« | Job 27 | » |
1 And Job continued his discourse:
2 "As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,
3 as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies.
5 I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
7 "May my enemies be like the wicked, my adversaries like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless when they are cut off, when God takes away their life?
9 Does God listen to their cry when distress comes upon them?
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty? Will they call on God at all times?
11 "I will teach you about the power of God; the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 You have all seen this yourselves. Why then this meaningless talk?
13 "Here is the fate God allots to the wicked, the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:
14 However many his children, their fate is the sword; his offspring will never have enough to eat.
15 The plague will bury those who survive him, and their widows will not weep for them.
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust and clothes like piles of clay,
17 what he lays up the righteous will wear, and the innocent will divide his silver.
18 The house he builds is like a moth's cocoon, like a hut made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more; when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest snatches him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him off, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps its hands in derision and hisses them out of their place."
Today’s New International Version (TNIV)
Today’s New International Version (TNIV) is a contemporary English translation of the Bible that was first published in its complete form in 2005 by the International Bible Society, now known as Biblica. The TNIV is a revision of the New International Version (NIV), which was initially released in 1978. The primary goal of the TNIV was to update the language and address gender inclusivity while maintaining the readability and accuracy that made the NIV popular. The translation aimed to reflect contemporary English usage and to be accessible to a broad audience, including both men and women.
One of the key features of the TNIV is its commitment to gender-inclusive language. The translators sought to avoid gender-specific terms where the original texts did not explicitly require them, thereby making the text more inclusive and reflective of modern linguistic sensibilities. For example, where the original Greek or Hebrew text used terms that referred to both men and women, the TNIV translated them in a gender-neutral manner. This approach aimed to make the Bible more accessible and relatable to all readers, ensuring that no one felt excluded by the language used.
The TNIV also made several other updates to enhance clarity and readability. The translators incorporated the latest biblical scholarship and linguistic research to ensure that the translation accurately conveyed the meaning of the original texts. They aimed to strike a balance between maintaining the formal equivalence of the original languages and using dynamic equivalence to make the text more understandable for contemporary readers. This involved updating archaic words and phrases, improving sentence structures, and clarifying ambiguous passages without losing the essence of the original scriptures.
Despite its strengths, the TNIV faced significant controversy and criticism, particularly from conservative Christian groups and scholars. Critics argued that the gender-inclusive language could potentially distort the intended meaning of the biblical texts and that the changes were driven more by cultural trends than by faithful adherence to the original manuscripts. The debate over the TNIV’s translation choices led to its eventual discontinuation, with Biblica deciding to focus on updating the NIV instead. However, the TNIV’s influence can still be seen in subsequent revisions of the NIV, which have incorporated some of the gender-inclusive principles and linguistic updates introduced by the TNIV.