal.

Excellent presentation.

Thank you so much for this helpful and inspiring video talk. I love the NLT as it's the easiest for me to understand as I am new to reading the bible. It's helped me so much that I love and look forward to reading the bible daily now. I have some of the Inspire creative bible journals too in large text and they have now become my absolute favorite as I can write in them and draw, all of which makes bible time immensely enjoyable that I want to read them all the time, as they bring me close to our dear Lord Jesus Christ and his Word. I started with the large text NLT study bible which is really good. I do have the CSB and NKJV for cross reference, which were the first bibles I bought, but it was the NLT which made me enjoy and want to spend hours reading the bible. I have now subscribed to your channel.

Good to see the NLT promoted. It is a great second translation, so much easier to understand

I do Bible study prep with the ESV and then present that content in the CSB. But I like the NLT for casual reading/edification.

Totally agree with your. For 5-minute evaluations of English Bible translations by an experienced translator, google ross and elizabeth mckerras

NLT has always been my favorite. It is what I used when I taught a senior adult Bible study class.

I use NASB, HCSB, and ESV. I use NIV for thought for thought. Bless you Pastor! 🙏

I truly like your reasoning.

I have the LSB and ESV sitting next to me. Occasionally I pull out an NIV to get another perspective. Less frequently I use KJV, NKJV, NASB, H/CSB. Just ordered NLT to have yet another perspective. After reading it on youversion I’m excited. The filament app that goes with the NLT I chose was what pushed me to buy one. Now I am trying to be patient as I wait. This video isn’t helping 😅

My thoughts on the NLT, for what it's worth, if anything! 😊 1. Reasons I really like the NLT: a. Clarity and naturalness. Clarity refers to whether a text is comprehensible or understandable. For example, the sentence "I am one who is called John" is clear. However, this isn't how most people speak. Most people would simply say "My name is John". That's more natural. In fact, that's both clear and natural. And the NLT is both clear and natural. The NLT speaks to us in contemporary English. It's like talking with a friend, not like talking with Yoda (I'm looking at you, ESV!). I think this is the NLT's greatest strength. b. Audience appropriateness. The NLT is appropriate for multiple different audiences. It's appropriate for children of almost all ages. It's appropriate for people whose first language isn't English but who are learning English. It's appropriate for the biblically illiterate inasmuch as it's becoming increasingly common in our culture that many people have little if any familiarity with the Bible and its contents (e.g. they wouldn't necessarily understand "churchy" words like "hallowed" or "propitiation"). And the NLT is even appropriate for Christians in general who wish to have a smooth read-through of the entire Bible. 2. Some (mostly minor) gripes I have with the NLT, which again I really like: a. Accuracy. On the one hand, the NLT is often (surprisingly) accurate in capturing nuances in the biblical Hebrew and Greek that some formal equivalence translations don't capture and perhaps can't capture due to their formal equivalence translation philosophy. For example, compare some of the historical narrative passages in the OT in the KJV or NKJV or NASB or ESV with the NLT. Another example is I've enjoyed reading Romans, and the NLT translation seems to be more accurate and faithful to the Greek than I initially expected it to be (though not entirely of course but no translation is). Even when I didn't agree with the NLT's interpretation, I soon realized there's a fair sized and high quality body of biblical literature that stands behind most of their decisions; it's not as willy nilly as the NLT stereotypes might lead one to believe. I suppose the main reason for all this is because both Doug Moo and Tom Schreiner formed 2/3rds of the team that worked on the NLT's translation of Romans. Moo and Schreiner have each written arguably the two best (certainly among the best) scholarly commentaries on Romans. In short, the NLT can often bring out a fuller meaning that is in the text better than a formal equivalence translation. On the other hand, there are times when the NLT can be overly interpretive. It takes exegetical interpretations which could go different ways in meaning (or which may even be intended to have multiple meanings or a kind of studied ambiguity) and makes a concrete decision for the reader. The reader doesn't have to decide what a verse or passage means since the NLT has decided for them. Moreover, the NLT sometimes even adds in more than what the text says. For instance, I recall the Greek scholar Bill Mounce points out the NLT's translation of Acts 27:17: "the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast". The phrase "off the African coast" is not in the Greek. It's been added by the NLT translators for clarification. However, it'd arguably be better to put "off the African coast" in the footnotes if it needs to be clarified or simply leave it out entirely and either research for oneself where Syrtis is or let pastors, study Bibles, and/or commentaries explain. As such, if we read the NLT without reference to the original biblical languages, it can be hard to know if one is reading the original Hebrew or Greek text or if one is reading text that's been added in by the translators. b. Historical distance. Ideally there should be historical distance in terms of the time and culture of the biblical text (i.e. so modern audiences can enter into the ancient world of the biblical text), but there should not be historical distance in terms of the language (i.e. the language should sound to us as it did to the original audience). At times the NLT does not have as much historical distance in terms of the time and culture of the biblical text as it should. It makes the ancient world seem a bit too much like our day and age, I think. c. Register. Register refers to literary style. A higher register refers to a more formal literary style, whereas a lower register refers to a more informal literary style. Consider the NT. Most of the NT is in koine ("common") Greek, even though literary Greek existed at the time and was used by the best writers across the Roman empire. However, for various reason(s), the NT authors wrote in common every day Greek. C.S. Lewis may have put it best: "The New Testament in the original Greek is not a work of literary art: it is not written in a solemn, ecclesiastical language, it is written in the sort of Greek which was spoken over the eastern Mediterranean after Greek had become an international language and therefore lost its real beauty and subtlety. In it we see Greek used by people who have no real feeling for Greek words because Greek words are not the words they spoke when they were children. It is a sort of 'basic' Greek; a language without roots in the soil, a utilitarian, commercial and administrative language." The main exceptions to this are Hebrews and the prologue in Luke 1:1-4 which are written in a higher register than the rest of the NT. Likewise, there are other parts of the Bible that are set in a more poetic and arguably higher register (e.g. Psalms, Job, Ecclesiastes). I think an English translation should reflect the literary style of the original text. If the original text is in a higher register, then the translation should be in a similarly higher register as well. But the NLT tends to flatten out the literary style of the entire Bible such that the Bible as a whole sounds more or less the same across the board. That is, the NLT sounds like ordinary, conversational, colloquial English. Of course, the NLT's translation philosophy specifically aims to sound ordinary or colloquial, so one can't fault them for this since they're perfectly faithful to their translation philosophy. Yet one does wish the NLT translators had been more flexible with regard to literary style, bending the rules where needed to better suit the original voice.

