Nowadays, Bible publishers have to come realize that in order for a young child to understand the Bible, they must be able to read the words in it effectively; in other words, to put the Bible on their reading level. So, these publishers offer popular Bible translations just for kids. Each publisher has taken great care to make sure that the true meaning of the Bible is not lost within these children's translations, and they have done an amazingly good job at keeping the accuracy intact. This article will look at these different translations to help you decide what is best for your child.
Another key feature to most of the children's Bible translations is that different versions within a particular translation will offer Bibles that include devotions, study guides, activities, maps, and so on; much like what adults can find. They will even have versions that are geared for boys, girls, or either. There are a lot of choices, but once you pin down the translation you and your child like best, the wording will not change despite which version of that translation you choose. For instance, the New International Reader's Version (NIrV) has Super Heroes for boys, Princesses for girls, etc. The wording is the same in all NIrV translations, even though the version you choose suits your child better.
Easy Reading Level
NIrV: New International Reader's Version: 2nd - 4th grade reading level
Compare NIrV to NIV - Matthew 6:6
- NIrV: "When you pray, go into your room. Close the door and pray to your Father, who can't be seen. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly."
- NIV: "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
ERV: Easy-to-Read Version: 2nd - 4th grade reading level
Compare ERV to NCV - Romans 1:1
- ERV: "Greetings from Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God called me to be an apostle. I was chosen to tell God’s Good News to all people."
- NCV: "From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God called me to be an apostle and chose me to tell the Good News."
Medium Reading Level
- NAB: New American Bible - 5th grade & up reading level (Catholic version)
- CEV: Contemporary English Version - 5th grade & up reading level
- NLT: New Living Translation - 5th grade & up reading level
- NCV: New Century Version - 5th grade & up reading level
- NIV: New International Version - 7th grade & up reading level
- GNB: Good News Bible (Today's English Version) - 7th grade & up reading level
Compare - Acts 2:3
- NAB: "Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them."
- CEV: "Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there."
- NLT: "Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them."
- NCV: "They saw something like flames of fire that were separated and stood over each person there."
- NIV: "They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them."
- GNB: "Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there."
In summary, the NIrV is the recommended version by most individuals, as it carries a child from an early reading level to a more mature reading level with NIV. The transition from NIrV to NIV is easier to make. Of course, that is for you to decide yourself.
