International Bible Society affirms NIV commitment, looks to future
The Presbyterian Layman, July 6, 1999
COLORADO SPRINGS – At its most recent meeting, the International Bible Society (IBS) Board of Directors reached two important decisions:
First, it reaffirmed its prior commitment “to continue to publish the 1984 New International Version (NIV) with no changes whatsoever, with the confidence that this classic text will be a blessing to the Church for many years to come.”
According to Dr. Ronald Youngblood, Chair of the IBS Board’s Translation Committee, “this means that not even one comma of the 1984 text will be changed.” With more than 120 million copies of the present NIV already published, it has become the most widely distributed translation worldwide. This latest decision affirms that the NIV will continue to serve those who cherish it.
Second, the Board went on to state, “at the same time, IBS continues to explore its options with respect to additional Bible publishing in the English language.” This decision affirms the ongoing work of the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT), the group that originally translated the NIV.
In a specific message to the CBT, the Board stated, “IBS encourages the CBT to continue translating the biblical text with clarity, accuracy and faithfulness, so that this work can be reviewed by the IBS Board for possible publication” of a new English translation.
IBS has been doing translation work for nearly 200 years, starting with its support of William Carey’s work on the Bengali New Testament in 1810. The ongoing work of the CBT continues this long tradition.
Founded in 1809, IBS provides Scriptures in many contexts, such as prisons, crisis pregnancy centers, and recently to ethnic Albanians from Kosovo and to those devastated by the Littleton, Colorado, disaster.