The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has posted resources for the March 9 release of the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE). The Bible includes the bishops’ first new translation of the Old Testament in over 40 years, as well as an updated Psalter.

Among the resources available online at http://www.usccb.org/nab/ (click on “Revised Edition”) are prayer resources, frequently asked questions and a series of articles about the Old Testament that can be used by Catholic media, dioceses and parishes. Topics range from liturgy to the Old Testament and family to the Old Testament as the root of Catholic Social Teaching.

“The publication of this new Bible is a wonderful opportunity for Catholics to get to know the Old Testament better and to understand its direct connection with our Catholic faith,” said Mary Elizabeth Sperry, associate director of Bible utilization for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.

A translation team of more than 50 scholars and theologians turned to the original Hebrew and Greek texts and archaeological finds to ensure that the revised text is as close to the original as possible, more clearly expresses the meaning of the original text and better reflects modern English usage. For example, words such as “cereal,” “booty” and “holocaust” have been replaced to avoid confusion between their original and present day meanings. The translation went to a subcommittee of the United States Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine before receiving approval for publication last fall by the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“The content will be the same, but the meaning will be much clearer. It is like moving from regular television to HD: you are still seeing your favorite program, but you will see it much more clearly,” Sperry said about the new Bible.

The NABRE is approved for private use and study. It will not be used for the Mass, which uses an earlier, modified version of the NAB translation.