The previous phase system was very difficult to implement and track. What would happen is that the individual steps would merge together into a sort of first, second, third pass, which really was the same thing.

I’m going to revise this all based on how it actually worked out during the edit for Genesis.

Phase 1

The rewording phase. This means we take the KJV text and we reword it according to modern English. A wide range of bibles will be used, and I have found it is easier to compare just one or two bibles at a time for this purpose. All changes made to the base text will be shown during phase one. The final product of Phase 1 is intended to be a modern-English KJV paraphrase/translation, which is sufficiently different from the KJV to be copyrightable but also as close to the KJV reading as possible. The RSV, ESV and AMP bibles are probably close to the idea that I am going for here, although I am not actually translating anything new, I would be more than happy to get in a place where the NSV phase 1 bible would be a close competitor of the above three bibles for the style and basic structure of the text.

The main issue I want to avoid in this stage is copyright infringement so that I may copyright the phase 1 and phase 2 (etc) texts. This should be a relatively straightforward issue. Some KJV-family bibles have simply replaced the thees and thous and were then copyrighted. This is along the lines of what we will be doing, however I intend to take things further than merely changing archaic English. I will also be making changes I feel make sense better, including the addition and/or alteration of grammatical marks — which, again according to some bibles is apparently enough to copyright the KJV.

In this sense Phase 1 is not yet complete for Genesis. I need to go back and use the KJV text versus the ASV text. I really feel now that using the ASV text was something of a mistake, since it changes too much away from the KJV in ways I would not have changed. Time will tell on this one.

Phase 2

It is very tempting to include the DRA (and other non-KJV family translations) during the initial comparison of phase 1. But by excluding non-KJV family bibles until phase 2, we are enabling ourselves to take a fresh second pass at the text and come up with wording that exceeded our initial efforts at modifying the KJV by feel. Finally, we expect to have 90% of the final text ready by this point in terms of finality.

Phase 3

The thing about Phase three is it’s going to be another wild shot in the dark in the same manner as Phase 1, except this time will be from a theological angle. What will happen during Phase 3 is that a theological check will be done versus the Stone Chumash and JPS texts, as well as other texts. This is going to be huge because for various reasons we are going to have to also include here a reading of Rashi and Rambam (i.e. their commentaries). We won’t necessarily include the commentary however the goal will be to ensure that the reading supports the theological position of the Hebrew Scriptures and also via the commentary of Rashi and Rambam. I don’t expect many changes here. This is not a phase for exposition. The fact is that we are not interested in including a full Rashi/Rambam commentary as these are freely available from many sources. What we want to avoid is having someone look up an authentic Jewish source and having our wording contradict it. That can never happen after Phase 3.

Phase 4

Phase 4 is going to be the initial Noachide/Counter-Missionary exegesis. A simple read through and custom commentary by me (in a similar vein to the Wesley Study Bible) will develop over time into what I hope is a revealing commentary on the Bible. This is going to take quite some time, probably longer than all the previous phases combined! A major goal here is to provide justification for the Noachide laws, as well as to indicate which parts of the Bible apply to Noachides and which do not.

Phase 5

Phase 5 is considered to be “complete” and will be a phase where I continuously add more counter-missionary data based on websites, videos, interviews, and discussions I have or will come across. When significant changes are made a new version will be released dated by the year of release.

I will probably start publishing and distributing copies shortly after phase 5 — the first phase 5 revision of phase 4 will be dated NSV 2020 or something ala JPS 1987. These will be exciting days!