The folks over and YouVersion.com and Zondervan have made the new version of the NIV available as a free offline version in the Bible App.  Check out their announcement:

2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. To commemorate this milestone achievement, which made the Bible available in the common language of the people, throughout 2011, YouVersion will roll out events and opportunities that will help you more easily access, engage and share the Bible. The first of these events is that Bible App™ users will be able to download the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. Made possible through a special partnership with Biblica and Zondervan, this offer will only be available for a limited time.

Beginning THIS SATURDAY, February 12, at 8:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time (GMT-5), and lasting for 400 hours, you’ll be able to download the NIV to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Android device. When you download the NIV, that means you’ll be able to read it even when you can’t connect to your service provider or to the Internet. This special promotion will end on March 1, at 12:00 PM noon U.S. Eastern Time (GMT-5).

Read more about how to download over at their blog.

I loved seeing this, I had actually stopped using the Bible app and had started using the TNIV Bible – Tecarta app because it had two features that the Bible app lacked.

1. Notes feature: I liked being able to take notes directly in the app.
2. Offline feature: I liked being able to have access to my favorite version when i wasn’t connected.

In the last few months, YouVersion has stepped up and added the notes feature, and now they have given me the version we use most at church.  Tecarta still has a few features that I like, a parallel version view and cross references, but I still find the YouVersion app so much easier to use, so I think it’s time to switch back.

If you don’t have the Bible app you can get it here:

• iOS version: Bible – LifeChurch.tv
• Android version: Bible – LifeChurch.tv

There are others available also, but I think those two links should cover most of you.

Remember the free NIV download is only for a limited time.  Don’t miss it.

Happy Reading!