AKA Today's English Version, or Good News for Modern Man.
Published in 1966 by the American Bible Society, it attempts to translate the Bible into modern-day English -- not hippie-speak. Over 20 million copies have been sold, and it is still available today (the most recent revision was apparently in 1996).
It is a non-literal translation, so it is condemned by many Christians. Nonetheless, it is still one of the more popular Bible texts in the world, and has been translated into many other languages. The Roman Catholic Church gave its official approval of the Good News Translation in 1969. The Southern Baptist Convention has also given approval, as has Billy Graham.
1. In the beginning, when God created the universe, 2. the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water. 3. Then God commanded, "Let there be light"-and light appeared. 4. God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness, 5. and he named the light "Day" and the darkness "Night." Evening passed and morning came-that was the first day. 6. Then God commanded, "Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places"-and it was done. 7. So God made a dome, and it separated the water under it from the water above it. 8. He named the dome "Sky." Evening passed and morning came-that was the second day. - Good News Bible*
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
It should be noted that the Good News Bible is well footnoted. I have removed the footnotes here. The GNB is copyright-free for any quotation under 1000 verses, as long as I include this:
Scripture taken from the Good News Bible in Today's English Version - Second Edition, Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
If you want to search this version of the Bible on-line, you can go to
http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=ge+1&version=tev