The NIrV: Opening Doors to Understanding for 30 Years and Counting!

A few years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit Scotland. On our taxi ride from the airport to our hotel, we met a wonderfully friendly driver who clearly wanted to make us feel welcome. He kept trying to draw us into conversation, and we really wanted to join in. The problem was that his heavy Scottish brogue made it nearly impossible for us to keep up. We were all speaking English, but his English sounded so different from ours that we caught only about every third word. So we did what many of us do when we want to be polite but feel a little lost: we nodded, smiled, and hoped we were responding at the right moments.

For many people, reading the Bible can feel like that taxi ride. They want to connect with the Word of God. But the language can feel unfamiliar or hard to follow. This does not mean they lack interest or faith. Often, the words simply do not connect with them. Some major English translations are written at a level above where many adults read. The National Literacy Institute found that in 2024–2025, 54 percent of U.S. adults read below a sixth-grade level. By comparison, in 1996, most adults read at an eighth-grade level. 

That is the need the New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was created to meet when it was first published in 1996. The NIrV continues in the tradition of the NIV, to help remove unnecessary barriers so readers can encounter Scripture with confidence instead of frustration. It meets people where they are on their journey of English comprehension. As one Christian leader put it:

The NIrV meets a crying need. Its simplicity, clarity and accuracy put God’s Word within reach of millions of persons who find standard translations beyond their grasp. They include children, of course, but equally important are educationally deprived adults and the multitudes here and abroad for whom English is a second language.

— Dr. David Hubbard, Former President/Old Testament Professor Emeritus, Fuller Theological Seminary

The NIrV accomplishes its goal of reaching these underserved communities by bringing the trusted scholarship and accuracy of the New International Version to a third-grade reading level. For many readers, that difference matters. Sentence structure, grammar, syntax, and word selection were all carefully reviewed to ensure maximum comprehension while retaining biblical accuracy. For these readers, this turns Bible reading from something intimidating into something inviting. These readers include:

• children ages 6 to 10, who are ready for a full-text Bible at a reading level more aligned with their current education
• people who are learning English as a second (or third or fourth!) language 
• adults who are learning to read later in life 
• people who are new to the church or Bible-reading and have difficulty with the associated technical terms and jargon (that is, “Biblish”)
• readers with learning disabilities or neurodiversity
• people who simply want a Bible translation that is easier to read and understand

The NIrV is also a natural stepping-stone to the NIV as readers become more proficient in their reading abilities and understanding of the English language.

Because the NIrV is accessible to such a wide variety of readers, it is a practical and welcoming resource for ESL programs, special-needs ministries, prison ministry, family devotions, churches, children’s ministries, discipleship groups, Christian schools, and personal reading and study. And while the NIrV throws open the doors of accessibility to many, it does not do so at the expense of accuracy or faithfulness to the underlying Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. 

The New International Reader’s Version offers us a powerful combination of faithfulness to the original languages and true contemporary language that is at once accurate, elegant, and compelling. Many translations attempt this goal; few do it well. The NIrV eliminates technical jargon and archaic words that are rarely used today and avoids complex constructions that alienate many readers from the scriptures. This translation reads the way we speak—and because of this, it will speak directly to its many readers. 

— Dr.  Gary Burge, Former Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College

One of the best ways to see the value of the NIrV is simply to compare it with other translations. Notice how the NIrV clarifies meaning by using simpler vocabulary, shorter sentences, and fewer expressions that may only make sense to native English speakers, such as idioms, figures of speech, nation-specific allusions, and terms unfamiliar to anyone not raised in the church. Here are a few examples that show the differences between the King James Version (KJV), the New International Version (NIV), and the New International Readers Version (NIrV):

So what difference has the NIrV made in real life? Ministry leaders and readers have seen its impact firsthand:

• Ta’Neisha Kemp at Marriage, Motherhood, & Homeschool says, “This translation uses easy words, short sentences, and simple text to make the Word of God easy for new readers to understand.”
• Pastor Tabitha Purple says, “We have a neurodiverse household and neurodiverse children, and therefore we’re always seeking ways that the Bible can become understandable. I’m a firm believer in finding creative ways to allow the Bible to become accessible …. but it requires us to be intentional, and the NIrV has put that intentionality at the heart of the Bible … I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
• Pastor Thomas Carney at Journeymate Wesleyan Church says, “We have given out many copies of the NIrV Bible to people in prisons. Here’s why … Based on the NIV, the world’s most read and trusted modern English translation, the NIrV is ideal for children and adults who are early readers of the English language and wanting a Bible that is easy to read and understand. Written at a third-grade reading level, the NIrV is among the lowest reading level of any Bible translation available! This Bible is helpful for many with reading disabilities.”

Thirty years ago, the NIrV was created with a simple but powerful purpose: to help more people understand the life-giving, eternal Word of God. That includes young people, older people, incarcerated people, neurodiverse people, curious people, new believers, longtime believers, and anyone who has ever opened a Bible and wondered whether it was really meant for them. The NIrV has already opened the door to biblical understanding for millions who had no previous access. The NIrV translation team is excited to get this translation into the hands of many more who want to read and understand God’s Word without restriction.

“All these Levites read to the people parts of the Book of the Law of God. They made it clear to them. They told them what it meant. So the people understood what was being read.” (Nehemiah 8:8, NIrV) 

Michael Williams (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) is a retired Senior Professor of Old Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary, where he taught for 23 years. He has been a member of the NIV Committee on Bible Translation since 2005, a member of the NIrV review team since 2011, and an associate editor of the NIV Study Bible since 2016. He is the author of many articles and books on the Old Testament, including How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens (Zondervan, 2012) and 30 Old Testament Passages with Deeper Meaning (Zondervan, 2023). His passion is to help believers to grow in their understanding and appreciation of the Old Testament so that they are better prepared to share their faith through words and actions. Michael currently resides in Panama City Beach, FL, with his wife, Dawn.