I have 3 NLT bibles and I love them. My NLT study bible is awesome!!

I have a copy of both the full Bible and the New Testament in the NLT. My first read study of Scripture was the NLT of the New Testament. Very easy to read and understand. I still use it but I also use my NKJV Bible.

I love the NLT. Before I couldn’t understand the Bible so I didn’t read it. Now I read it two or three times a day.

You mentioned that in some or many cases the NLT was more accurate or faithful to the Hebrew or Greek than the NIV. Did you have some examples please? I'm really interested in this! I really like the NIV (and the ESV), but I'm seriously considering the NLT. Thanks in advance! 😊

First of all, I love the NLT. I agree with most everything he said, especially that reading large portions of scripture is one of the NLT’s strong point. However, an approach I use to understand particularly difficult verses is to arrange the translations of that verse from “word for word” at the top thru the “thought for thought” spectrum to the “paraphrase” at the bottom. (There are charts on the internet that rank them that way) and no they don’t always agree, but they are close to each other). I do the verse arrangement using the Blue Letter Bible app where I can arrange the versions in that order (or any other order I choose) using the “verse comparison” option. (Other Bible apps may allow that customization, I’m not sure). Once arranged I can see the “spectrum” of word and phrasing choices the translators made using the various approaches to translation. Helps me see the (many) word/phrasing options and appreciate how difficult the art/science of Bible translation is. That’s my 2 cents.

I grew up with KJV in the house and at church. When I became a believer in 1995, I got a New Believer’s Bible from Harvest (Greg Laurie) and it is an NLT. I have this year actually transitioned to the NET as my everyday reader. I have a thin line version with reduced notes and a full notes version. I think both the NLT and NET are great for understanding. One thing I like about the NET is its availability online. The copyright allows people to quote and use it extensively.

I have recently come across the NLT. I've avoided it for years because there was a Living Bible when I was young. It was a paraphrase, easy to read and understand. It was not something that could stand alone for study. I like to compare versions when I deep study. I LOVE the NLT now. It brings new life to old familiar texts. The Spirit moves within me when I read it.

The NLT is my favorite so far. I use different versions of the Bible cross-reference each other to see what has been changed. I find it they have all been changed but the NLT is still my favorite version.

The best translation is the one you will read. I like the NLT because it is easy to read.

