New International Reader's Version
NIrV Study Bible for kids
This new kids' Study Bible is quite good. It's not perfect, and some readers will probably compare it with the venerated King James Version. But, for people who are not native English Speakers, especially children and those who have studied English as a Second Language, this will be an easy accessible read.
There are two main differences between the NIrV and Bibles for adult readers and native speakers. The first and main difference is how verses are broken down. Those of us who regularly read the Bible have gotten used to sentences that are run-on sentences or often one long clause after another linked together by commas, dashes, hyphens, and semi-colons. This version fixes all that. For the most part, most of the semi-colons and commas have been changed to periods. This sometimes makes the Bible a bit clunky and sometimes there is a tiny bit of paraphrasing (or repetition of the obvious) but the verses become clearer. So there are many Bible verses which are no longer made of one sentence but of two or three.
For instance, instead of "A time to be born, a time to die" (KJV), there is now "There is a time to be born. And there's a time to die." The Bible doesn't feel bloated however.
The other main differences is in vocabulary. This change is somewhat iffy at times. Again, from Ecclesiastes.
"That doesn't have any meaning either. In fact, it's a very bad deal." Ecc. 4:8
Most of the vocabulary changes are not so trendy-hipster sounding and the book reads well. But there are a few moments when a reader will miss the majesty of certain verses or will cringe at what seems like banal-phrasing. Kids, of course, will not be bothered by that.
Other issues with the vocabulary occur when some spiritual meaning seems lost. John 3:16 no longer states, "His only begotten son" but states "His one and only son." Some people might not like this change; after all, Scripture later states that all who are in Christ are children of God. In another example, there are changes from "the lepers worshiped Jesus" to "the lepers kneeled before Jesus."
There are also some moments when it seems some words should have been changed to accomodate younger children.
The cover is a hard-cover. There are several illustrations which are used to depict some larger spiritual truth. The typical information one finds in the Bible are present here as well, but they are written for children. So, for instance, the section which lists the books of the Bible is illustrated as books on a bookshelf.
Highly Recommended. I received this book free in exchange for a honest review.
