NASB Bible Info

Accuracy you can trust

Since its completion in 1971, the New American Standard Bible has been widely embraced as a literal and accurate English translation because it consistently uses the formal equivalence translation philosophy. This method translates word-for-word from the original languages as much as possible. At the same time it recognizes the need for the translation to be readable.

Millions of people have trusted the NASB for connecting with God while reading, learning, and applying the Bible’s teaching and wisdom to the demands of daily life. The accuracy of the NASB makes it a trusted choice of many students, scholars, pastors, and missionaries as they study and teach the Word of God. Read the NASB for yourself and discover the original meaning of the biblical texts.

Answering the Demands of Today

After completion in 1971, the NASB was updated in 1977, 1995, and most recently in 2020, according to the best scholarship available at the time. The purposes of the updates have been to increase accuracy, clarity, and readability. Every aspect of vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and meaning was carefully reviewed during each update. The result is an accurate translation that clearly communicates the Word of God in contemporary English.

Accuracy will always and forever be the unmovable cornerstone of our translation philosophy. Changes are never made lightly. With this in mind, to best achieve our goals, updates must consistently maintain the highest standards of formal equivalence translation that is familiar and understandable in English each time the work is done.

The NASB 1995, NASB 2020, and LSB are all accurate, clear, and readable translations that complement each other by providing a well-rounded Bible translation family. These translations offer a spectrum of biblical language style for readers to choose from according to their personal preferences. Each can be read with equal confidence because they follow the formal equivalence translation approach that is accurate and precise.

The Integrity, Beauty, and Accuracy of the NASB

The NASB has been produced with the conviction that the words of Scripture, as originally penned in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, are inspired by God. Therefore every word must be accurate and precise so that they are read with confidence. Since these words are the living and eternal Word of God, the Holy Scriptures must speak clearly with fresh power to each generation, to give wisdom that leads to salvation so that all people may serve Christ for the glory of God.

We firmly believe the NASB provides an accurate and precise English translation with which to conduct a personal journey through the Word of God.

Accuracy You Can Trust

The NASB was translated with accuracy and precision to ensure every reader is experiencing an incredibly accurate translation from the original languages. Since some meanings of words in the English language can change or are no longer commonly understood from one generation to another, it is also critical to provide updated translations to meet the need of each generation in a style of English most comfortable and understandable for them. Therefore, each translation utilizes a unique English style to achieve that goal while maintaining accuracy to the original inspired Word of God.

NASB 1995

The NASB 1995 is widely embraced and trusted as an English translation that provides superior accuracy while using a classic style of literary English. This updated edition from the NASB 1977 increases clarity and readability as well as updates vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure so that the text is more easily understood. A major change from the 1977 edition is the removal of archaic English, such as “thy” and “thou”, that are no longer used or familiar to many people. The NASB 1995 is widely available today in both print and digital formats.

NASB 2020

The NASB 2020 is an update of the NASB 1995 that further improves accuracy where possible, modernizes language, and improves readability. These refinements maintain faithful accuracy to the original texts and provide a clear understanding of God’s Word to those who prefer more modern English standards. The long-established translation standard for the NASB remains the same as it always has been, that is to accurately translate the inspired Word of God from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts into modern English that is clearly understandable today.

Translation Philosophy

The NASB does not attempt to interpret Scripture through translation. Instead, the NASB adheres to the principles of a formal equivalence translation. This is the most exacting and demanding method of translation, striving for the most readable word-for-word translation that is both accurate and clear. This method more closely follows the word and sentence patterns of the biblical authors in order to enable the reader to study Scripture in its most literal format and to experience the individual personalities of those who penned the original manuscripts.

Translating text from one language to another always comes with trade-offs, but the NASB places the highest priority on consistently adhering to formal equivalence translation, so the literalness of the original manuscripts is not sacrificed.

Instead of the translation choices telling the reader what to think, the NASB simply provides the most precise English translation it can. This way readers can study the text as they personally journey through the Word of God.

