Switching to the NIV

[Reader Nilus]

Peter:
This is Brenton's translation of Psalm 50 (51)
For the end, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, when he had gone in to Bersabee.

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy compassions, blot out my transgression.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I am conscious of my iniquity; and my sin is continually before me.

4 Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil before thee; that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

5 For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me.

6 For behold, thou lovest truth: thou hast manifested to me the secret and hidden things of thy wisdom.

7 Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be purified; thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

8 Thou shalt cause me to hear gladness and joy; the afflicted bones shall rejoice.

9 Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in my inward parts.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and remove not thy holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation; establish me with thy directing Spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and ungodly men shall turn to thee.

14 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; and my tongue shall joyfully declare thy righteousness.

15 O Lord, thou shalt open my lips; and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

16 For if thou desiredst sacrifice, I would have given it; thou wilt not take pleasure in whole burnt offerings.

17 Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humbled heart God will not despise.

18 Do good, O Lord, to Sion in thy good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built.

19 Then shalt thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, offering, and whole burnt sacrifices; then shall they offer calves upon thine altar.
____________________________________________________________
This is Psalm 50 (51) in the Holy Transfiguration Monastery Psalter:

For the End: A Psalm of David. When Nathan the Prophet Came unto Him. When He Went in unto Bersabee, the Wife of Urias, 50.


​

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy;

and according to the multitude of Thy compassions blot out my transgression

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know mine iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee only have I sinned and done this evil before Thee, that Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, and prevail when Thou art judged.

For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me. For behold,

Thou hast loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom hast

Thou made manifest unto me. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop,

and I shall be made clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

Thou shalt make me to hear joy arid gladness; the bones that be humbled, they shall rejoice.

Turn Thy face away from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart,

O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not

Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit

establish me. I shall teach transgressors Thy ways, and the ungodly shall turn back unto Thee.

Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, 0 God, Thou God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in

Thy righteousness. 0 Lord, Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise.

For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I had given it; with whole-burnt offerings Thou shalt not be pleased.

A sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit a heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise.

Do good, O Lord, in Thy good pleasure unto Sion, arid let the walls of Jerusalem be builded.

Then shalt Thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings.

Then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.
___________________________________________________________
Jeff the Finn

 

[Peter]

Thanks. The latter looks closer to what I memorized, but not exact.

 

[silent water]

I think this debate proves one thing. That it would be best for me to use a number of translations, to try and sort out the human influence on the translation, to get a better idea of what was originally said.

 

[Reader Nilus]

There are various parallel Bibles out there with various translations side by side, which are very good. I have one that I got from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association with the KJV, NASV, NEB, and the JB. You still may be able to find copies of the Oxford Complete Parallel Bible with the NRSV, NJB, REB, and NAB.
Jeff the Finn

 

[s_gunter]

Why didn't anyone bring this up? Why not try the New King James? It is still a word for word translation (instead of thought for thought like the NIV), but it doesn't have the archaic and hard to understand language.

My personal story: I would never read a KJV when I was a younger. I just couldn't get through it. Then I picked up a NIV, and read most of it. (Yes, I'm admitting I have yet to read the entire Bible) Years later, I switched back to KJV. You know what? It all makes sense, and it isn't hard to read anymore. Now, I prefer it over every other version. To me, it's tied with the NASB and NKJV.

That said, I wouldn't use a NIV, since it is a thought for thought translation. How could translators, 2000 years after the first manuscripts were written, read the mind of the original writers? It just leaves a greater possibility of the new translators to put their own agendas and beliefs in the translation, instead of what God intended.

Stephanie

 

[Reader Nilus]

Why didn't anyone bring this up? Why not try the New King James? It is still a word for word translation (instead of thought for thought like the NIV), but it doesn't have the archaic and hard to understand language.

My personal story: I would never read a KJV when I was a younger. I just couldn't get through it. Then I picked up a NIV, and read most of it. (Yes, I'm admitting I have yet to read the entire Bible) Years later, I switched back to KJV. You know what? It all makes sense, and it isn't hard to read anymore. Now, I prefer it over every other version. To me, it's tied with the NASB and NKJV.

That said, I wouldn't use a NIV, since it is a thought for thought translation. How could translators, 2000 years after the first manuscripts were written, read the mind of the original writers? It just leaves a greater possibility of the new translators to put their own agendas and beliefs in the translation, instead of what God intended.

