An Overview of the Revised New Jerusalem Bible 2018

Available on Amazon

This Bible was released this year (2018), and claims to be a formal equivalent (literal) Bible, it is also a gender inclusive Bible. For instance, Matthew 4:4 reads, "A human lives not on bread alone" which feels awkward to me. However, the NJB had "human being" at this verse, (the JB had the more recognizable form "man"). The RNJB is however more of a gender-inclusive Bible than the NJB. As a result, this Bible will be rejected by conservative Catholics in favor of the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition or the Douay-Rheims Bible. See my comments below on gender inclusiveness.

For those who don't know already, the RNJB is a revision of the New Jerusalem Bible which was introduced in 1985, which itself was a revision of the The Jerusalem Bible from 1966...which itself was the English version of the French La Bible de Jerusalem.

This Bible does not bear the Imprimatur and the Nihil Obstat.

The Psalms is not a revision of the previous New Jerusalem Bible, but rather, it is the Revised Grail Psalter. Hence, unlike its predecessors, the Divine Name Yahweh is substituted by LORD.

The inside cover states that this Bible is not to be sold in the United states or Canada, but I had no problem purchasing it with my Prime membership here in the US.

Here are some sample translations for comparison:

Jerusalem Bible 1966 (JB) Matthew 2:2 "We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage."

New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) "We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage."

Revised New Jerusalem Bible (RNJB) "For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him."


JB John 16:7 "Still, I must tell you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going because unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you"

NJB "Still, I am telling you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going, because unless I go, the Paraclete will not come to you"

RNJB "Still I am telling you to truth: it is good for you that I am going, because unless I go, the Paraclete will not come to you"


JB Hebrews 1:6 "Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him."

NJB "Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God pay him homage."

RNJB Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him."


JB 1 Corinthians 13:1 "If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing."

NJB "Though I command languages both human and angelic -- if I speak without love, I am no more than a gong booming or a cymbal clashing."

RNJB "If I speak in the tongues of human beings and of angels but do not have love, I have become a sounding bronze or a cymbal clashing."


The JB and NJB use "only son" for MONOGENHS QEOS/hUION at John 1:18 however the RNJB uses "only-begotten Son." [The better Greek texts have "God" here, not "son."]


JB Revelation 5:10 "and made them a line of kings and priests, to serve our God and to rule the world."

NJB "and made them a line of kings and priests for God, to rule the world."

RNJB "and made them a kingdom and priests for God, And they will reign on earth."


JB Acts 20:28 "Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood."

NJB "Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the guardians, to feed the Church of God which he bought with the blood of his own Son."

RNJB " Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the guardians, to feed the Church of God which he bought with the blood of his own Son.


JB Romans 9:5 "They are descended from the patriarchs and from their flesh and blood came Christ who is above all, God for ever blessed!"

NJB "To them belong the fathers and out of them, so far as physical descent is concerned, came Christ who is above all, God, blessed for ever."

RNJB "To them belong the fathers and from them, according to the flesh, came Christ who is above all, God be blessed for ever."


At 2 Peter 2:4, the JB and NJB have "the underworld" while the RNJB has Tartarus


JB Matthew 5:22 "...anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother 'Fool' he will answer for it before the Sanhedrine; and if a man calls him 'Renegade' he will answer for it in hell fire."

NJB "...anyone who is angry with a brother will answer for it before the court; anyone who calls a brother "Fool" will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and anyone who calls him "Traitor" will answer for it in hell fire."

RNJB "anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will answer for it before the court; anyone who calls a brother or sister "idiot" will answer for it before the assembly; and anyone who calls a brother or sister "fool" will answer for it in hell fire."


JB Acts 17:18 "Does this parrot know what he's talking about?"

NJB "What can this parrot mean?"

RNJB "What does this word-spinner mean?"


JB Galatians 5:12 "Tell those who are disturbing you I would like to see the knife slip."

NJB "I could wish that those who are unsettling you would go further and mutilate themselves."

RNJB "I wish that those who are unsettling you would do some cutting off."


JB 1 Corinthians 7:36 "Still, if there is anyone who feels that it would not be fair to his daughter (parthenon, virgin) to let her grow too old for marriage, and that he should do something about it, he is free to do as he likes: he is not sinning if there is a marriage."

NJB "If someone with strong passions thinks that he is behaving badly towards his fiance'e and that things should take their due course, he should follow his desires. There is no sin in it; they should marry."

RNJB "If anyone thinks he is behaving badly towards his fiance'e and he is passionate and there is no alternative, let him do what he wishes; he is not sinning - let them marry.


While the JB and NJB has "compatriots" the RNJB has "fellow-citizens" at Luke 19:14. All three Bibles have "corn-fields" at Matthew 12:1.


JB Hebrews 1:1-4 "At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; But in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is. He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name."

NJB "At many moments in the past and by many means, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our time, the final days, he has spoken to us in the person of his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made the ages. He is the reflection of God’s glory and bears the impress of God’s own being, sustaining all things by his powerful command; and now that he has purged sins away, he has taken his seat at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name."

RNJB "In many ways and by many means in the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made the ages. He is the reflection of God's glory and the imprint of God's own being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Now that he has made purification for sins, he has taken his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So he is now far above the angels, as the name which he has inherited is more excellent than theirs."


JB Matthew 1:19 "Her husband Joseph, being a man of honor and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally."

NJB "Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally."

The RNJB here uses "dismiss her quietly" instead of "divorce."

The back cover states: "Ancient systems of measuring and timing have been replaced by modern, metric equivalents." However, I can still find the word "cubit" (Matt 6:27...not modern) and "mile" (Matt 5:41...not metric).

Hebrews 13:10 is used by Catholics as a defense for the Mass, however the footnote in this Bible destroys that argument with "Probably a metaphor for Christ's heavenly sacrifice rather than an Earthly eucharistic altar."

About the word MAN:

As dictionary.com states: a member of the species Homo sapiens or all the members of this species collectively, without regard to sex:
prehistoric man.
the human individual as representing the species, without reference to sex; the human race; humankind:
Man hopes for peace, but prepares for war.

As for the Bible:

Anthropos is a Greek word which is often meant in a gender-inclusive sense, especially in the plural. However, the use of anthropos has a masculine sense in certain contexts, and the Greek-speaking world of the early Christian era would presume that anyone who is called an anthropos is male. This may be seen in the following examples from the RSV:

Matthew 19:5 "For this reason a man (anthropos) shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'."
Matthew 19:10 "If such is the case of a man (anthropos) with his wife, it is not expedient to marry."
I Corinthians 7:1 "It is well for a man (anthropos) not to touch a woman."

Many other examples could be offered that shows that the word MAN/anthropos has masculine connotations. However, in general usage when "Man" is used in a larger sense, such as "mankind" it is already gender-neutral. (Rev. 14:4)

Conclusion: I have always been a big fan of the New Jerusalem Bible. I have a very worn out copy that I still make use of today. While I have not read the entire New Testament of the Revised New Jerusalem Bible, it is better than most modern Protestant Bibles, but so far as I can see, it is not an improvement over the New Jerusalem Bible. I will still be using my NJB for reading and studying.