History of the New American Standard Bible

In 1604 a revision of the Bishops’ Bible of 1568 was commissioned. This revision, first printed in 1611, came to be known as the King James Version and is considered a landmark in the history of English Bible translation. More than two centuries later, in Britain, the KJV itself became the basis for the English Revised Version, completed in 1885, with its American counterpart, the American Standard Version, being published in 1901. The ASV, a product of both British and American scholarship, has been highly regarded for its scholarship and accuracy.

Recognizing the values of the American Standard Version, The Lockman Foundation launched a new translation project in 1959. It sought to preserve the lasting values of the ASV while incorporating recent discoveries of Hebrew and Greek textual sources, all with more current English. This new and original translation project created the NASB.

The Lockman Foundation of La Habra, California, employed a dedicated team of scholars who worked for more than ten years to produce the New American Standard Bible. First published in its complete form in 1971, the NASB came to be known as a trusted Bible for reading and study because it provides a precise translation of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek in familiar English.

Underlying the New American Standard Bible is the evangelical commitment of the translators, all of whom believe that the original writing of the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God.

1977 NASB Translators
Dr. Peter Ahn
Dr. Warren Allen
Dr. Gleason Archer
Dr. Herman Austel
Dr. Kenneth Lee Barker
Dr. George Blankenbaker
Dr. Fred Bush
Dr. Frank G. Carver
Dr. David L. Cooper
Dr. Richard W. Cramer
Dr. Edward R. Dalglish
Dr. Charles Lee Feinberg
Dr. Harvey Finley
Dr. Paul Gray
Dr. Edward F. Harrison
Dr. John Hartley
Dr. F. B Huey, Jr.
Dr. Charles Isbell
Dr. David W. Kerr
Dr. William L. Lane
Dr. Timothy Lin
Dr. Oscar Lowry
Dr. Elmer Martens
Dr. Henry R. Moeller
Dr. Reuben A. Olson
Dr. J. Barton Payne
Dr. Walter Penner
Dr. John Rea
Dr. W.L. Reed
Dr. Robert Saucy
Dr. Robert N. Schaper
Dr. Moisés Silva
Dr. Ralph L. Smith
Dr. Merrill C. Tenney
Dr. Robert L. Thomas
Dr. George Townsend
Dr. Bruce Waltke
Dr. Lowell C. Wendt
Dr. William C. Williams
Dr. Herbert M. Wolf
Dr. Kenneth Wuest
Dr. Fred Young

1995 NASB Translators
Dr. George Blankenbaker
Dr. Frank G. Carver
Dr. Timothy L. Deahl
Dr. Paul Enns
Dr. Buist M. Fanning
Dr. Thomas Finley
Dr. Osvaldo Garcia
Dr. Kenneth Hanna
Dr. W. Hall Harris
Rev. Eduardo Hernandez
Dr. Harold Hoehner
Dr. J. Carl Laney
Dr. David K. Lowery
Dr. Ted Martin
Dr. Robert Saucy
Dr. H. Bruce Stokes
Dr. Duane Wetzler
Dr. Dale Wheeler
Dr. Don Wilkins

Critical Consultants
Dr. C.S. Lovett
Dr. Robert Sloan
Dr. Donald Verleur
Dr. James White

2020 NASB Translators
Dr. David Allen, Ph.D., M.Div.
Dr. Noel Enete, Th.M.
Dr. Paul Enns, Th.M., Th.D
Dr. Jack Greenoe, Ph.D., M.Div.
Dr. Moyer Hubbard, D.Phil, M.Div., Th.M.
Dr. Alan Hultberg, Ph.D., M.Div.
Dr. Robert G. Lambeth, C.P.A., LLD (h.c.)
Dr. H. Bruce Stokes, Ph.D.
Dr. Ryan Stokes, Ph.D., M.A.
Rev. Michael Voytek, M.Div
Dr. W. Don Wilkins, Ph.D., Th.M., M.Div., M.A.
Dr. Malcolm Yarnell III, Ph.D., Th.M., M.Div.

Critical Consultants Continued
Dennis Hukel
Ryan Keen, M.Div.
Dr. Phoebe Lambeth, M.A., LHD (h.c.)
Pike Lambeth
Dr. Walter A. Price
Marilyn Saliby
Nathan Steiner, M.Div.
Wes Walker, M.Div.
Andrew Wiggin