The Contemporary English Version (CEV) is a modern English translation of the Bible. Here is a 9,000 word overview of the CEV:
The CEV is a translation of the Bible into everyday English. It was translated by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The goal was to make the Bible more accessible and understandable to people who speak English as a second language and to those who have limited reading skills.
Work on the CEV began in the late 1980s. A team of over 100 scholars worked to translate the Bible into clear, simple English. The translators aimed for a reading level of grades 4-6. They sought to take complex ideas and express them in simpler language without losing the meaning.
The CEV uses vocabulary and grammar that is common in everyday speech. It avoids technical terms and formal language when possible. The translators substituted common words for archaic terms that are not well known today. For example, they used “you will have a son” instead of “thou shalt conceive a son.”
The translation is meaning-based rather than word-for-word. The scholars translated thoughts and ideas rather than translating word by word. This allows the text to flow naturally in English while accurately conveying the intent of the original languages.
The CEV often states the implied meaning rather than translating literally. For instance, ellipses are filled in so that the text reads smoothly in English. The passage in Luke 19:5 says “When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down.'” The implied information that Zacchaeus was up in a tree is made explicit for clarity.
In some passages, the translators adapted the text to communicate effectively to modern readers. In Acts 2:42, “breaking bread” is translated as “sharing meals” to convey the meaning behind the ancient phrase.
The scholars sought to capture important repetition and connections between ideas. Phrasing may be altered to show links between concepts that would be clearer to the original audience. The translation highlights repeated words and themes that are less noticeable in literal translations.
The CEV often clarifies confusing grammar, chronology, and dialogue attribution from the source texts. Transitional words like “then” and “so” are used to aid flow. “Says” is substituted for “said” in places to make speech more realistic. The pronouns “you” and “your” are used frequently to directly address the reader.
Quotations are laid out as regular dialogue with quotation marks. This departs from the convention of other translations, but improves readability. For example, in John 3:3, Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus is formatted as regular speech:
Nicodemus said, “How can anyone who is already old be born again?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God’s kingdom!”
The CEV translators divided the biblical text into sections and assigned them to teams of scholars to translate. Each section went through multiple revisions by separate teams to refine the wording. Stylistic differences between books were maintained to reflect different authors.
As a meaning-based translation, the CEV does not attempt to replicate features like wordplay and alliteration from the source languages. The translation forfeits literary qualities like these when necessary to communicate the meaning plainly.
The CEV follows standard Protestant Biblical canon. The Bible is divided into 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. The Old Testament follows the order of the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament ordering is standard.
There are no significant omissions in the CEV text compared to other standard English Bible translations. The most well-attested passages are retained. Some verses of questioned authenticity like the long ending of Mark (16:9-20) and the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11) are included but marked with brackets.
The CEV uses inclusive language for humanity. For example, Revelation 3:20 states, “I will come in and eat with them, and they will eat with me.” Male references to groups of people are eliminated when possible in order to apply inclusively.
One distinction is the frequent use of “someone” and “anyone” rather than rendering the Greek or Hebrew as specifically male. For instance, James 1:23 refers to “anyone” rather than “a man.” This aims to reflect inclusive intent.
The CEV was completed and published as a full Bible in 1995 by the American Bible Society. It includes the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books used in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. The Catholic CEV version first released in 1999.
The translation philosophy behind the CEV remains controversial. Supporters contend that it makes the Bible accessible to more people by expressing the intended meaning in simple, clear language. Critics argue it strays too far from literal translation and waters down the original texts.
Here are some other key features of the CEV:
– The Old Testament translates the Tetragrammaton YHWH as “the LORD” in small caps. This follows the convention of many English Bibles.
– The New Testament often uses “Christ” or “Lord” where the Greek has specific references to “Jesus.” This reflects the practice of the early church in exalting these titles.
– The CEV translates the Greek word doulos as “servant” rather than “slave” because of the stigma of slavery. This is disputed by scholars who consider it inaccurate.
– Aramaic phrases like “talitha koum” in Mark 5:41 are translated into English rather than transliterated.
– The CEV uses metric measurements rather than biblical measurements that are obscure today. For example, “six stone jars” in John 2:6 becomes “six stone water jars, each one holding about eighty liters.”
– The translation uses contractions frequently in dialogue, such as “can’t” rather than “cannot.” This conveys casual speech patterns.
– Single quotation marks are used for quotes rather than double quotation marks, following common British convention.
– The CEV often replaces generic terms like “brother” and “son” with the specific family relationship, such as “cousin” or “grandson” for clarity.
– The ‘Divine Passive’ in Greek is translated actively. For instance, in Matthew 4:1 Jesus is led by the Spirit rather than the passive “was led.”
– The CEV clarifies unclear pronouns. As an example, “he” becomes “Abram” in Genesis 15:10 to identify the referent.
– Certain metaphors are interpreted or explained if the literal meaning would not make sense to modern readers. For example, in Psalm 91:4 God’s “feathers” become “protecting wings.”
– An¢ient units of weight, distance, and money are converted to standard modern metrics to increase comprehension for readers unfamiliar with the biblical systems.
– The second person singular “thou/thee/thine” is not used when addressing God, as it is outdated in English. Contemporary “you/your” are used instead.
– The CEV often updates places names, so Jericho becomes “near the Jordan River” to situate it geographically. Proper names are used, however, when they are significant.
– Idiomatic expressions are translated idiomatically. For example, “three days ago” substitutes for the Greek that literally means “the third day.”
– In Paul’s letters, the CEV clarifies ambiguous Greek. For instance, “brothers and sisters” is used for the ambiguous Greek word adelphoi that can mean either.
– The imperative verb constructions common in the New Testament epistles are translated as declarative statements. For example, “stop sinning” rather than “stop sinning!” to soften the tone.
– The CEV translation is available in multiple formats and editions including print, web, e-books, and audio recordings. These make the Bible accessible to different audiences.
– The New Testament has been translated into regional British and Australian English vocabularies for speakers in those regions. This increases comprehension.
– The Youth Bible includes informational sid