New Darby Version: Holy Bible

Some one and one-third centuries have passed since Darby penned his introduction to the French version of the Scriptures (1881), which introduction was translated into English for the 1889 English version which has in the interim become known as “the JND translation”. The translation itself needs no introduction, being one of the top five English translations to date, despite many valiant and admirable efforts. With the advent of the internet, there was a sudden need to have God`s Word freely available online for discussions, websites, articles, and the like. The immediate problem was that all the mainstream translations had a copyright, and thus could not be used. Aside from the KJV, only two suitable translations stood out from the crowd: Young`s Literal Translation, and the JND translation. What was lacking was the availability of printed copies that would answer a growing demand for readers not familiar with archaic forms, who often reject 'out-of-hand' any translation utilizing thou sayest or the such language. Thus this work. Copy and quote from it all you like; only the publishing rights are retained. It is submitted as precisely what is found in the JND, with only the archaic forms made contemporary. The word order, punctuation, paragraphing, indeed every possible detail has remained faithful to its predecessor. Only the footnotes could not be included in this edition, yet we trust they may be included in the future. This edition has one of the most comprehensive selections of Darby's introductions available. Several of these have been edited to suit the present work, the editing consisting solely of removing some of the more technical references to textual criticism and various manuscripts, the which subjects are beyond the scope of this edition. The contemporary updates made to the text have not been applied to the introductions; they retain the archaic language. Appendix I gives a comprehensive list of every word that was changed with the reason for doing so. Nothing arbitrary has muddied these waters. The distinctions between thee and you and the like were not lost, and are carefully marked. For those already familiar with the JND translation and who have grown to love it, this edition will read as smoothly as the original. This is a Bible you will constantly find yourself reaching for.