The Living Bible

Bible translation infobox


translation_title=The Living Bible
full_name=The Living Bible
abbreviation=TLB
complete_bible_published=1971
textual_basis = Paraphrase of American Standard Version, 1901, with comparisons of other translations, including the King James Version, and some Greek texts.
translation_type = Paraphrase.
copyright=Copyright 1971 Tyndale House Publishers
genesis_1:1-3=When God began creating the heavens and the earth, the earth was at first a shapeless, chaotic mass, with the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors. Then God said, "Let there be light." And light appeared.
john_3:16=For God loved the world so much that He gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.|

The Living Bible (TLB) is an English version of the Bible by American publisher and author Kenneth N. Taylor. It was released in 1971. Unlike most English Bibles, the volume is a paraphrase. Mr. Taylor was quoted as having said that he paraphrased the American Standard Version. [Citation
last = Marlowe
first = Michael
author-link =
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date = July 2005
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url = http://www.bible-researcher.com/lbp.html
accessdate = 2008-06-20]

Taylor never intended for his paraphrase to be used as the reader's sole source of Biblical knowledge, or as an aid to serious, scholarly study, but rather to put the basic truths of the Bible in language which could readily be understood by the typical reader without a theological or linguistic background, and that he had never represented himself as a professional Bible scholar or his work as a translation.

According to "Ken Taylor, God's Voice In The Vernacular" by Harold Myra in a 1979 issue of "Christianity Today", Taylor explained the inspiration for preparing the Living Bible:

"The children were one of the chief inspirations for producing the Living Bible. Our family devotions were tough going because of the difficulty we had understanding the King James Version, which we were then using, or the Revised Standard Version, which we used later. All too often I would ask questions to be sure the children understood, and they would shrug their shoulders—they didn't know what the passage was talking about. So I would explain it. I would paraphrase it for them and give them the thought. It suddenly occurred to me one afternoon that I should write out the reading for that evening thought by thought, rather than doing it on the spot during our devotional time. So I did, and read the chapter to the family that evening with exciting results—they knew the answers to all the questions I asked!"

The Living Bible was well received in many moderate Evangelical circles. Youth-oriented Protestant groups such as Young Life accepted it readily. In 1962 Billy Graham received a copy of the "Living Letters" – the title of the first-published portion of the Living Bible containing New Testament epistles – while in a hospital in Hawaii. He was impressed with it enough to order 50,000 copies of the "Living Letters" for use in his evangelistic crusades. Later, he ordered an additional 450,000 to 600,000 copies of "Living Letters" for his crusades.

The Living Bible was a best-seller in the early 1970s, largely due to the accessibility of its modern language, which made passages understandable to those with little or no previous background in Bible study. A year after the 1971 release, the Living Bible was the most popular Bible sold in America. In 1973 Taylor received royalties of roughly 8 million US dollars. By 1974, those royalties had swelled to more than 29 million dollars. By 1997, 40 million copies of The Living Bible had been sold. A Catholic edition of the Living Bible was made and is still available.

It should be noted, however, that Taylor had assigned the copyright ownership to Tyndale House Foundation, thus he was not personally enriched by the world-wide sales of his paraphrase. With this level of acclaim and acceptance came criticism. In 1 Samuel 20:30, the original printing of the Living Bible contains the phrase "son of a bitch". The verse was toned down in later editions to "You fool!".

References