Stephanie

There are two languages in translations, the Source language and the Receptor language. All translations are thought for thought if they were not then the translation would not be readable in the Receptor language.
The problem with the KJV and the NKJV is the Greek texts behind them.
Jeff the Finn

 

[s_gunter]

I guess it's a matter of opinion thing, since there are strong arguments for both sides. But I'll agree that there are certain passages that shouldn't be in the KJV, but I don't think they'll be the ones you might be thinking of, the ones that the NIV leave out.

Also, I think that there is no "perfect" Bible translation. If there was, there wouldn't be so many. Like I said in my above post, I just prefer the KJV/NKJV or the NASB. I didn't mean to anger anyone.

I am not one of those KJV onlyists and I prefer not to get into debates about which MSS are most accurate, even though I could state my position effectively. I'm not interested in dividing believers. I was just throwing another option out there and stated why.

No hard feelings?

 

[danbarnaba]

English is not my mother tounge and I have no problem with KJV arhaic English. I like it. Since you live in America, I expect you to speak English better than me.
You can try New King James Version.

 

[silent water]

Since this topic has come to the top of the page again, I will point out that the KJV has become my main version again, though I will often use the NIV and other translations now for help with difficult passages.

I tried reading directly from the NIV for a while (beginning at the time I made this topic), and it is easier to understand, but no translation I can find compares to the poetic quality of the KJV.

 

[JayD]

The best thing about the NIV is that in most instances where there is a textual issue, it is footnoted with alternatives. This is the same with the NLT.

I have found that the NLT, ESV and NASB to be the best translations on the Market. The NIV is good but I prefer the other 3. (IMO the criticism leveled at it grows out of a minority view point spured by a fundamentalist sector in the Southern US.)

It should also be noted that the KJV is old. And like shakespeare it may be nice to read - but it is very hard to understand. There are much better "word for word" or literal translations available.

 

[Tami]

For quite a while now I have used the KJV; I have used it since I first started reading the Bible. The problem is, that was over a year ago, and I am only at Job. I am spending so much time looking up words in the dictionary and comparing difficult passages to modern translations that it is not worth it any more. I am making such slow progress that it is not enjoyable using the KJV anymore. I am spending so much time trying to understand what it says that I am not focusing enough on the true message it has to offer. When I sit down to read, the process is very "dry"; how can I feel inspired if I barely understand what is being said?

Anyone been through a similar experience? I am just so frustrated with archaic language and words that I can't take it anymore!

If you're having trouble with the archaic words a really cool Bible that I've seen advertised on Christian television is the Subject Bible. It has the definitions of the archaic words right at the end of the verse so you don't have to keep looking words up in a concordance. It doesn't say that in the description of it on their website but I'm pretty sure it's the same one I saw on televison but it wouldn't hurt to ask just to make sure if you decide you want to buy it. Also, whenever you come across a verse on a certain subject like healing, prayer, the Holy Spirit, etc., it has a page number next to the verse that will lead you to a page with all the verses written out for you in the Bible that relate to that particular subject. It sounds like a really cool Bible to me. It's only downfall is that it's $150.00 and that's the only thing that's holding me back from getting it myself. I think it's worth it but I just don't have the money for it. It's definitely worth saving up for though. You might want to check out their website at: http://www.subjectbible.com/

Tami

 

[CushBabylonian]

I personally would not use NIV. They change way to much. For example Numbers 12:10 (When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam- leprous, like snow..)

In my KJV it reads (And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow...)

NIV clearly takes away from orgins of Europeans and denies the fact that these persons are of color. KJV states clearly the power of God and what he could do to people who stand against him.

 

[Mr.Cheese]

The NIV Study Bible is a killer resource. Lots of good information in it.
Also, the Life Application New Living Translation is surprisingly a good read. I wouldn't recommend it for a serious text study, as the name, "Life Application," explains the purpose of the bible. It is very devotional in nature.
The New American Standard is a nice translation as well.
I've become a fan of the NRSV. I have a New Oxford Annotated Bible. I like reading it. The notes are not focused on devotional things. Michael Coogan is the general editor of that bible. Coogan does good work, however , he takes a minimalist approach to things so I don't agree with everything in there.

I would like to get a NAB Catholic Study Bible, a New Jerusalem Bible, And a New English Bible in the future.

 

[Kelly]

I've been leaning towards the NKJV and NLT versions lately. The NIV seems so bland recently.

 

[silent water]

It's been a while since I posted, only one post in the last two months. Been having kind of a shift in beliefs; but that's for another area of the forums.

An update, I am back to the KJV. Even though it is tough at times, I have found that something about the old language adds value, I don't know what it is exactly.

I have been listening online to the KJV narrated by Alexander Scourby. It is excellently done, and I am reading so much more now, since it is easier to follow along with his voice in the background.