What bible should I get?

Mike85 · Nov 27, 2008

This may seem like a naive question, but what kind of bible should I get for going to a non-denominational church? I'm going to start attending this Sunday.

Currently, the only bible I have was given to my family when my grandmother died in 1976. It's a white leather "prince of peace protestant edition" in a cedar case.

So, I'll leave it at that. Input is appreciated.

BereanTodd · Nov 27, 2008

Well the NIV is probably the most widely used. The most accurate word-for-word translations are either the NASB or the NKJV. The ESV is pretty descent as well.

Personally I prefer NASB for most of my study/reading. If you want accuracy with a little better readability then the ESV. If you want the best likelihood of being word-for-word the same with a random church you are attending the NIV is the most likely culprit.

shine_every_day · Nov 27, 2008

Is the Amplified Bible good? Does it help more?I wat to start to read an English Biblie because the Bibles from Romania are not so good translated

7angel · Nov 27, 2008

You should read two or more versions, and find the differences, some versions do not include books that have other versions, but it's nice to know - no one can delete or remove the word of God.

bsd13 · Nov 27, 2008

Honestly it's not important how exactly (by that I mean word for word) the Bible is translated it's important that the Holy Spirit give you wisdom to discern it. For the most part they all say the same thing and it's not by the power of your own mind that it makes sense but strictly through the leading and teaching of the Spirit of the Lord.

BereanTodd · Nov 27, 2008

shine_every_day said:
Is the Amplified Bible good? Does it help more?I wat to start to read an English Biblie because the Bibles from Romania are not so good translated

If you want excellent word for word accuracy you want either the NASB or the NKJV. If you want very good accuracy with more readability (the language is smoothed over some to make it easier to read) the ESV.

If you want popular version with ok accuracy, but which does the theological work for you often and gets some translation not well done ... NIV.

Those are the four most common versions in evangelicalism today.

wherethebiblespeaks · Nov 27, 2008

xuburant · Nov 27, 2008

I prefer NIV or TNIV. It's very easy to understand and very accurately translated. (I'm new to Faith though)

I'v heard good things about NKJV but have yet to attempt reading it. I was just given my very first adult bible for Christmas (very early). It's a woman's bible named True Identity, search amazon.com for True Identify TNIV bible and it is the blue swirly one with green side trim.

I love this bible as it is easy to read as well as provides common sense answers to as many as 100 daily life problems or questions.

You could try to find a christian bookstore in your area and go there to find yourself a very good bible. Personally, I couldn't find the christian stores anywhere near me, so I opted for Barnes & Noble. They had a nice selection of Bibles even though they didn't have a huge selection.

Good luck!

genXer · Nov 27, 2008

I use a NIV for random reading and applied reading and study and I'll use a 1611 KJV for the literal word for word follow through.

Ultimately I think the decision will be up to you and what you feel more comfortable with in your studies and understanding.

shine_every_day · Nov 27, 2008

Thanks for your recommendations! I will see witch Biblie I`ll understand the best because I`m not so good at english

StevenL · Nov 27, 2008

The Amplified Bible is good for introducing readers to the idea that the original words sometime have greater meaning than can be expressed with one word in another language. It can sort of drive you into further investigations and that can be very good. I destroyed several hard-back Amplifieds. and loved it. But then got tired of having to read over all the amplification eventually once I had it burned in the brain.

I also have loved the Jerusalem Bible but I'm sure many purists will decry the translation.

Around here, we generally use the New King James for just group bible reading.

In general, all of them say the say thing. Just pick one you're willing to believe and try to follow.

Oh, I see you're Romanian. Haven't the Scriptures been translated into your language yet? If so, get that. That'd be really tough.....trying to get your ideas into English and then into your own brain's language.

God bless Shine.

HIS_WILL_BE_DONE · Nov 27, 2008

Authorized King James Version is the perserved word of God. Do some research on its history and how the Catholic Church tried to stop it from being published. The NIV is very perverted and I highly recommend to stay away from it. It has omitted verses not contained in the KJV which existed hundreds and hundreds of years before. We know the Lord's warning on that. Its not ok for men to dumb down God's words for their convenience. This is contray to scripture.

