Editing New International Version (section)

== History ==
===Beginnings===
In 1955, businessman Howard Long was convinced of the need for a contemporary English translation of the Bible while sharing the gospel with a business associate. He was unhappy with the [[King James Version]] that he used to communicate the gospel and was frustrated with its archaic language. He thought, "Everywhere I go, in Canada, the U.S., anywhere, there are people who would like to read their Bible to their children at night. And they don't have something the children can grasp." He shared the frustration with his pastor, Reverend Peter DeJong. Inspired by the need for a Bible in contemporary English, the two men petitioned their denomination, [[Christian Reformed Church in North America|Christian Reformed Church (CRC)]]. After initial rejection and deferral, the CRC endorsed a committee to investigate the issue in 1957.<ref>{{cite web |title=Howard Long |url=https://www.thenivbible.com/50th-anniversary/made-to-read/howard-long/ |website=NIV Bible |publisher=Zondervan}}</ref>

The NIV began with the formation of a small committee to study the value of producing a translation in the common language of the American people and a project of the [[National Association of Evangelicals]] in 1957.<ref name="Alec Gilmore 2006, p. 136">Alec Gilmore, ''A Concise Dictionary of Bible Origins and Interpretation'', Bloomsbury Publishing, UK, 2006, p. 136.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2iBQfaNJR4C&pg=236 |title=The Challenge of Bible Translation: Communicating God's Word to the World |publisher=Zondervan |year=2003 |isbn=0-310-24685-7 |editor-last=[[Ronald F. Youngblood]] |pages=236–245 |access-date=September 13, 2014 |editor-last2=Glen G. Scorgie |editor-last3=[[Mark L. Strauss]] |editor-last4=Steven M. Voth}}</ref> In 1964, a joint committee of representatives from the Christian Reformed Church and National Association of Evangelicals issued invitations to a translation conference, which met in August 1965 at [[Trinity Christian College]] in [[Palos Heights, Illinois]], and made two key decisions. The first was that "a contemporary English translation of the Bible should be undertaken as a collegiate endeavor of evangelical scholars." The second was that a "continuing committee of fifteen" should be established to move the work forward. The "committee of fifteen" was ultimately named the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT), and the "Contemporary English Translation" became the NIV.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://s35422.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/We-Still-Dont-Get-It.pdf|website=s35422.pcdn.co|access-date=2023-09-21|title=We Still Don't Get It}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Doug Moo on Bible Translation |url=https://www.thenivbible.com/doug-moo-on-bible-translation/ |website=NIV Bible}}</ref> 

In 1967, the New York Bible Society (now called [[Biblica]]) took responsibility for the project and hired a team of 15 scholars from various [[Evangelical]] [[Christian denominations]] and from various countries.<ref>Jim Ruark, ''The House of Zondervan: Celebrating 75 Years'', Zondervan, USA, 2011, p. 152.</ref><ref name="Alec Gilmore 2006, p. 136"/> The initial "Committee on Bible Translation" consisted of Leslie Carlson, [[Edmund Clowney]], [[Ralph Earle, Jr.]], Burton L. Goddard, [[R. Laird Harris]], Earl S. Kalland, [[Kenneth Kantzer]], [[Robert H. Mounce]], Charles F. Pfeiffer, [[Charles Caldwell Ryrie]], Francis R. Steele, [[John H. Stek]], [[J. C. Wenger]], [[Stephen W. Paine]], and [[Marten Woudstra]]. The New Testament was released in 1973 and the full Bible in 1978.<ref name="Alec Gilmore 2006, p. 136"/> A UK version was also released to accommodate differences between [[American English]] and [[British English]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=New International Version Preface (1983) |url=https://www.bible-researcher.com/niv-preface.html |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=www.bible-researcher.com}}</ref> 

The NIV underwent a minor revision in 1984.

=== Inclusive-language editions ===
In 1995, a new version of the New Testament and Psalms was published in the UK, and the full Bible followed in 1996 as the ''[[New International Version Inclusive Language Edition]]'', but it was not published in the US because of opposition from conservative evangelical groups there to [[gender-neutral language]].<ref name="usatoday">{{Cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-09-01-bible-translation_N.htm |title=Update of popular 'NIV' Bible due in 2011 |date=September 1, 2009 |work=[[USA Today]] |access-date=September 20, 2011 |archive-date=September 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918231041/http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-09-01-bible-translation_N.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> A further edition with minor edits was published in 1999.