Hello from Indonesia ❤ thank you for this information 😊

The NLT Bible is one of my favorite bibles to read I can understand it better and reading it is more fun to me than other versions but I still use the kjv To help me notice if any scripture was changed or left out

I have tried a read the Bible in a year, KJV. This year I am using the NLT, I like the way this one gives you OT, NT, Psalms and Proverbs each day.

I love it as well.

I use the Holman christian study Bible and the 1901 ASV.

i read the nlt and then after i read the kjv. the nlt is a good tool to learn word for word translations really well.

I just stumbled onto your channel. I heard the first words out of your mouth and I immediately knew you were Canadian 😂

I watched this just because I am a big fan of the NLT. I used to read the NIV, but then they changed it, I had lead children in memorizing Scripture from the NIV and now it is worded differently. I am reading through the Bible slowly and taking notes, I found a plan that takes you through in 4 years, it’s helping me understand some things.

Any translation that you WILL read is a good translation.

Thank you for doing this video I needed to see it this way. I have a couple of bibles and didn’t really connect with them but do a devotional each day and I noticed my church uses the nlt Along with the typical niv and esv but I didn’t know much about it versus some proverbs make more sense with the nlt. Thought for thought scared me but I think your everyday Bible approach is the way to go and the others for in depth word for word study. Thank you again and God bless!

I agree with you about the NIV84 version - I so prefer this to the new NIV. But I use the NLT also. Love it

I enjoy reading other translations along side NLT or an NIV. It makes me slow down and think about it more. However, I love to listen to the NLT.

Thank you very much ❤

I never get bored or confused reading the NLT, like I do with the NIV or ESV…

NLT is my main translation I’ve been trying to get so many people to switch to the NLT! It’s good to see another brother doing this!

He was the final decision to buy one

I’ve never heard of a senior pastor using NLT like its meant for grade schoolers

NLT just reads too loosely for me but I do use it on occasion

I love the nlt

I love the NLT also has really opened uoBiblevin a fresh way

I am pretty new to reading the Bible and when I first got into it I heard people making fun of the NLT and thought it was basically the dumbed down Bible . Actually getting one and reading it , it is amazing ! I love it and find it incredibly accurate translation and helps me read and understand the Word. A lot of time I go on my Bible app and do compare to make sure what the other translations say compared to this and it’s always spot on . Only thing Iv noticed I don’t like is they switch jews or Jewish people for just people . They do give a foot note though .

Is the nlv a updated version of the living bible ? Both are by the. same publishers

Thank you 😊

Just bought the NLT two weeks ago.

NASB 1995. Word for word and gold standard.

Both the NIV and the NLT are modern commercial instrumentalized versions. You have to feel sorry for this waif.

I use it too...and i dig it 👍🏿📖

I've always found word for word translations can be problematic because an expression or turn of phrase in one language doesn't always makes sense in another language. Cultural context is also sometimes lost. Misinterpretation is very easy.

This is the translation I study every day

Why is Isaiah 65:1 in NLT is different from other translation

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The NLT is a bit too thought for thought for me to use as my main translation, I use the NIV because it has a good balance between formal and dynamic equivalence.

I Have The NLT, ESV, NIV, NKJV, KJV.

I like the KJB because it's the easiest to memorize, uses mostly one and two syllable words (except for names), based on manuscripts with overwhelming support and the most accurate.

I test the translations of the Bibles through the Gospel of Luke 1:17, where is written about the purpose of the Spirit of Ilijah, particularly when the hearts of the adults (metaphorically) should be turned into the hearts of the little children, for the Spirit of Jesus is going to deal only with the "little child in the heart".

I use NLT niv nkjv

fancy a live stream debate on trinity?

Make sure you include the missing verses.

For praying the daily office and the prayer book the ESV is eloquent English even though the word order can at times be awkward. For personal reading and study I use the NLT. I’ve been criticized for using the NLT and I have learned to have nothing to do with such bible snobs.

NLT is totally thought for thought. It’s nowhere near the middle ground, like CSB.

Nlt is great

the fact that you grew up with the NIV 84 explains your whole outlook today regarding the NLT as a viable translation... if you had been brought up with ONLY the KJV... you would realize why so many Christians ONLY use that translation.... I have one question though ...what were your parents doing while you were growing up reading the NIV 84?.. were they reading that as well?.. that would explain the reason YOU accepted the NIV 84 as an ok translation to read... or were the NLT users?... or perhaps "The Living Bible Paraphrased?.. well at least you did not begin reading "The Message Bible".. as some past NIV 84 users are doing nowadays... they should just stay home.. and Not even attend church...

i have a One Year Bible for women in the NLT and it is wonderful! It makes the Bible come alive for me, Ezra actually makes sense to me now. I use the nkjv for most studies but I just ordered a NLT Bible and I have a feeling it will do quite well for me. thanks for the verification!

