We’re pleased to announce a new addition to our library of Bibles: the Lexham English Bible (LEB) New Testament!

Anytime a new English Bible translation is released, it’s fair to ask what distinguishes it from the many other Bible translations already available. The introduction to the LEB describes two major elements that make it stand out:

• The LEB was specifically produced to be read alongside the original language text of the Bible. Most modern Bibles, aiming for accessibility and readability, necessarily depart from the exact wording and style of the original text. The LEB New Testament instead follows the Greek as closely as possible, making it ideal for comparison to the original text.
• The LEB is designed to make extensive use of the most up-to-date lexical reference works available, like Walter Bauer’s A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.

The result is a comparatively literal translation that is especially useful for students, pastors, and anyone who wants to do regular comparisons between the English and original text. (If you haven’t done so already, read how to view more than one Bible side-by-side on Bible Gateway.) You can get a feel for the LEB by reading its translation of John 3—and to see how easily it reads alongside the Greek text, read the LEB alongside the SBL Greek New Testament.

We hope you’ll find the Lexham English Bible to be a useful resource in your own Bible reading and study. We’re grateful to Logos Bible Software for making it available on Bible Gateway.