Transaltions

[Tommahawk]

My bible is falling apart, so I need to buy a new Bible as their are many translations and versions, which is the best. Ideally I like an English literal translation from original texts and where is good place to buy online.

Thanks in advance.

 

[archaeologist2]

KJV, NASB, NIV are the top ones but i am sure others will recommend more. stay away from "the message' and 'the source'

 

[MrPolo]

KJV, RSV are better literal versions. I think you'd probably get the most comparison shopping done at Amazon.

You can browse many versions side-by-side at places like NETBible or Bible.cc.

 

[StreetPreacher82]

If you are considering the RSV, take a gander at the ESV. There is another thread on here with a good deal of feedback on it. Check it out.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hey Tommahawk, I'm with Archaeologist2, NASB, NIV, KJV (or NKJV), but my principle English translation would certainly be the NASB. Gleason Archer, Professor of Biblical Languages at Fuller Theological Seminary, and then Professor of OT and Semitics at Trinity Evangelical Divintiy School once told my pastor (then his student) that if he was asked to translate parts of the Hebrew OT for Archer's Hebrew class and did so by simply copying the NASB word for word, the worst grade he could give would be an (A-). Now he did not intend that my pastor (or any other student) should give that a try, of course, but the point he was making was that the NASB is about as good as it gets as an English translation.

I LOVE the NIV too and use it almost every time I study or (esp.) read aloud in public, but it's really a paraphrase, not a translation. Take a look at this verse for instance, the first from the NASB, the second from the NIV:



“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force." Matthew 11:12 NASB


"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." Matthew 11:12 NIV



I have (almost) never disagreed with the NIV's paraphrasing, so that certainly makes it a very valuable tool, and you can hardly beat its combination of accuracy + readability, but you would still want to have the NASB, AV, and/or RSV there too for study (as I believe verses like Matt 11:12 show pretty clearly).


Merry Christmas


--David
p.s. - My favorite Bible is the MacArthur Study Bible in NASB (of course).

 

[tqpix]

KJV, NASB, 1560/1599 Geneva Bible, Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (LITV) by Jay P. Green, and Young's Literal Translation (YLT) are great word-for-word translations.

 

[StreetPreacher82]

KJV, NASB, 1560/1599 Geneva Bible, Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (LITV) by Jay P. Green, and Young's Literal Translation (YLT) are great word-for-word translations.

Just curious... how readable is the Geneva Bible compared to let's say an NASB or even NIV?

Just curious.

 

[calluna]

KJV, NASB, 1560/1599 Geneva Bible, Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (LITV) by Jay P. Green, and Young's Literal Translation (YLT) are great word-for-word translations.

The NASB comes near to acceptability, and that is not because it is a 'word-for-word' version, but because the translators were not quite as much hounds of hell as most published translators. Translation is rarely about skill, it is about where one comes from.

Why anyone would want a 'literal' version as a standard Bible is hard to understand anyway, unless the idea of available vernacular Bibles gives some people a clammy feeling, as it did those who lit the fire around Tyndale. A 'dynamic equivalence' version is far more revealing and expressive to the reader requiring edification; anyone who wants to do serious study uses original languages.

 

[daveleau]

NASB (recent version) is the most literal translation. The ESV is another good choice.

I like thought-for-thought, as they get a fuller meaning than a literal translation and they read better. The NIV is my choice here. But, for word studies, I like the NASB, as literal translations make word studies easier.

I do not like the KJV because it relies too much on texts that many theologians believe have additions inserted by scribes trying to make passages more understandable.

The Bible I carry to church is one of two - The NIV Study Bible and the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB version). Both are superb. The NIV SB has great commentary notes, while the Hebrew-Greek has a lot of great Hebrew and Greek lexicons in the back of the Bible with much fewer commentary notes.

 

[cyberlizard]

I'd go with Young's Literal Translation if you want formal translation - at least he doesn't tend to mess with the tenses to suit our english ears....

that said NASB second choice

then ESV (study bible version only - not the normal one.)


Steve

 

[daveleau]

Another idea is a parallel Bible that has two translations in it. I have several parallel Bibles.

 

[johnboy3434]

I don't know if you've already purchased one yet, but my personal choices are the New American Standard: Updated Edition for the "core 66" and the English Standard Version for the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha. The latter version just had the Apocrypha published a few days ago. Until then, I was more inclined toward the RSV Apocrypha.

 

[StreetPreacher82]

I don't know if you've already purchased one yet, but my personal choices are the New American Standard: Updated Edition for the "core 66" and the English Standard Version for the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha. The latter version just had the Apocrypha published a few days ago. Until then, I was more inclined toward the RSV Apocrypha.

Have you delved into it yet? I've ordered a copy, but not received it yet.

 

[pauljrose]

I can translate the Greek text with the aid of a Lexicon and verb chart and I am into my second year of Hebrew study. There is no true literal translation. The closest thing you can find to a literal translation is Young's Literal Translation. It is ok but not 100% literal. Contrary to popular belief the KJV is not the most literal, but still not a bad version. I use the NASB in Church services but I refer to my Greek Text for accuracy. I have compared many English version to the Greek and Hebrew text and there is really no "Innacurate" version. Some are more modern in the language than others. I have learned, from my translations, that a completly literal translation doesn't always fit the modern English language structure and is somewhat difficult to understand. I would even dismiss the "Old Greek Text vs the New Greek Text" arguement also. From my studies (and contrary to what the fundies say) the scripture integrity from the 1500's text that was used in the KJV and the more modern Text is still intact. I perfer translating from the more modern Greek Text for a multitude of reasons (no time to list in this forum). With that said...besides the King James Version and the Geneva Bible ALL OTHER VERSIONS are translated using the text from 1880 and previous updates to that text. Yes, even the New KJV uses the more modern text for it's translations.

