From Mary Sperry on the NABRE Facebook page: “The liturgical edition of the Bible has been confirmed by the Holy See. Due to the existing challenges in the publishing world, we anticipate publication in the fourth quarter of 2026.” The name of this text will likely be announced at the end of this year. Also, clarification about what this Liturgical Edition will consist of: “the liturgical Bible includes three elements: the New American Bible Old Testament approved by the USCCB Administrative Committee in September 2010; The Abbey Psalms and Canticles confirmed by the then-Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on May 3, 2018; and the New American Bible New Testament, approved by the Administrative Committee in September 2024. The Abbey Psalms will be in place. The Abbey Canticles will be provided in an appendix to each testament with notes pointing to the appendices where appropriate.”
While I am not very excited by the death of the existing NABRE Psalms and weird stitching of Old Testament passages from the Abbey Psalms into the OT, the NT is so cringe in the NABRE that I pray the text is substantially better.
On some earlier posts on that Facebook group it seems they aren’t yet certain if the Abbey Psalms will replace the NABRE Psalms in the NABRE bible itself. What’s mentioned above is the “liturgical edition” where the Abbey Psalms will replace the Psalms used in our Novus Ordo liturgy in the US. I’m kind of excited about it… hopefully our chanted Psalms will be more like the Benedictines!
Are you suggesting that there might be two different versions of the next edition (whatever they call it) with two different Psalters?
Definitely don’t want to put words in their mouth but it seems to be on the table. Just as now we have some NAB-flavored (not quite NAB and not quite NABRE) texts in the U.S. lectionary, it seems that in mass they will use the Abbey Psalms and the bibles they put out for purchase could still include the NABRE Psalms. Who knows though, they may decide to toss the NABRE Psalms. Simply saying that it doesn’t seem a decision has been made at this point.
Josh is correct. The decision has not yet been made about the future of the NABRE Psalter. Hopefully, by the end of the year, but no guarantees.
Hi Josh,
I was poking around on the USCCB LOTH 2nd edition update page and saw this:
> “The various readings from Scripture will be taken from the latest edition of the New American Bible, Revised Edition: the 2010 Old Testament and a revised 2024 edition of the New Testament. Together with The Abbey Psalms and Canticles used for the Book of Psalms and the liturgical canticles, these elements form the “liturgical Bible,” that is, a sole translation of the Bible that will be used in liturgical books and available for devotional study by the faithful.”
This last line intrigues me the most, “available for devotional study by the faithful.” So to my understanding there will be a Bible that has all these elements available. Furthermore, on my reading it sounds like the old NABRE psalms and canticles will be replaced altogether in the new ones, though I could certainly be wrong!
Very exciting! This was faster than I expected. Roberto: It sounds like the full NABRE OT will remain intact (aside from the Psalms). The Abbey Canticles will be provided in appendices.
Maybe the American pope cut through the red tape!
It was extremely fast. The confirmation decree was signed 4 months after the US bishops’ vote. Might be a speed record!
Almost 2 years from now? That makes no sense. What obstacle to publication remains?
Paper got really expensive because of Covid supply chain issues and continues to hurt publishers’ profitability.
Which is why the Ignatius Study Bible is so big, the paper is extremely thick, they could wait until they get the normal thin Bible paper but that would delay publication by several more years, and people were already widely complaining about how long it took.
I think about this comment every time I open the Ignatious Study Bible. When It first came my impression was of a heavy brick of a book. Now, I look at the paper along with the size. Would I want a thinner bible with thinner paper ? This one is easy to read, very little ghosting, and the pages are easy to turn. Given this choice I believe I like it the way it is. I’m still hopeful that Ignatious will publish an old testament only edition.
Only a handful of US based printers can handle a Bible, especially ones with sewn bindings. Getting time on their schedule is difficult and if you miss your date, getting another one is even harder. Paper has to be ordered well in advance. Printing outside the US and paper orders are also affected by global economics, including tarriffs, as well as shipping times. (A lot of paper comes from Canada and a lot of Bible publishing happens in China and Korea.)
In addition, the Bible files have to be prepared as “well-formed documents” for publication. Laying out a Bible takes weeks of a designer’s time. Then there’s the proofreading to make sure nothing was dropped or misplaced by accident. (I guarantee that we check all the commandments very carefully.)
I’d love to say that it will be out for this Christmas, but it’s just not possible.
