| Contemporary English Version | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full name | Contemporary English Version |
| Other names | Bible for Today's Family |
| Abbreviation | CEV |
| OT published | 1995 |
| NT published | 1991 |
| Complete Bible published | 1995 |
| Translation type | Dynamic equivalence |
| Copyright | American Bible Society 1991, 1992, 1995; AnglicizationsBritish and Foreign Bible Society 1996 |
| Website | cev |
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water. God said, "I command light to shine!" And light started shining. God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. | |
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TheContemporary English Version orCEV (also known asBible for Today's Family) is atranslation of the Bible into English,published by theAmerican Bible Society. An anglicized version was produced by theBritish and Foreign Bible Society, which includes metric measurements for the Commonwealth market.
The CEV project began as a result of studies conducted byBarclay Newman in 1985 regarding the speech patterns used in books, magazines, newspapers, and television. These studies focused on how English was read and heard. This led to a series of test volumes being published in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Among the volumes published wereLuke Tells the Good News About Jesus (1987),The Good News Travels Fast – The Acts of the Apostles (1988),A Few Who Dared to Trust God (1990), andA Book About Jesus (1991). In 1991, the 175th anniversary of the American Bible Society, the CEV New Testament was released. The CEVOld Testament was released in 1995. In 1999, theDeuterocanonical books were published.
The CEV is sometimes mischaracterized as a revision of theGood News Bible, but is a new translation designed for a lower reading level than the GNB. The American Bible Society continues to promote both translations. Its lower reading level is not intended to dilute script or convey lesser intellect for understanding, it is written reflecting the change of language usage over time, under the principles of its translation.
The translators of the CEV followed three principles. They were that the CEV:
The CEV uses gender-neutral language for humanity, though not for God.
The translation simplifies Biblical terminology into more everyday words and phrases. An example can be found inExodus 20:14, where the prohibition against committingadultery is rendered positively in terms of beingfaithful in marriage.
Moreover, the CEV often paraphrases in order to make the underlying point of a passage clear, rather than directly translating the wording. For example, compare Psalm 127:1 in the (much more literal)New International Version:
Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
with the much shorter summary given by the CEV:
Without the help of the LORD it is useless to build a home or to guard a city.
Or verses 4 & 5 in the New International Version:
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.
are rendered in the CEV as:
Having a lot of children to take care of you in your old age is like a warrior with a lot of arrows. The more you have, the better off you will be, because they will protect you when your enemies attack with arguments.
Here, rather than shortening the original, the CEV has introduced new material by way of explanation, such as 'to take care of you in your old age'.
The CEV translates the Greek phrasehoiIoudaioi (literally, "the Jews") as "the Jewish leaders", especially in the Gospel of John (as in John 18:14). The CEV translators believe that the Greek phrasehoi Ioudaioi in the Gospel of John primarily refers to the Jewish leadership (as in John 6:41).
Some of the information in this article comes from an email inquiry by Wikipedian Joshua Holman to Jacquelyn Sapiie, Supervisor of Library Services at the American Bible Society on February 9, 2004.
DrEugene Habecker, President of the ABS, with copies of the special Scripture Portion God Is Our Shelter and Strength in hand, offered words of support and encouragement to rescue workers at 'Ground Zero' (above) nine days after the attack.