The New International Version of the Bible, or shortly known as Niv Bible, is an English translation of the original Bible. The Niv Bible was developed by more than hundred scholars who used the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic manuscripts. Howard Long, an American engineer in General Electric, was the man who initially started the project of developing the Niv Bible. He was devotee of the Kong James Version, but he founded that this version of the Bible was not widely accepted by the majority of people he knew. He recognized the need for a new version of the Bible on a language that he spoke. That’s how the idea for the Niv Bible was born.
For 10 years, Howard Long and a group of supporters were carefully developing the idea for the Niv Bible. The vision of Howard Long quickly became a passion and a vision of the Church and a passion of a whole group of Christian followers. Finally, in 1965 after several years of hard study, a group of denominational and international scholars agreed to start a new project, to crate a new translated version of the Bible- the Niv Bible. They decided not simply to adapt the existing English version, but to start completely from scratch, by using the available original manuscripts. Their project was accepted and supported by many Church leaders.
The Committee On Bible Translation- a self governing body of fifteen Bible scholars, was formed in 1966, and this committee charged the responsibility for the Niv Bible. In 1968, the New York Bible Society which later became the International Bible Society, undertook the sponsorship for the creation of the Niv Bible. Separate translation teams were formed, and every team was responsible for translation of separate book. The translation teams were made up of two main translators, two translation consultants, and stylistic consultant. The initial translations were carefully revised in details by editorial intermediate committees. Every edited text was later transferred to one general committee made up of 8 to 12 members before being distributed to all members of the Committee On Bible Translation for one final review. Samples of the Niv Bible were tested for ease of reading and clarity with students, pastors, scholars and other individuals of the intended audience. It has been stated that no other version of the Bible has gone through such detailed and careful process of revision and reviewing like the Niv Bible.
From the start of its production, the Niv Bible sought to bring its readers as close as possible to the exact experience of the first Bible readers. However, it has been stated that the work of creating the Niv Bible would never be completed. As new discoveries emerge about the Biblical world and about its languages, and as the English language norms are changing with time, the team of New International Version would need to update its original Niv Bible. The 2011 update is the latest version of the Niv Bible.