History of the New King James Version:

In 1975, Thomas Nelson Publishers commissioned 130 of the most esteemed Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay Christians to produce an entirely new, modern translation of Scripture. The work on the New King James Version (NKJV) took seven years to complete. The New Testament was published in 1979 and the complete version in 1982.

Purpose of the New King James Version:

Their goal was to retain the purity and stylistic beauty of the original King James Version while incorporating a modern, more up-to-date language.

Quality of Translation:

Using a literal method of translation, those who worked on the project held to an uncompromising faithfulness to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts, as they employed the most recent research in linguistics, textual studies, and archaeology.