Current status of the OET
Overview
The OET is given a version number (similar to software packages) and it’s currently at v0.48. (The full version number can always be found in the first paragraph on this page.)
- Recommended for reading, Bible study, and for preaching from (but please submit corrections/suggestions)
- USA-spelling version is not yet available
- PDFs not yet available for sample printouts
- An early alpha version of the Bibleside app is available for enthusiastic users to test
- Not yet recommended for inclusion on Bible sites (until we complete work on some consistency issues)
- Not yet recommended for memorisation
- Not yet recommended for mass printing
- Not yet recommended for use as a resource for translating into other modern languages (although many of the design features mentioned on this website should probably be considered)
We have a list of formatting features and Biblical terms which have to be made more consistent across all the books and chapters, and plan to do that before we reach v0.5. We also need many more people to start reading it here and to report errors and suggestions to us (or submit a PR on GitHub).
Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)
Literal Version
The OET-LV OT is still missing a few Hebrew word and morpheme glosses, and we aren’t totally satisfied with a few others, but in general it’s reliable to use.
Readers’ Version
The spelling of names in OET-RV OT is not yet fully consistent. However, although you might find the occasional typo, the text is quite reliable to use. Some of the earlier OT books to be translated (esp. Jonah and Genesis) also need some formatting updates.
Messianic Update (New Testament)
Literal Version
The OET-LV NT is gratefully adapted from an early version of the forthcoming Verifiable Literal Translation (VLT) created by the Center for NT Restoration (which we also volunteered for, for a time). A few books haven’t been properly reordered yet (we try to make the sentences closer to English SVO order), and the SR-GNT/VLT still breaks the Greek text into an excessive number of (shortish) sentences, but the OET-LV NT is perfectly reliable to use.
Readers’ Version
The OET-RV NT is complete and reliable to use, although it might still contain a few typos, several inconsistencies, and it doesn’t yet have all the formatting markup that has been applied to OT books. (We plan to apply that formatting before we reach v0.5.)
Future plans
Once the OET reaches v0.5 (expected by early 2027), we plan to start actively promoting it in order to get more eyes onto the text.
Also at that time, we plan to start work on making PDFs and other exports available for download (or for printing a few test copies).
Phase One (completed)
Determine targeted audience, select source texts to translate from, write software to create the Literal Version.
Phase Two (completed)
Using the source texts and the literal translations, draft the Readers’ Version New Testament and then the Old Testament.
Phase Three (in progress)
Update the formatting from earlier drafts, work on consistency of names, work on consistency of important Biblical terms, check for both accuracy and fluency.
Mobile app
The Bibleside app (for viewing the Readers’ Version and the Literal Version side-by-side) is currently in development and not yet available for general use, but it’s coming!