CEB
BalanceTranslation profile
Common English Bible
CEB
How it translates, how hard it is to read, where it came from, and what makes it distinctive.
Now showing Guided. How it translates, how hard it is to read, where it came from, and what makes it distinctive.
This is an educational comparison guide — not a Bible reader, and not a quiz that picks a best Bible. You can change this anytime.
The short version
CEB aims to balance original wording with natural English.
These sentences use the listed method, reading-grade, lineage, and notable-facts fields. They are not a ranking.
Translation approach
CEB aims to balance original wording with natural English. This guide lists this as Balance.
Reading difficulty
Moderate reading difficulty. This guide lists grade 7.
What makes it distinctive
Diverse team of translators from twenty-two faith traditions in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities.
How it translates
Translation approach: . CEB aims to balance original wording with natural English.
Scholars attempt to mediate between a word-for-word approach and a thought-for-thought approach. This method is sometimes called optimal equivalence.
Reading level
Moderate reading difficulty. This guide lists grade 7. Reading level does not measure accuracy.
Where it came from
This guide does not list an English Bible lineage for this translation.
First listed 2011.
Text and source listings
Old Testament: , Biblia Hebraica Quinta, Göttingen , Rahlfs' Septuagint
New Testament: Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece
What makes it distinctive
A translation’s story
Why this translation exists
1
Before it
This guide does not list an earlier English Bible in this translation’s lineage field.
2
Why it was created
To make the Bible accessible to a broad range of people and to give readers a smooth and natural reading experience.
3
How it translates
Balance. Scholars attempt to mediate between a word-for-word approach and a thought-for-thought approach. This method is sometimes called optimal equivalence.
4
Who / what it was designed for
Diverse team of translators from twenty-two faith traditions in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities. Used by teenagers and adults for church worship and personal Bible study.
5
Where it sits
Balance · Grade 7 · First released 2011 (Modern English).
See it in action
Compare with translations that offer a useful contrast — not a ranking.
KJV
Different translation approach
ASV
Different reading grade
RSV
Older and newer English
Sample verses
“Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.”
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. 17 God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.