A revised English edition, ''[[Today's New International Version]]'' (TNIV), again used gender-neutral language and was released as a [[New Testament]] in March 2002, with the complete Bible being published in February 2005.<ref>{{Cite news|work=[[The Christian Post]]|title=New NIV Bible to Debut Amid Ongoing Concern|author=Phan, Katherine T.|date=March 13, 2011|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/new-niv-bible-to-debut-amid-ongoing-concern-49392/|access-date=September 5, 2015}}</ref>

=== 2011 update ===
In 2011, an updated version of the NIV was released, with both the 1984 version and the TNIV being discontinued.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-09-01-bible-translation_N.htm|title=Update of popular 'NIV' Bible due in 2011|last=Grossman|first=Cathy Lynn|date=September 1, 2009|work=USA Today|access-date=May 25, 2010|quote=Maureen Girkins, president of Zondervan, says the 'divisive' TNIV and 'cherished' 1984 NIV will not be published after the newest NIV comes out.|archive-date=September 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918231041/http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-09-01-bible-translation_N.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The update modified and dropped some of the gender-neutral language compared to TNIV, which included going back to using "mankind" and "man," rather than "human beings" and "people."<ref name="gender">{{Cite web |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-11-19-newbible_N.htm |title=New Bible drops gender-neutral language of '05 version |last=Smietana |first=Bob |website=[[USA Today]] |publisher=Gannett Co. Inc. |access-date=July 30, 2015 |quote="But they also made changes – like going back to using words like "mankind" and "man" instead of "human beings" and "people" – in order to appease critics."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/NewsRoom/NewsReleases/NIV+online+viewing.htm?QueryStringSite=Zondervan |title=Updated NIV Text Available for Online Viewing November 1 |publisher=Zondervan |date=October 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311204847/http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/NewsRoom/NewsReleases/NIV+online+viewing.htm?QueryStringSite=Zondervan |archive-date=March 11, 2011 |access-date=February 9, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=World's most popular Bible to be revised |date=September 1, 2009 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32644719 |access-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215005840/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32644719 |url-status=live |publisher=NBC News |archive-date=February 15, 2020}}.</ref> Keith Danby, the president and chief executive officer of Biblica, speaking of the TNIV, said that they had failed to convince people that revisions were needed and that they had underestimated their readers' loyalty to the 1984 edition.<ref name=usatoday />

=== Derivative versions ===
==== Plain English version (NIrV) ====
An easier to read version, ''[[New International Reader's Version]]'' (NIrV), was published in 1996. It was written at a third-grade reading level to grant the ability to read the Bible to those with limited English literacy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the NIrV - NIV Bible {{!}} New International Readers Version |url=https://www.thenivbible.com/nirv/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=NIV Bible |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Spanish version (NVI) ====
In 1979, the decision was made to produce a version of the New Testament in Spanish with the title '''''La Santa Biblia, Nueva Versión Internacional''''' (often abbreviated NVI),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Nueva-Version-Internacional-Biblia-NVI/#vinfo |title=Nueva Versión Internacional – Version Information – BibleGateway.com}}</ref> but that version was based only on the former English translation of the historic manuscripts. In 1990, the committee on Bible translation headed by Drs. [[C. René Padilla|René Padilla]] and Luciano Jaramillo conducted a translation of both testaments from the historic manuscripts directly into Spanish, bypassed English altogether, and produced a complete Spanish NVI Bible in 1999.<ref>John Riches, ''The New Cambridge History of the Bible: Volume 4, From 1750 to the Present'', Cambridge University Press, UK, 2012, p. 453.</ref>

==== Portuguese version (NVI) ====
In 2001, the '''''Nova Versão Internacional''''' in Portuguese was published.<ref>Joel Morales Cruz, ''The Histories of the Latin American Church: A Handbook'', Augsburg Fortress Publishers, USA, 2014, p. 49.</ref>