New Dutch Bible Translation Endorsed by Thousands of Churches

Since the launch of the new interconfessional Dutch translation of the Bible last October, the Bible has been widely endorsed by churches in the Netherlands. Special copies of the new Bible were presented to some 2,500 churches across the country.

The publication is known to be very historical as it is in fact the first official Dutch translation to be published since 1951. The Netherlands Bible Society and the Flanders Bible Society hope that it will become the standard version for the entire Dutch-speaking region in Europe. The version was named as De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling (NBV).

A massive publicising campaign that lasted for almost one month was arranged by the Netherlands Bible Society (NGB). It presented church leaders with a special edition of NBV with the words, 'Gods woord zet mensen in beweging' ('God's Word inspires people to act') inscribed on the cover.

The new translation was warmly welcomed by local parishes, who have taken the opportunity to mark the arrival of the new translation by holding events such as Bible marathons and Bible festivals.

The International Bible Society said the presentation of the Bible in churches was "a symbolic gesture to position the Bible in the midst of the congregation. The church is seen as the place where people gather in order to let the Bible speak to their hearts and minds and where people are inspired to live their lives according to biblical values."