Bibles

The New Life Version

The New Life Version is the only version of the Bible we sell. (Other versions are widely available from other stores and ministries, of course. If you cannot afford to purchase a Bible for your own use, please contact our Tribal Trails ministry at <tribaltrails@ncem.ca> or phone 306-764-3388 ... we may be able to provide you with one at no charge.)

The New Life Version had its beginnings in the 1960s when missionaries to the Canadian Arctic, Gleason and Kathryn Ledyard, saw the need for an English Bible that was accurate and easy to read. In 1969 the New Life Version of the New Testament was completed, with a 850-word vocabulary.

The Ledyards developed a unique phraseology which took difficult biblical words and broke them down into simple meaningful easy-to-read phrases. This gives the New Life Version the quality of a built-in dictionary. Sentences and paragraphs are kept short, with headings summarizing their content. All pronouns referring to deity are capitalized.

Even children in the earlier grades can read this English version of the Bible with understanding. And many adults find themselves startled into new insights by the blunt simplicity of the language.

In 1986 the Old Testament was completed with only a few new words, unique to the Old Testament, added to the basic 850-word vocabulary.