The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced last week that long-awaited revisions to the New American Bible Old Testament texts have been approved. The USCCB Office of Media Relations posted this announcement on the USCCB website on January 6, 2011:
"The New American Bible, revised edition (NABRE), the first major update to the New American Bible (NAB) translation in 20 years, has been approved for publication. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, then president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), signed the canonical rescript approving publication on September 30, 2010. The NABRE will be available in a variety of print, audio and electronic formats on March 9, Ash Wednesday."
The announcement continues by saying that "The revision aimed at making use of the best manuscript traditions available, translating as accurately as possible, and rendering the result in good contemporary English. In many ways it is a more literal translation than the original New American Bible and has attempted to be more consistent in rendering Hebrew (or Greek) words and idioms...."
This revision is the latest in a series of revisions begun in 1986 (Revised New Testament) and 1991 (Revised Psalms). To see the full press release regarding the new revisions, check out the USCCB website at http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2011/11-003.shtml
If you're thinking about investing in a new Bible (particularly, if you're thinking about the New American Bible) we recommend you wait until March, when you'll have access to the NABRE.