Here is a short video on Bible version comparisons; this will help you decide which version is best suited for you: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4dA98WKw5DE.html

BTW the NASB is closer to formal equivalency than the ESV.. but the KJV is even more so,... I would mention the NKJV as well but I ditched that around 20 years ago once I discovered how many unnecessary liberties.. the NKJV translators took...

Did you used to drive a truck?

can I ask you a few questions... correct me if I am wrong... but due to the way you spoke of your bible professor... question 1... should we stay with a bible... because we are familiar with it... or should we stay wth a bible version.. because we know it to be correct...?... cuz to me it soumds as if your proff was familiar with his bible... but was it correct?... and another question... I have heard this thrown at me many times when defending my use of the KJV..."you're just using that translation because that is what your pastor told you was the right one to use.."...well actuall inmy case... NO.. I figured out for myself thagt the KJV.. was the best translation... although many profs over the years have read NIV NASB... and NKJV... what is YOUR reasoning for using the NIV 1984 so long..?.. cuz you were following a professor?... and are you going to continue to use the NLT... because of a professor?... "how long halt ye between two opinions?" 1 Kings 18:21

Kjv only

The NLT has changed and removed words in multiple places including changing the word Sarx in the book of Romans, which means flesh and replacing it with sinful nature. It destroys the whole analogy Paul is building in chapters 6-7-8. Also Galatians and all of Paul’s writings.

If i'm wrong why won't the let me comment?Hiding something?

The Bible is the story of Yahweh's fulfilled plan of redemption given exclusively to ancient Israelites cursed with the Old Covenant law of sin and death and pertains to no one alive today, soteriologically and eschatologically speaking. Here's more.... This is the best summation I have to date. FROM Michael Bradley (With THANKS to Ron Schofield). IF YOU BELIEVE THE BIBLE, then you'd have to agree with Jesus in Matthew 15:24, that he only came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. YOU'D HAVE TO AGREE WITH Jesus in Matthew 5:18, that not one jot nor tittle of the Old Covenant law would pass away until the Old Covenant system, temple and people associated with it (what Jews referred to as "heaven and earth") passed away. YOU'D HAVE TO AGREE WITH history, that the Old Covenant system, temple and people associated with it passed away in AD 70. YOU'D HAVE TO AGREE WITH Paul, who said in Romans 5:13, "Where there is no (Old Covenant) law, sin is not taken into account." This of course means that salvation was only needed by those who had sin taken into account, which is not us today. YOU'D ALSO HAVE TO AGREE with Hebrews 9:15, that redemption was only needed by those who sinned under the first covenant, which again...is not us today. THE BITTER PILL OF TRUTH is that no one has been saved nor redeemed for nearly two thousand years. The "church today" has been in a massive error; a complete hijacking of ancient Israel's exclusive and fulfilled redemptive narrative, the Bible. "BUT...BUT...I'M A GENTILE!" Are you? The gentiles Paul and the disciples were preaching to were either Greek converts to Judaism or the elect diaspora, grafted-in descendants of the tribes of Israel who were dispersed among the nations. Through the ministry of the disciple's great commission, they were called out from the nations to again be a holy nation of kings and priests, to be sealed for the day of redemption, which only they lived to see. Nobody today is a gentile of that sort. TODAY'S SELF-APPOINTED, SELF-PROFESSING "Christians" have been hoodwinked into believing they're sinners under a law that passed away, and need a savior who said he came for someone else, who will save them from a sin that's already been removed and a judgement that already happened and allow them into a covenant that was made with someone else. The fact is, we today, have never been and are not now, part of ancient Israel's exclusive and fulfilled redemptive narrative, the Bible. ~Michael Bradley Isn't it time to stop pretending to be an ancient Israelite?

You are only about the 10,000th person on these sites by the way that think they have to explain the 2 basic groups of bible translations formal and dynamic... I heard this from at least 10 teachers in Sunday school classes throughout the years... is there someone who is Not square on this.?.. if they aren't then they should not consider themselves Christians...

omitted verses is a no no