Plain English

‘Welcome’

Scripture Resources

The Plain English Version (PEV) is an English translation of the Bible designed for Indigenous Australians whose mother tongue is an Aboriginal language. Several books have been published in printed form by the Bible League and can be found on their website in the Indigenous Australian resources category. They include individual books of the Bible, collections of letters, and a PEV Mini-Bible with most of the New Testament and portions from Genesis and 1 & 2 Samuel (printed in 2023). You can access digital versions below of everything that has already been translated.

Online BibleRead the Bible online
pdfDownload pdf version
epub3Download epub - ebook format
mobiDownload mobi - Kindle reader format
zipped htmlDownload zipped html
mp3 audioDownload mp3 files
crosswire swordDownload zipped Crosswire Sword module
android appGo to Google Play Store

These resources may be purchased through The Bible Place, 3/38 Elder St, Alice Springs, Tel 08 8953 3057. Email

LANGUAGEAUSIL CODECATEGORYMEDIAPUBLISHERUNIT PRICE
Aboriginal EnglishENGC926A -- Look,Listen and Live Series and Good News in Aboriginal English900-OtherCDCIMR20
Aboriginal EnglishROPC926A -- Teaching from the Bible_x000D_
LLL series_x000D_
900-OtherCDCIMR20

General Language Information:

This English translation of the Bible seeks to use language features that are common to most Australian Aboriginal languages. This affects the vocabulary, grammar and rhetorical devices. It follows a meaning based translation principle wherein it seeks to convey the same meaning as the original authors conveyed to the original readers.

Language features include:

  • No passive voice, since most Indigenous Australian languages do not have passive voice.
  • Verbs and adjectives instead of most abstract nouns, since abstract nouns are rare in Australian languages.
  • Shorter sentences to conform to the grammars of Australian languages.
  • Where the original text has implicit information that would not be obvious to the target audience, that information has been made explicit.
  • Modified vocabulary, according to what is commonly understood by the target audience.
  • Where the original text has used figurative language that could be taken as literal by the target audience the meaning has been stated.

Eph 2:8a  God is really good to you. You believed in Jesus and God saved you. You did not do anything good but God saved you anyway. It did not cost you anything.

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