Open English Translation of the Bible (OET)

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Note that we are in the process of moving the OET details to a dedicated new website. Or if you want an early view of the drafted text, see here.

An introduction to the Open English Translation of the Bible (OET) and a description of the different versions can be found here.

Perhaps one of the main differences from existing English translations that should be mentioned here is this: All translations must choose to place themselves somewhere on the line that moves from being very literal (some people might perhaps naively think this is being accurate to the original), to being more helpful to the reader by being more free/dynamic (in making a translation that fills in some of the implied information that might have been obvious to the original readers). The Open English Translation handles this by choosing two points on that line instead of just one! The two versions (one very literal and one quite dynamic) are intended to be used together (and never alone).

The other main difference, is that the Open English Translation will be made freely available for others to use and publish in Bible studies and similar materials, to print, to display on any device, and even to change/customise (with some limitations) for a specific group.

Good News: After several years of waiting, the Open English Translation was restarted in the second half of 2022 (after the new Statistical Restoration Greek New Testament was released). This work started with a review of the design, and then a focus on creating the Literal Version New Testament. Are you interested in helping or supporting this effort? If so, please use our Contact Page.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the OET can be found here.

The Open English Translation will eventually be available in five versions:

Literal version preliminary sample text: Jonah (UTF-8 USFM text file)

Readers’ version preliminary sample text: Jonah (UTF-8 USFM text file)

More on the Downloads page.

If you’re a professional Bible translator or app developer and able to help us in this endeavour, please start a conversation with us via the Contact Page.