« | Psalm 14 | » |
1 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are sinful and their actions are sinful. There is no one who does good.
2 The Lord has looked down from heaven on the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand and look for God.
3 They have all turned aside. Together they have become bad. There is no one who does good, not even one.
4 Will those who sin never learn? They eat up my people like they eat bread. They do not call on the Lord.
5 There they are in much fear. For God is with the people of this day who do what is right and good.
6 You would put to shame the planning of the poor. But the Lord keeps him safe.
7 O, that it would come out of Zion that Israel would be saved! When the Lord returns His people to their land, Jacob will be full of joy and Israel will be glad.
The New Life Version (NLV)
The New Life Version (NLV) is a unique English translation of the Bible designed to be exceptionally easy to read and understand. First published in 1969, the NLV was created by Gleason Ledyard, a missionary and linguist, to make the Scriptures accessible to people who have limited English proficiency or are new to the language. Ledyard’s aim was to provide a Bible that even those with minimal education could read and comprehend, thus opening the door for a wider audience to engage with the biblical texts.
A defining characteristic of the New Life Version is its use of a limited vocabulary of about 850 basic English words, along with some necessary theological terms. This restricted vocabulary ensures that the language remains simple and straightforward, making the text accessible to young readers, new Christians, and those for whom English is a second language. The translators also avoided idiomatic expressions and complex sentence structures, further enhancing clarity and understanding. This makes the NLV a particularly valuable resource for educational and missionary work.