The New Living Translation Bible (NLT) was created by Tyndale House Publishers in an effort to create a real Bible translation, not a personal paraphrase, that honored the legacy of the Living Bible. First published in 1996, The New Living Bible was translated by leading scholars with the use of the earliest and best manuscript evidence available at the time. In light of this, it has proven to be one of the most reliable and popular meaning-for-meaning translations on the market. Still, not being a literal translation means that this Bible is better suited for devotional use rather than serious Bible study.
With this in mind, the editors at Lord’s Library assembled this list of the best NLT Bibles to consider. The one that is right for you will largely depend on your level of Biblical study, and which denomination you belong to. Each listing includes author and publisher information, some basic facts about the edition, and links to any alternative versions that may be available.
Note: We only included the best NLT Bibles (New Living Translation) with a 4-star or better ranking and a minimum of 1,000 reviews. We ranked them according to different buyer motivations like most popular, top-rated, and best value. We also included a Best of the Rest section with additional titles listed below.
The Best NLT Bibles (New Living Translation)
Most Popular: The One Year Bible NLT (Softcover): The Entire Bible in 365 Readings
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Paperback
Key Features:
- 15-minute daily readings
- Simple layout for personal devotions and group reading
From the publisher: “The One Year Bible NLT delivers on the promise that as you read its daily Scripture selections you can read through the entire Bible in one year. This beautifully redesigned Bible edition features the clear and trusted New Living Translation. To provide variety, each daily reading includes selections from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.”
Top-Rated: NLT Personal Size Giant Print Holy Bible (Red Letter, LeatherLike, Rustic Brown)
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Imitation leather
Key Features:
- Easy-to-read page design
- Filament content linked to every page
- Smyth-sewn lay-flat binding
- Bible visual overview
From the publisher: “The new Tyndale NLT Personal Size Giant Print Bible, Filament-Enabled Edition has readable text and an attractive layout in an easy-to-carry size. And while it has the same low price as basic text-only Bibles, the NLT Personal Size Giant Print Bible offers much more. It not only features a bold new design and the trusted and much-loved New Living Translation (NLT) but also includes the groundbreaking Filament Bible app.”
Best Value: Holy Bible: New Living Translation
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Paperback
Key Features:
- Book introductions
- Quick references resource
From the publisher: “People around the English speaking world are choosing the New Living Translation of the Bible because of its living language and precise scholarship. It talks about things like money, love, anger, and overcoming despair in clear inspirational language. The Holy Bible, Gift and Award is an extremely low-priced, complete Bible for gift giving, travel, or evangelism and ministry use.”
Best Large Print Bible: The One Year Chronological Bible NLT, Premium Slimline Large Print
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Paperback
Key Features:
- 365 daily readings for a chronological understanding
- Transition statements
- Historical dates
- A general timeline of major events
From the publisher: “Now available in large print editions, The One Year Chronological Bible is ideal for anyone who wants to take a fresh look at the Bible by reading it in the order the events actually happened. You can read the entire Bible in as little as 15 minutes a day with this One Year Bible, the best-selling daily reading Bible brand.”
Best Slimline Bible: Premium Value Slimline Bible Large Print NLT
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Imitation leather
Key Features:
- Life Application Life Topics Index
- Fine Bible paper
- Smyth-sewn binding
From the publisher: “The New Living Translation is an authoritative Bible translation, rendered faithfully into today’s English from the ancient texts by 90 leading Bible scholars. The NLT’s scholarship and clarity breathe life into even the most difficult-to-understand Bible passages―but even more important are stories of how people’s lives are changing as the words speak directly to their hearts.”
Best Premium Leather Bible: One Step Closer Bible NLT – Navy
Author/Publisher: Candace Cameron Bure
Material: Leather
Key Features:
- 8 full-color pages of Q&A with Candace Cameron Bure
- Help Finder index
- 500+ Application Notes
From the publisher: “Actress, producer, inspirational speaker, and New York Times bestselling author, Candace Cameron Bure presents her very own special edition One Step Closer Bible in the New Living Translation. The NLT text is accurate, easy to understand and speaks directly to you, allowing God’s Word to meet you right where you are.”
Best Recovery Bible: The Life Recovery Bible NLT
Author/Publisher: Stephen Arterburn
Material: Paperback
Key Features:
- Life Recovery Facilitator’s Guide
- Life Recovery Meeting Guide
- Related articles
From the publisher: “This Second Edition of The Life Recovery Bible is updated with new articles on addiction recovery as well as a step-by-step life recovery meeting guide for leaders. This NLT Bible is essential to anyone starting or running recovery groups at church or in the community. The Second Edition works seamlessly with the original version. This allows users of both editions to communicate easily with each other regarding the location of notes and other features.”
Best Devotional Bible for Women: NLT THRIVE Devotional Bible for Women
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Hardcover
Key Features:
- Daily devotionals for women
- High-quality cream Bible paper
From the publisher: “The THRIVE Devotional Bible for Women is for every woman who wants to know God more deeply and follow Him more closely. God’s design for His children is that they live flourishing, fulfilling, joy-filled lives in Christ. Bestselling author and beloved speaker Sheri Rose Shepherd has devoted over 30 years of her ministry to helping women learn how to thrive in Christ, reflect God’s glory, and gain an eternal perspective.”
Best Journaling Bible: Tyndale NLT Inspire Bible (Hardcover, Aquamarine)
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Hardcover
Key Features:
- 400+ full and partial-page Scripture art
- Two-inch wide margins
- High-quality cream Bible paper
From the publisher: “Strengthen your connection with God with the 2017 Christian Retailing’s BEST Award Winner (Bible: Journaling category) and 2017 ECPA Christian Book Award Finalist (Bibles category)! The best-selling Inspire Bible is a beautiful single-column, wide-margin New Living Translation Bible for coloring and creative journaling that has become a treasured legacy Bible for many.”
Best Coloring Bible: Tyndale NLT Inspire PRAISE Bible (Hardcover, LeatherLike, Purple): Inspire Coloring Bible
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Hardcover, imitation leather
Key Features:
- 500 full and partial-page Scripture illustrations
- 32 colorful, transparent, praise-themed images
- High-quality white paper
From the publisher: “The Tyndale Inspire PRAISE Bible has all of the great features the #1-selling Inspire Bible has, but with even more beautiful line-art illustrations to color. The lightly-ruled, two-inch-wide margins offer additional space to write notes and reflections or to draw and create. Plus, the 8.65-point font is even larger than most other journaling Bibles.”
The Best NLT Bibles – Best of the Rest
The Daily Walk Bible NLT
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Paperback
Key Features:
- Daily Bible reading overview
- Daily Insight fact about the reading
- My Daily Walk devotions
From the publisher: “Reading through the Bible is difficult. The Daily Walk Bible will help you complete the journey. Drawing from the rich resources of Walk Thru the Bible’s Daily Walk magazine, The Daily Walk Bible offers a simple daily reading plan and tools to help you complete the journey and see how the Bible fits together.”
Holy Bible Text Edition NLT
Author/Publisher: Tyndale
Material: Hardcover
Key Features:
- 33-page topical verse finder
- 8 pages of full-color maps
- Presentation page
From the publisher: “This hardcover plain-text Bible offers readers the clear and understandable New Living Translation along with special features such as a 33-page topical verse finder, 8 pages of full-color maps, and a presentation page―all at an affordable price. This edition has a two-column layout with generous margins and font size, providing a comfortable reading experience.”
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