The New Living Translation is a contemporary, easily understood, modern translation of the Bible. Written with the help of over 90 Bible scholars, the NLT is a very enjoyable translation that is perfect for comparative study of difficult passages. A translation the whole family can enjoy! -- Biblesoft
A 1996 remake of Kenneth Taylor's The Living Bible. It translates both the Old Testament and New Testament into modern-day English. (The on-line version seems to have left out Chronicles -- but can you blame them?) It is recommended by some big names: Billy Graham, Bill Hybels, Greg Laurie, and Josh McDowell, for example. Of course, being a functional translation (not literal), it is also condemned by many Christians as a 'worthless mockery of the Word of God'. It is useful for untangling some of the more difficult passages of the Bible -- you might not consider the NLT the word of God, but it's certainly an useful study tool.
1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. 3. Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4. And God saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5. God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." Together these made up one day. 6. And God said, "Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water." 7. And so it was. God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below. 8. And God called the space "sky." This happened on the second day. -- NLT
1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. -- KJV
See http://www.newlivingtranslation.com for more, including an on-line copy.