Does the NIV (New International Version) leave verses out of the Bible?

Isaiah 40:8

The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.

In the past, I’ve seen multiple posts on social media stating that the NIV (New International Version) deliberately leaves out verses in the Bible. In most cases, information is usually taken from one-sided websites and the innocent people reposting on social media are warning others. Does the NIV deduct verses from the Bible? In short, no, it doesn’t. The NIV translation team is not trying to deceive anyone. Please note, I do not use the NIV as my primary study Bible, so this article comes from an unbiased approach.

It is true that the NIV (and other modern translations) differ from the King James Version (KJV) in some areas. Many people have noticed these differences and mistakenly thought that the NIV is taking verses out of the Bible. That is actually not the case.

First, realize that the NIV is not a word-for-word (literal) translation and never claimed to be. It is known as a dynamic equivalence, meaning that it is in the middle of a literal translation and a paraphrase. While this translation approach is not preferred by everyone, it has been known to help some readers understand difficult passages of scripture.

To go deeper, the differences you might see in English Bible translations come from the differences in the manuscripts from which they are translated. For example, the KJV - Old Testament is translated from manuscripts called the Masoretic Text. Most modern translations (like the NIV) get their Old Testament from the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls do vary from one another from time to time. However, the minor differences of the two do not change the meaning of the text or the message itself. Out of the entirety of Scripture, these differences make up a minute percentage. 99.9% or more of the information and details are the same and the variations do not compromise the gospel.

In other words, the NIV and other modern translations do not leave verses out, they are just translated from different sets of manuscripts than the KJV. Again, these ancient manuscripts leave us with very minor differences that do not change the meaning of God’s word. So, rest easy.

Yes, carefully choose your primary study Bible with research and prayer, but remember that legitimate Bible translation boards are not going out of their way to deceive anyone. God is in control. If you have any questions about this topic or what Bible translation might be best for you specifically, please do not hesitate to reach out: pastor@fbcwortham.com