The New King James Version (NKJV) Bible

The New King James Version (NKJV) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published by Thomas Nelson, the complete NKJV was released in 1982. About its textual basis, the NKJV relies on a recently published critical edition (the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia) for the Old Testament while opting to use the Textus Receptus for the New Testament. Thomas Nelson describes the NKJV as "scrupulously faithful to the original, yet truly updated to enhance its clarity and readability." The text for the New Testament was published in 1979, the Psalms in 1980, and the entire Bible in 1982. The project took seven years to complete. The Executive Editor of the NKJV, Arthur L. Farstad, addressed textual concerns in a book explaining the NKJV translation philosophy. He defended the Majority Text (also called the Byzantine text type). He claimed that the Textus Receptus is inferior to the Majority Text. Still, he noted (p. 114) that the NKJV references significant discrepancies among text types in its marginal notes: "None of the three [textual] traditions on every page of the New Testament [...] is labeled 'best' or 'most reliable.' The reader is permitted to make up their own mind about the correct reading."

The text from the New King James Version® (NKJV®) may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio), up to and inclusive of 500 verses or less without written permission, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible, nor do verses quoted account for 25% or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted, and the verses are not being quoted in a commentary or other biblical reference work.

For churches requesting to use a small selection of material for church bulletins, sermons, or classroom use that falls within our “gratis use” guidelines, formal written permission is not necessary. Churches may use stand-alone quotations/scriptures in sermons, bulletins, newsletters, or projected in a worship setting without asking written permission provided the translation is correctly cited.

This permission is contingent upon an appropriate copyright acknowledgment as follows:

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

For requests not covered by the above guidelines, write to HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Attention: Permissions Department, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214 or go to http://www.harpercollinschristian.com/permissions/.