Updated Version of NIV - World's Most Popular Bible - Debuts in Stores

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Zondervan, the world's leading Bible publisher, today announced 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. The spring launch includes Bibles for children and adults, including the first updated study Bible – the beloved NIV Adventure Bible, which is designed for children ages 9 – 12.  An additional 188 SKUS will release this fall, including an updated edition of the bestselling NIV Study Bible.  The updated NIV products will be available everywhere Bibles are sold.

"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.  That's more than the Sarah Palin, George Bush and Hillary Clinton books combined.

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."  

For more information on the NIV translation process, and to view or download the Translators' Notes, visit www.NIV-CBT.org.  For product information and additional detail on the NIV, visit www.TheNIVBible.com.

Moo continued: "The changes we have made in the update reflect progress in biblical scholarship, developments in English usage, and an ongoing concern for clarity. We have also used new tools, drawing on state-of-the-art computational linguistic research to guide us in our decision-making, and our desire as a committee is that God would touch the lives of people through His words as they are translated in the NIV just as He has done for the last three decades."

As part of the update process, the CBT initiated a relationship with Collins Dictionaries to use the Collins Bank of English, one of the world's foremost English language research tools. The Collins Bank of English is a database of more than 4.4 billion English words that provides objective, statistically significant data on the state of written and spoken English at any given point in the history of the language. Working with some of the world's leading experts in computational linguistics and using cutting-edge techniques developed specifically for the updated NIV, the CBT gained an unprecedented and authoritative perspective on contemporary linguistic norms.

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Update to NIV, World's Most Popular Bible, Hits Stores; 1.4 million first print run, 33 titles, 177 product different SKUs @NIVBIBLE

About Zondervan Bibles

Zondervan is the world's leading Bible publisher. With a vision to see more people engaging the Bible more, Zondervan offers bestselling study, devotional, reference, text, audio, software, and digital Bibles designed to inspire readers at every age and each stage of life. Zondervan holds exclusive North American publishing rights to the New International Version (NIV). The most popular modern English translation of the Bible, the NIV has more than 400 million copies in print worldwide. Zondervan also publishes Bibles in the KJV (King James Version), NIrV (New International Readers Version), NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), NASB (New American Standard Bible), the Amplified Bible, and parallel Bibles featuring The Message. During the past 75 years, Zondervan, a HarperCollins company, has grown to be a global leader in Christian communications through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, children's, and new media products. Visit Zondervan Bibles on the Internet at www.zondervan.com/Bibles.

SOURCE Zondervan