The New Living Translation Exposed

Hello again, for this posts I will be going through several/many verses from the New Living Translation of the bible in order to show some discrepancies i have found in the text that differ from the KJV. As with my other articles the kjv will be in blue, while the New Version is in red. Before we begin with the examination I will go over some basic info on this bible. When was it made: the complete NLT was made in 1996 with revisions in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2015. What type is it? Dynamic Equivalence which is the thought for thought kind of translation.

Gen 22:18  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 
Gen 22:18 changes seed to "...descendants..." (NLT)(see Galatians 3:16)

This is a prophecy about Jesus through whom all nations shall be blessed, not about the nations being blessed through a bunch of Abraham's offspring. 

Deu 16:21  Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
Deu 16:21, grove changed to "Asherah pole"(NLT)

1Sa 6:19  And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. 
1 Samuel 6:19 "But the LORD killed seventy men..."(NLT)
There is a Huge # difference in the men that were killed.

2Sa 21:8  But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite: 
2 Samuel 21:8 Michal changed to "Merab" (NLT)

2Ch 17:6  And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah. 

2Ch 19:3  Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. 
2 Chronicles 17:6, 2 Chro 19:3 groves changed to "Asherah poles" (NLT)

Ezr 6:11  Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.
Ezra 6:11 hanged changed to "flogged" (NLT)

Ezr 8:10  And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males. 

8:10 adds "Bani" (NLT)

*Job 40:15  Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. 
Job 40 Behemoth changed to "hippopotamus"(NLT)
Your joking!

*Job 41:1  Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? 
Job 41 Leviathan changed to "Crocodile" (NLT)

When was the last time you saw a fire breathing croc?

Psa 49:11  Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. 
Psalm 49:11 "The grave is there eternal home, where they will stay forever..." (NLT)

(This is false, Mat 25:46, Act 24:15, Joh 5:29)

Pro 11:16  A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches. 

Pro 11:16 "...ruthless men gain only wealth."(NLT)  

Pro 17:6  Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

Pro 17:6 "...pride of their children." (NLT)

Pro 17:8  A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
Pro 17:8  "A bribe..." (NLT)

Pro 22:20  Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, 

Pro 22:20 "...thirty sayings..." (NLT)

Pro 26:10  The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors. 
Pro 26:10 "...An employer who hires a fool...like an archer who shoots at random." (NLT)

Ecc 8:10  And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. 
Ecclesiastes 8:10 changes forgotten to "praised" (NLT)
A total change in meaning. 

Mic 1:8  Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. 
Micah 1:8 dragons changed to "jackel" (NLT)

Hab 3:5  Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. 
Habbakuk 3:5 burning coals went forth at his feet changed to "...plague follows close behind." (NLT)
What particularly bothers me about this change is that it erases some of the evidence that Satan masquerades as the Lord as Santa Claus. 

Zec 13:6  And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 
Zechariah 13:6 "...what about those wounds on your chest?" (NLT)
A prophecy of the suffering messiah butchered.

Mat 10:10  Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 
Mat 10:10 "Don't carry...a walking stick..."(NLT)

(contradicts Mark 6:8)

Luk 6:35  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 
Luke 6:35 "...acting as children of the Most High..."(NLT)
There is a difference between being something and acting like something, to act is to pretend to be; aka false convert.

Luk 11:42  But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 
Luk 11:42 mint and rue and all manner of herbs changed to "...income..." (NLT)
This is an heretical change because tithes in the bible were NEVER money but livestock and produce,  aka food. The only time that it was turned into money was to transport it but it was then turned back to food once they arrived at the location. 

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
John 3:16 Omits begotten
(contradicts Gen. 6:2, Job 2:1,38:7, Luke 3:38, John 1:12, Rom 8:14, Gal. 4:6-7, Philippians 2:15, 1 John 3:1-3)

Act 9:31  Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. 
Acts 9:31 "...the believers lived in the fear..." (NLT)
Another change which makes it harder to show people that church means the assembly of believers and not a building.

Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 
Romans 6 servants changed to "slaves" (see John 8:32,36) (NLT)

Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
*Galatians 5:20 "...the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group..." (See Mat. 7:14)

1Pe 2:1  Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 

1 Peter 2:1 "So get rid of...jealousy..." (NLT)
Jealousy is not the same as envy, godly jealousy is good.

So in conclusion the NLT translation has many differences from the KJV which would be expected considering the necessity of a significant difference to obtain a copyright. As you can probably tell I really do not prefer this translation, I prefer christians being labeled as servants rather than slaves, I also don't prefer to use the word pride in a postive sense, and finally I really don't think behemoth is a hippo. 

* found in 1996 version but not in 2004/2007