The Easiest Bible Versions for Daily Bible Reading
Honestly, sometimes I don’t read my Bible everyday because reading the Bible can feel like reading a textbook. I don’t know many who enjoy reading a textbook. But these easy to read Bible translations are perfect for daily reading.
As a general rule, the easiest Bible translations to read will utilize a functional/dynamic equivalence. This means that they are typically translated in a more thought-for-thought style as opposed to word-for-word. Translations can also be aimed toward non-native English speakers or young readers.
So, are you looking for a new Bible translation to start a daily Bible reading habit? Then be sure to give these translations a look.
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What Makes A Bible Translation Easy To Read?
Before we look at the top easy to read Bible translations, let’s take a moment to discover what makes a translation so easy to read in the first place.
When it comes to translating the Bible, there are two main approaches that a translating team may take. They are called formal equivalence or functional equivalence (sometimes called dynamic equivalence). Determining which approach to use, decides how closely translators will stick to the original text.
So, a formal equivalent approach to translating the Bible will stick closer to the original text. This means that they will adopt a more word-for-word translation style. These translations are considered more literal and will stick to the grammatical and structural aspect of the original translation as closely as possible.
A dynamic equivalent approach, on the other hand, is more interpretive and focused on conveying the meaning of the original text. This approach is considered thought-for-thought, as they attempt to more closely capture the meaning, concepts and ideas over grammatical structure.
As such, a dynamic equivalent approach often produces more readable and culturally relevant translations of the Bible.
Another thing that can determine the readability of Bible translations is grade level. Most bible publishers do not assign a grade level because it can vary depending on the passage and a reader’s familiarity with the Bible in general. That said, we can an idea of a grade level range for most translations.
Top Easy to Read Translations
Below is a list of eleven common easy to read Bible translations. Most of these translations will fall closer to the thought-for-thought approach to translating the Bible, while others are paraphrases.
What makes a Bible a paraphrase as opposed to a translation is that a paraphrase will typically use English translations and reword them, whereas a translation will use the original Greek and Hebrew texts. Without further ado, let’s experience some easy to read Bibles!
The New Living Translation, is the most popular and easy to read Bible translation on the market today. The translators sought to create a text that would have the same impact on modern readers as the original text had on ancient readers.
As such, the New Living Translation’s thought-for-thought approach resulted in a highly readable and easy to understand text that accurately communicates the original author’s meaning. This is the translation I use when I just want to sit down and read the Bible.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
The Contemporary English Version was first published in 1995. The translators followed three principles in their process: One, the translation must be understood by people without stumbling in speech; Two, it must be understood by those with little to no “Bible” language; and three, it must be understood by all.
This led to a translation that is easily read by children and non-native English speakers. As such, it can be considered to have a 4th-5th grade reading level.
The Good News Translation was formerly called the Good News Bible or Today’s English version and was first published in 1976. The goal of the translators was to give readers maximum understanding of the original text.
As such, the Good News Translation is a highly trusted translation faithful to the original Hebrew and Greek texts.
New International Version (NIV)
According to the ECPA, the New International Version is the best selling Bible translation in 2023.The New International Version was developed by a team of over 100 Bible scholars across denominations and theological backgrounds.
This has resulted in arguably the most popular and used translation today. I use the NIV both for this website and as a children’s director at my church, as it provides a great balance between the formal and functional equivalent approaches to Bible translation.
New International Readers Version (NIrV)
The New International Readers Version is a simplified version of the NIV, designed to be accessible to children and English as a Second Language speakers. It was created to bridge the gap between kids storybook Bibles and adult Bibles.
Interesting fact, the NIrV was first published as a revision of the International Children’s Bible (ICB). As such, NIrV is a great first Bible translation for kids if you want to get them a Bible they can read or practice learning to read from.
The Common English Bible was first published in 2011 by a team of over 120 scholars across 24 different faith communities across diverse cultural communities. As such, the Common English Bible is suitable for a broad range of English readers.
The EasyEnglish Bible is written for maximum readability. It was written with 1000 common dictionary words and 600 less common words. The short sentences and active language makes the EasyEnglish Bible simple and clear.
As a result the EasyEnglish Bible can be used for mission work to non-native English speakers. And would be a great translation for those with reading disabilities.
International Children’s Bible (ICB)
The International Children’s Bible was first published in the 1980s as a simplified version of the NIV. It has since been revised to meet the needs of it’s target audience (see NIrV).
The International Children’s Bible was specifically designed as a translation for kids. Because this is the goal the ICB will put things in simple terms, explain ancient customs, and rework abstract expressions (while preserving the images). This makes a translation that is clear and understandable.
The Modern English Version was first published in 2014 and is a formal equivalent, literal translation of the Bible. This means it follows a more word-for-word approach to translating the Bible.
The Modern English Version is actually use the King James Version as a base text, meaning the MEV is an update to the KJV. As such, it maintains a more traditional style of language than others on this list. It’s a beautifully modern KJV. So, if you like the KJV, but wish it was easy to read, then the MEV is for you.
The Message is a highly paraphrased translation published between 1993 and 2002 by Eugene Peterson. It was written to engage readers right where they are. As such, the Message uses fresh common language in a in a highly conversational style.
It is a good translation to read to gain a unique perspective on familiar passages, but it would not be one that I would consider doing daily Bible reading in all the time.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The last translation we are going to look at is the Christian Standard Bible. The Christian Standard Bible was published in 2017 as an update to the Holman Christian Standard Bible. It was developed by a team of evangelical conservative scholars.
The Christian Standard Bible seeks to balance accuracy and readability. It does a fantastic job at this. This is a translation that will have familiar enough language, so it feels like you are still reading the Bible, but it flows so smoothly.
This is another translation that I enjoy just sitting down and reading. So, let’s take a quick moment and compare these translations below using Matthew 6:33 as a sample passage.
Reading Level of Easy To Read Translations
