The NLT: History, Clarity, and Faithfulness. The New Living Translation (NLT) is one of the most widely read modern English Bibles, known for its readability and devotional warmth. First published in 1996, it has often been mislabeled as a “paraphrase,” largely because it grew out of Kenneth Taylor’s Living Bible. But the NLT is not a paraphrase. It is a serious translation from the original languages.

For many Christians, picking up a Bible feels simple—just choose a cover you like, open to a familiar page, and start reading. But if you’ve ever compared two translations side by side, you probably noticed that they don’t always match word for word.