“The German Bible Society is known for its academic excellence and as such is recognized as a leader in Biblical scholarship. The production of the BaselBible shows that its academic excellence is not cast in stone and that it can adapt to give the next generation not only a true rendition of the Holy Scriptures but one that they can read and understand in their own vernacular. It is as such a scholarly work that reaches to the next generation with integrity and truth.”

The Basic Bible – the world's first Bible translation for new media - is a response to media consumption trends in the modern digital society. In addition to a print edition, it is available as an online version and as software from fall 2011. The new translation is particularly suitable for the computer screen, with short sentences and clearly structured sections helping with both reading and understanding the text. Following the ‘Luther Principle’, the Basic Bible speaks today's language while still remaining faithful to the original text and to the message of the Gospels. Its approachable language and its suitability for digital platforms make it particularly appealing to people who are new to the Bible, to teenagers, to young adults, to house groups and to those returning to reading the Bible.

Complementing the printed product, the software and the online versions contain the entire Gute Nachricht Bibel (comparable to the American Good News Bible) and many explanatory features. These range from hyperlinks in the Bible text giving explanations of individual terms through photos, maps and drawings illustrating the biblical world to an encyclopaedia with extensive entries about people, words and facts.

The Basic Bible uses engaging multimedia techniques to encourage readers to embark on a journey of biblical discovery, to answer their theological questions and to provide information about what the Bible has to say about real life issues such as love, work or alcohol.

Another special feature of the Basic Bible is the opportunity for people to interactively participate in the ongoing translation process. Newly translated Bible texts will be published online at regular intervals and people will be invited to comment. This interactive process aims to find out what motivates young people in particular and what help they need in finding real meaning in the Bible. This approach will ensure that each newly translated book is greeted even more enthusiastically.

The complete Basic Bible New Testament is already available. The translation of the Old Testament is also under way.