There is a lot to picking a good version. If you want literal accuracy, I suggest you learn Hebrew and Greek. If you want a good, accurate, easy to understand version, I suggest the NASB or the ESV.

 

[calluna]

If you want literal accuracy, I suggest you learn Hebrew and Greek. If you want a good, accurate, easy to understand version, I suggest the NASB or the ESV.

One does not select a 'word for word' version for ease of understanding! Try the 'Good News' or the NIV if you really want to understand how to do God's will and get to heaven.

The ESV's good reputation seems to rest on the views of people not known for their interest in Greek and Hebrew. It has a stilted style, perversely, in this day and age, and is just what KJVOers, now in undignified retreat, might value as an alternative. And the ESV's accuracy is doubtful, too. I think one needs to take a long look at this translation before final evaluation.

Do read threads, poster, short ones, anyway. It's only courteous.

 

[ChristianSoldier85]

Another has already suggested Youngs Literal Translation and Jay P Green Sr's literal translation.

I would also recommend the Defined King James Version and Robert A Couric's KJ2000. The latter is available in both softcover and hardcover and prices run for next to peanuts and its supporting the Bible League world ministry.

One cant have enough Bibles eh?

 

[ChristianSoldier85]

One does not select a 'word for word' version for ease of understanding! Try the 'Good News' or the NIV if you really want to understand how to do God's will and get to heaven.

The ESV's good reputation seems to rest on the views of people not known for their interest in Greek and Hebrew. It has a stilted style, perversely, in this day and age, and is just what KJVOers, now in undignified retreat, might value as an alternative. And the ESV's accuracy is doubtful, too. I think one needs to take a long look at this translation before final evaluation.

Do read threads, poster, short ones, anyway. It's only courteous.

Thanks, I hadnt fully researched the ESV, now I am quite leery. For one thing it got higher marks than the HCSB and consequently I made a mental note on this translation.

 

[wildboar]

The most literal translation I've seen yet is The Orthodox New Testament translated by Holy Apostle's Convent: http://www.holyapostlesconvent.org/HacWebStore/product_info.php?cPath=1_2&products_id=8 You can practically translate everything back into Greek--it does start to sound silly at times though and every once in awhile someand does some strange things with the so-called "energy" texts. It comes in two volumes with the Gospels in one volume and the rest of the New Testament in the other and has lots of Patristic commentary. It's worth it just for the commentary. There is a single volume edition without the commentary as well.

Overall I like the NKJV the best although lately for family devotions I've been using the ESV because it's included in the devotional resource that I've been using. I do at times substitute other textual variants when I'm reading to my family and come across a textual decision I disagree with but overall it's a good translation. I am surprised to read people saying that the ESV has a more stilted style. From my use I think it is just as readable as the NIV, more accurate, and has a nicer literary style. The HCSB is good too. At times it is more literal than the ESV. From my own use I find the HCSB to be both more accurate and more readable than the NIV but the literary style is not as nice as that found in the ESV.

 

[Radagast]

I LOVE the NIV too and use it almost every time I study or (esp.) read aloud in public, but it's really a paraphrase, not a translation. Take a look at this verse for instance, the first from the NASB, the second from the NIV:

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force." Matthew 11:12 NASB


"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." Matthew 11:12 NIV

Oh, the NIV is certainly a genuine translation. That passage is a tricky one, but I think the NIV is actually truer to the Greek (βιάζεται, middle voice) than the NASB, which follows the older KJV. See Thayer's lexicon on the word, for example.

Although the ESV is sometimes truer to the Greek than the NIV, it also has some mistranslations, and I think the NIV is still the best translation overall.

 

[Izdaari Eristikon]

I am surprised to read people saying that the ESV has a more stilted style. From my use I think it is just as readable as the NIV, more accurate, and has a nicer literary style. The HCSB is good too. At times it is more literal than the ESV. From my own use I find the HCSB to be both more accurate and more readable than the NIV but the literary style is not as nice as that found in the ESV.

Agreed. I very much like the style of the ESV. For me, it flows very nicely. IMO it strikes one of the best balances between a literal translation and modern English readability. And with the new ESV Study Bible out, it's a home run!

I like the HCSB very much too, but because it doesn't have quite as nice a literary style as the ESV, it would be my second choice.

The TNIV would be my choice for a full dynamic equivalence translation. Zondervan hasn't updated the NIV to include the latest scholarship because they made a deal with some evangelical council not to change it, but they have updated the TNIV, so I prefer it.

If you want a translation that's even more literal than the ESV, you have a choice between the NASB, the NKJV and the less popular translations you'll find online perhaps but not in the stores. I consider the Textus Receptus base of the NKJV a little inferior, so there I give the edge to the NASB. For my taste, it reads well enough, at least after the 1995 update, just not as smoothly as the ESV. And for me, the KJV is just not readable, not a modern English translation at all. If I want Elizabethan English, I'll read Shakespeare!