The New Living Translation (NLT) is straight from Hell. . . Let's face it, the corrupters who are publishing demonic bibles are all out to make a fast buck, filthy lucre! In order to reach the largest market base possible, they trim and water down the Scriptures as much as tolerable. This is evil. . . As further proof of corruption, Billy Graham endorses the NLT on the front cover jacket.
Friend, don't believe it. And if it is a person telling you that and not Google, then simply smile graciously and remember to fact check everything else they ever pass along to you.
Here's the real story:
It is true that if you make a verse-by-verse comparison between the King James Verion (KJV) and virtually all 20th century versions - including New International Version (NIV) English Standard Version (ESV), New American Standard Version (NASB), Revised Standard Version (RSV) as well as the NLT - you will find several verses - typically about 16 - "missing" from the KJV to the others.
You should ask "Why is that"? There is a perfectly good reason for the differences.
The KJV is translated from a specific Greek Manuscript called the Textus Receptus - or "Received Text" - that was assembled from Greek and Latin manuscripts, as well as references from other writings by the scholar Erasmus in the year 1516. It was best Greek compilation of the time and figured powerfully in the Reformation.
But that was five centuries ago. And across those five centuries, there has been a great deal of archaelogy and many additional manuscripts discovered that are actually earlier in origin than anything Erasmus had to work from. I will say that again: Five centuries of archaelogy have discovered manuscripts that predate the sources of Textus Receptus.
The modern translations work from THOSE manuscripts - the older ones - and not Textus Receptus. The 16 "missing verses" are simply not in the older manuscripts that have been discovered over the past five centuries. As best we are able to tell - it was not a "xerox copy" sort of process that long ago - the extra versess in the Textus Receptus were added - whether intentionally or by scribal error, often for clarity - centuries after the manuscripts we now have.
So a more-true-to-the-facts way to express matter would be say that the KJV ADDS 16 verses to the Bible. But take it from me, when someone insists that the modern translations have "missing verses," you had best not upset them by asking why they want a translation of the Bible with "added verses."
Two More Points
No Difference Of Import Here - Simply put, there is no aspect of the life of Jesus, the Gospel of God's Grace or message of the Bible as a whole that is lost by the "missing verses" or added by the "added verse" depending on your preference. Everything these verse add is already clearly known by other verses - usally many other verses if it is something important - in the rest of the Textus Receptus and modern Greek manuscripts.
No One Is Hiding Anything - The differences between Textus Receptus and the modern manuscripts are all well known, discussed and open to see and deliberate. Actually, most of the modern translations will include the differences in brackets or a footnote. Here is an example of that based on John 5:4 from GotQuestions.org
For example, John 5:4 is included in the KJV, but in the NKJV the verse has a footnote attached explaining that it is not found in many Greek texts, the NASB includes the verse in brackets: The NIV places the verse in a footnot, so John 5:4 is "missing" the actual text.
Resources:
Why Are The Newer Translations Of The Bible Missing Verses? from GotQuestions.org
This is a helpful summary - complete with 5 minute video! - of this matter. CLICK HERE This is a paragraph from that post:
It is important to remember that the verses in question are of minor significance. None of them change in any way the crucial themes of the Bible, nor do they have any impact on the Bible’s doctrines—Jesus’ death and resurrection; Christ’s being the only way of salvation; and the doctrines of heaven and hell, sin and redemption, and the nature and character of God. These doctrines are preserved intact through the work of the Holy Spirit, who safeguards the Word of God for all generations. It is not a matter of the newer translations missing verses, and it is not a matter of the KJV translators adding to the Bible. It is a matter of determining, through careful research and textual science, what content was most likely part of the original manuscripts of the Bible.
Exactly Which Verses Are In Question
Here is a list of KJV verses not carried into modern translations based on differences with Textus Receptus. You will find verse, comparison and rationale for each one. Warning: this is pretty details and arcane, but it is good to know and see to get a sense of the serious evidence and considerations behind the differences. CLICK HERE for that post.
