Translations · 1996
NLT — New Living Translation
Warm, fluent modern English — the easiest mainstream translation to read cold.
Updated 18 May 2026 · By the Bibles.co.uk editorial team
The short answer
- Philosophy
- Dynamic
- Reading level
- Grade 6
- First published
- 1996
- Publisher
- Tyndale House
Where it sits on the spectrum
Below, every major English translation plotted against NLT (highlighted in burgundy). Translation philosophy runs left-to-right; reading level top-to-bottom.
How it reads
Reading level is one of the cleanest indicators of how easy a translation is to follow cold. The NLT sits at grade 6.
Strengths
- Reads like contemporary English prose
- Excellent for read-throughs and devotional plans
- Strong children's and youth editions
Watch-outs
- Smooths over some grammatical ambiguity in the original
- Not the best choice for word-level study
See it in action
Three well-known verses in the NLT. Compare against another translation using the tool below.
NLT New Living Translation | For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. |
NLT New Living Translation | The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. |
NLT New Living Translation | And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. |
Who uses the {t.abbr}
New readers, teenagers, devotional readers and many UK youth ministries.
Translation Comparator
Same verse, two translations
John 3:16
"For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
- Style
- Dynamic
- Level
- Grade 6
- Year
- 1996
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
- Style
- Formal
- Level
- Grade 12
- Year
- 1611
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Start the Bible FinderFrequently asked
- Is the NLT a good Bible translation?
- The New Living Translation (NLT) is a thought-for-thought (dynamic-equivalence) English Bible translation prized for clarity and warmth, often recommended to first-time readers and teenagers. Strengths include: Reads like contemporary English prose; Excellent for read-throughs and devotional plans; Strong children's and youth editions.
- What reading level is the NLT?
- The NLT reads at roughly US grade 6, using a dynamic translation philosophy.
- Who uses the NLT?
- New readers, teenagers, devotional readers and many UK youth ministries.
Keep reading
KJV — King James Version
The 1611 translation that shaped English literature and church liturgy for four centuries.
NASB — New American Standard Bible
The most literal mainstream English translation — sometimes wooden, always transparent to the Greek and Hebrew.
All translations
Compare every major English Bible side by side.