Bibles

[quinnersmom]

Hello.

I am new and this is my first post!

My husband and I just joined a Lutheran Church. I was catholic but not practicing. We were married 9 years ago in a Lutheran church and my son who is now 3 was baptised in the lutheran church.

I want to buy myself a bible but don't know what one to get. What Bible do I buy? We are in the ELCA Synod. I went to the book store and there were a ton of different bibles. I want to study it, I saw some study bibles but didn't dare buy one yet.,

Any advice???

thanks!

 

[Biarien]

I read NIV and NASB. NIV is very easy to read but from what I've heard is less literally accurate. NASB is slightly more difficult to read, but also by no means difficult. I'm sure you can find some resources on the internet as well. Try searching on Google.

 

[breezynosacek]

What I've suggested to many has been either the Amplified Version or a parallel study Bible with the Amplified, KJV and two others in it.

The Amplified acts much like a Strongs Concordance in that there are words in ( ) and [ ] within the text that clarifies the meaning of something.

For instance, you might have the word "believe" in the verse and in parenthesis it shows (adhere to, trust in, and rely on). Which makes it a lot more clear. It is not just talking about head belief.

I recommend it to new Christians. They gain a faster understanding of scriptures without wading through a Strong's Concordance and having to look up the words individually during Bible study.

When I first got mine, for over a year I would take the Amplified and the KJV and look up all the words and compare them to make sure they were keeping the scriptures in context. I found only one error which didn't have to do with the tenants of the faith but when I did it with the NIV, I found many, many errors. Errors that today, I can see misleads people and keeps them from discerning when someone's teaching is off.

I was a member of the LMS for years and I loved it. My ex had an affair and filed for a divorce and I haven't been back. I heard my pastor left and went into missions.

Hope that helps.

 

[Trench777]

I agree with the parallel bible, with KJV, Amplified & 2 others. It can really be a benefit to have as many shots at understanding something as possible, heheh. Sometimes the "archaic" terminology of King James can be hard to get your mind around, but if you have 3 other translations right there on the same page, one of them will usually have a translation you can understand.

Another thing I would personally recommend, is a Key Word bible (of your choice of translations). These are really cool...they have the Strong's numbers next to words, so you can look up the original word in the Greek/Hebrew dictionary in the back and discover the meaning in the original language. This has helped to feed my hunger for the Truth, by leaps and bounds.

God BLESS your studies!

T777

 

[LynneClomina]

i love the New King James (NKJV). of all the translations i have, it speaks to me the most in clarity and beauty and understandibility. and i believe it is very accurate. to me the NIV is very inaccurate. i like the New Living, but it is not a literal translation so it is hard to do studies, but it is very accurate for devotions.

 

[J.A.I]

I parallel study with the NIV and NLT, sometimes I throw in the KJV as well

 

[ShetlandRose]

Everyone has their own favorite version it seems. No matter what version, if you are eager to learn and understand, please consider buying a study Bible with good aids and notes that explain meanings, customs, historical background, and references.

 

[Alternate Carpark]

I would ask God to show you which one is suited for you quinnersmom.

He created you, so He knows how your mind thinks and analyses data, your temperament, and the culture you have grown up in. Ask Him to help you decide which one is most helpful for you and He will.

Before I met the Lord at 22 , I had literally read only two books in my entire life, I was fairly intelligent but had never exercised this intelligence, so any kind of deep study was never thought of at first.
I had a little New Life New Testament that I carried with me everywhere and I devoured it daily, over and over, sometimes rereading Galatians and Ephesians 5 or 6 times in a row.

I was like a sponge, soaking up God's truth and wisdom.

Then I wanted to read the entire Bible, but I was not content with just reading, I wanted to dig deep and understand it the way God intended.
So I asked God to show me and lead me to the version that He knew would help me the most.
At this time I still had no understanding of my personality or my thinking processes, I just knew I wanted to dig deep.

God led me to the Thompson Chain Reference Bible/King James Version.
It has been my precious companion for over 20 years now.
Once I saw the study references in the back, I just knew this was the one for me.
It suited my particular thinking process perfectly.
Although I was disappointed that you could only find Thompson's studies linked with the old King James English.

The verily's and thou's really confused me and how it seemed that the sentences were backwards.
God knew this of course and He also knew heaps more about me that I did or still do.
He knew that I would then buy a Concordance and Greek and Hebrew Lexicon to help me understand the nuances of the KJ version.

Now 20 years later, I have three levels of interaction with God's Word.

Level 1: Reading His word as if it were Him talking to me directly, as if it were a personal letter just for me. To see God's glory unfold and to see His love for us, I use Eugene H. Peterson's beautiful 'The Message' version.

Level 2: To simply read but to also think a little deeper about certain aspects of God and life, I use the Amplified Bible.
I like the words usage. It is more precise yet it is still easily read.

Level 3: Extremely deep and long study, Thompson chain KJV with concordance and greek/hebrew lexicon and I reference everything with all the other versions as well.

At each level I invite The Holy Spirit to show me the truth, to shed light on what I am reading. And I always stop to meditate on what I have read,
this I have found is when revelation comes and changes my life.

So quinnersmom, allow God to lead you to the one that He knows will suit you the most. And as you take a good look at all the different types, God will give you peace/ quicken/ hilight the one for you.

 

[bperrine]

I've been a long time reader of the New International Version (NIV), but in the last couple of years, I've found myself more content with the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

NASB sometimes can come across a little "backwards" here and there, but that is simply from the translation seeking "to adhere as closely as possible to the original languages [Hebrew & Greek] of the Holy Scripture."


Try this: go to bible.gospelcom.net (I'm not allowed to direct link yet )
They have every translation of the Bible there, except Revised Standard Version since they're in the process of renewing their license with them. Go plug some verses, or chapters even, into the search and read it with the different translations and see which one is the most enjoyable, you could read the entire Bible in each translation... if you had that time.

 

[12volt_man]

As I get older and further along in my walk with Christ, I find that I prefer the KJV more and more.

I would suggest either the KJV or the NIV.

The only thing I really would suggest that you steer away from are paraphrased versions of the Bible.

 

[quinnersmom]

Thanks for the info. I will have to go shopping this weekend!!

 

[tateziwin]

I would suggest you get the 3 different types of Bibles so you can do an understanding comparison.

The 3 types are - Literal translation(word for word), Dynamic Equivalence (thought for thought) & Paraphrase (restatement of the sense).

Try the following -
King James Version (KJV) - Literal
New International Version (NIV)- Dynamic Equivalence
The Message (TM or MSG) - Paraphrase


This should give you a good spectrum of understanding as you read and compare them together.