That means I have just enough time to have purchased the years A, B and C volumes of the Sunday Mass readings’ commentaries from Kreeft (Food for the Soul) and Bergsma (Word of the Lord) before all those volumes immediately become obsolete!
The translation might change, but that doesn’t make them obsolete. The readings will be the same regardless.
The NABRE revision won’t have any effect on Dr. Kreeft or Dr. Bergsma’s commentaries on the readings. Even if Word on Fire and Emmaus do future revised printings of those books with the new translation text, the differences will likely be minor enough that they won’t even displace the pagination. And as BC said, the readings themselves won’t change.
When I’m laid to rest, I pray to God this version is not read. Please Lord, make it the RSV 1st edition. Thank you.
Hopefully the Apostle Jude will no longer follow the Protestant obfuscation as the son of James when in his letter he clearly says he is the brother of James — hence one of the four cousins of Jesus — a truth the Protestants are determined to hide with the collaboration of misguided Catholic translators.
This seems to have largely flown under the radar, but it looks like the 6th edition of the United Bible Society’s Greek New Testament (UBS6), and thus the text of the Nestle-Aland 29th edition (NA29), is done and coming very soon! As of now, the UBS6 reader’s edition has a release date of next month, and the standard edition has a release date of October. Not sure if those are final, since the “reader’s” edition coming out months before the “standard” edition seems weird. Additionally, a new “Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament” is being released alongside the UBS6 reader’s edition, to displace Metzger’s edition. And according to the product descriptions, the NA29 will be arriving sometime next year.
https://shop.die-bibel.de/search?search=GNT6
Some key details given in the description:
– 100+ changes from the UBS5/NA28
– Adopts the text changes from the Editio Critica Maior volumes for Mark, Acts, and Revelation
– Gives greater consideration to the Textus Receptus readings than prior UBS/NA editions did
– UBS6 introduction will be in English
I really hope the USCCB Liturgical Bible NT revision team was kept in the loop of the progress that went into the USB6.
I doubt the changes will be significant, I’m sure it consists of little more than a handful of readings switching places from the text and the margins. Which will make little difference in translations because translators make their own textual decisions anyway, no one follows UBS word for word.
Will any readings chosen for the lectionary make their way into this Bible? The easy one is Isaiah 7:14 but I have often pondered whether the first few verses of Genesis as rendered in the NABRE be confusing to hear read aloud.
On the flip side, I just recently received my missal from the CTS in the UK, with the new ESV-CE lectionary, and have been using it at Sunday mass. The difference is stark from the old NAB lectionary preached at mass. It is far more dignified and clear, and has definitely enhanced my appreciation in the scriptural readings at mass. How I wish the US would just adopt the UK lectionary, since I have my doubts about the NABRE(RE) will come anywhere close to the elevated English and flow witnessed in the new UK lectionary.
The ESV-CE Lectionary with the Abbey Psalter is in use in Britain rather than the UK, as Northern Ireland is ecclesially – is that a word?! – united with the Republic of Ireland. Ireland looks set to adopt the RNJB.
While the ESV-CE is great step forward from the JB Lectionary and is a more Christological translation, we will not benefit from the recent revisions to the ESV. So we are stuck with the rather odd translation of Genesis 3:16.
If I am understanding this correctly, this Bible will contain two different translations of Deuteronomy 32:8. With the 2010 Old Testament based in the Dead Sea Scrolls/Septuagint and the Abbey Canticle based off the Vulgate/Masoretic text.
How could any Bible include two different translations of one verse?
One in the main text, and another in the appendix of Abbey Canticles
“The Abbey Canticles will be provided in an appendix”, I suppose the same as what I already have in my standalone copy of the Abbey Psalms and Canticles. And the NABRE psalms are just disappearing.
Philip is exactly right.
End of 2026 sounds a lot more promising than the article I saw where they said the earliest possible implementation date would be 2029 liturgical year (Advent 2028):
https://www.ocp.org/en-us/blog/entry/update-on-new-english-language-lectionary-for-mass
I suspect the complete Bible will be published significantly earlier than the lectionary. My guess would be 2026 for the Bible, and advent 2028 (or even later) for the lectionary, just because of the extra work that needs to be done to format the lectionary, add the extra introductory phrases (called “incipits”) to the readings, etc.
