Though it is not due in stores until March 2011, the updated New International Version (NIV) has been made available for purchase in digital form.

Zondervan launched the e-book edition Dec. 21, the first time a new translation has been offered in digital format before print publication. It is available at Amazon.com for $9.99, with Zondervan pledging to donate a New Testament for an evangelistic effort in India for every e-sale.

“With the updated NIV complete and consumers enthusiastically awaiting its arrival, we wanted to make it available as soon as possible,” said Moe Girkins, president and CEO of Zondervan. Launching it in digital format with a ministry giveaway “follows the heritage of the NIV—to reach more people with God's Word by translating in the language that ordinary people can understand,” she added.

The revision of the NIV was announced in September 2009 and completed in a year, with the new text made available online for review and comment. As part of the update, the controversial Today's New International Version—beset by criticism of some of its gender-related changes—is being phased out.

Running through Jan. 4, the Buy One, Give One campaign will see Zondervan donate a NIV-like Hindi New Testament to Biblica for distribution in India for every new digital copy sold. Organizers hope to donate 30,000 copies.

The new NIV eBook Bible has been redesigned for “an intuitive user experience,” Zondervan said, with a crisp font and maximized readability. The new edition also features quicker speed turns and a numbered footnoting system to enable readers to easily jump between Bible text and footnotes.

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