We hope that the Bible will be available in 2026. (Hope is a theological virtue.) The Lectionary will be later. It has to be formatted, approved by the bishops, and confirmed by Rome before it goes to the publishers. And it really needs to become effective on a First Sunday of Advent. Picking another date cause massive pastoral confusion. Also keep in mind that composers will need to set the new Responsorial Psalms so that they can be sung. That takes some time.
Mary, congrats on the major accomplishment – I await the finished product eagerly! Also, thanks for popping in to answer some questions. If you’re up for two quickies: 1.) How would you characterize the new NT translation? Similar to the RSV/ESV, or Confraternity, etc.? 2.) Will there be any translation tweaks in the OT when the full Bible is published?
Thanks, and God bless.
Very limited changes to the OT. I would characterize the NT translation as brilliant. (I might be a smidge biased.)
Hi Mary. Thank you so much for the responses that you have shared here.
If I may ask, why does a new lectionary need to be effective on a first Sunday of Advent? Why not pick the most boring Sunday in ordinary time to do it, so that some priests could find more opportunity to work mention of the new lectionary into their homilies?
It has to be the first Sunday of Advent because that is the beginning of the new liturgical year, which means that new missalettes are being introduced and a new cycle of readings begins. To begin in the middle of the year would be impossible because it would create massive confusion, the readings being read aloud would not match what is in the missalettes and people would have no idea what was going on.
Thank you Mary for taking the time to respond to some comments here. If I may ask a question, do you know when the second edition of the Liturgy of the Hours is going to be released? Thanks!
The text of the Liturgy of the Hours went to the Holy See at the end of May 2025. (Assembling that book took MONTHS!) No publication date can be discussed until and unless the text is confirmed.
The Abbey Psalter has already been arranged for responsorial psalms and is used in the British lectionary.
The Abbey Psalter has already been arranged for the Responsorial Psalms. It’s used in the British lectionary alongside the ESV-CE readings.
On other news, there is a new translation/study Bible that is in process that is coming out of the Easter Orthodox world.
https://www.goarch.org/-/holy-cross-dean-fr.-eugen-j.-pentiuc-to-co-edit-upcoming-ancient-christian-study-bible
That looks amazing – that’s kind of my pipe dream Bible.
2027 is the projected release year for this Orthodox Bible.
This is exciting. Hopefully the ultra modern Oxford scholarship interpretations will be avoided by the early church focus of this approach. The use of the Septuagint should inject much needed variety for my reading stack. Hopefully the quotes in the New Testament will match the old this time :-). Hahn & Mitch reference church fathers often in the ICSB which I find useful.
Thanks for the heads up. Where is Oxford having their bibles printed these days ?
I have been writing quotes from the Church Fathers in the margins of my Bible recently. I am finding it very enriching. My fiancé has told me to slow down on my bible collecting (don’t worry she has a deep love of scripture), but I might have to talk to her about this one, even if I have to trade out some of my lesser used books.
Do any of you all have any favorite Church Fathers or quotes from them?
How will it be different from the Orthodox Study Bible?
I only know what’s in the press release about this new Bible, but it sounds like it will be substantially different from the Orthodox Study Bible. This is an entirely new translation based on the Patriarchal Text for the New Testament and the Septuagint for the Old Testament. In contrast, the Orthodox Study Bible uses the New King James Version for the New Testament, while the Old Testament is the NKJV text edited to match the Septuagint.
The notes are being written by a completely different team and appear to include more extensive patristic quotations and scholarly annotations. If you’re familiar with the Orthodox Study Bible, you’ll know it’s not really much of a study Bible. The quotations and notes are quite limited and not particularly substantial.
That’s very cool!
Just saw this video the other day of a talk by Dr. Mary Healy. She briefly mentions the new NABRE revision and says the controversial New Testament footnotes have been revised. Yay! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ3iJv4nExY
it is around the 7:30 mark
“The Bible itself [i.e., the NAB translation] remains as good as it ever was.” (laughter)
Okay, that was funny.
I just hope that whatever name they choose for the updated translation of the NABRE is simpler, and that they don’t further add to the acronym like NAB2RE or whatever else. Something like “Catholic English Version (CEV – though I think that acronym is already taken)” or “Catholic Authorized Bible (CAB)” would be nice. You know, something that rolls of the tongue a bit better.
I get tired of seeing so many translations with the words “new” or “revised” in it. Just a personal pet peeve of mine. And they should probably drop American from the name if they want the translation to appeal to a more global audience. It makes it seem like it’s only for the US.