Revelation 22:18-19 "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Mike85 · Nov 28, 2008

Thanks for the info everyone! But I have another question...

What's the difference between the KJV and the NKJV? I've searched google, but couldn't find a clear answer. Oh, and is there anything wrong with the KJV? I mean, is the NKJV just easier to read?

StevenL · Nov 29, 2008

I've read both and several others. Not a dime's worth of difference among them. KJV is a fairly decent translation. So is the NKJV. You'll find a camp on every hill that love one and hates the other. Is there "anything" wrong with the KJV? Yes. Quite a number of anythings. But still a pretty good translation...into antiquated English. Several ecclesiastical "slants" in there too..... "churchy" words that they wanted in there that don't really belong. Like the word "church" for instance.

Radagast · Nov 29, 2008

BereanTodd said:
If you want excellent word for word accuracy you want either the NASB or the NKJV. If you want very good accuracy with more readability (the language is smoothed over some to make it easier to read) the ESV.

If you want popular version with ok accuracy, but which does the theological work for you often and gets some translation not well done ... NIV.

Personally, I'm think the NIV is very good (I've checked several passages against the Greek) and fairly easy to read. If you want a more word-for-word style of translation than the NIV, the ESV would be the best bet, in my opinion. If you want something easier than the NIV, try the CEV, though it is not so good as a translation.

Here is Ephesians 4:1-6 (a tricky passage) in six versions. It will give you an idea of style:

New International Version (NIV) said:
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

King James Version (KJV) said:
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

New King James Version (NKJV) said:
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

English Standard Version (ESV) said:
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) said:
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) said:
As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace. All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God's people. We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. There is one God who is the Father of all people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us.

BereanTodd · Nov 29, 2008

Mike85 said:
Thanks for the info everyone! But I have another question...

What's the difference between the KJV and the NKJV? I've searched google, but couldn't find a clear answer. Oh, and is there anything wrong with the KJV? I mean, is the NKJV just easier to read?

The KJV is written in Old English and can be very hard to understand for the modern reader. Many words have changed meanings in the past four centuries, not to mention the other words that have just plain dropped out of usage.

In Bible translation there are 2 main "text" schools, because there is some variation in some of the Greek (about 2% of the text there is some minor debate over - none of this endangers or would alter any single biblical doctrine though).

The NKJV/KJV hold to what is called the "majority" text, whereas the NASB/ESV/NIV/NRSV and most others hold to what is called the "Alexandrian" text.

What the NKJV did was take the majority text and try to bring it into modern language because of the difficulty many people have with the Old English of the KJV. Now, in the OT, particularly the Psalms, the NKJV tried to keep some of the flowery language because of the beauty, and because of the popularity of it in some circles. But overall the NKJV is basically just bringing the language of the KJV into the modern English that is spoken.

filosofer · Nov 29, 2008

The Amplified Bible can give good insight but it also causes problems by presenting something out of context. By giving several alternatives for a Greek/Hebrew word in a specific instance, it almost appears that the specific Greek/Hebrew could mean any of those things. However, the meaning of the word is determined by, and derived from, context, that is, the surrounding words/sentences. Thus, to imply that a specific Greek/Hebrew word could be translated by one of several different words, because there are lexical (dictionary) definitions (or better, glosses) available is not helping us understand the meaning of that word in this specific context.

This also leads to interpreting rather than translating in the Amplified Bible
Issues of translating vs. interpreting the text two examples from the Amplified Bible

1 Thessalonians 1:10
AMP: And [how you] look forward to and await the coming of His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead -- Jesus, Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath [bringing punishment] which is coming [upon the impenitent] and draws us to Himself [investing us with all the privileges and rewards of the new life in Christ, the Messiah].

Words inside [ ] indicates "Amplified" phrasing, words which are added to the text. First, note that the "coming wrath" is restricted by the added words ["upon the impenitent"]. The Greek text has εκ της οργης της ερχομενος
(EK THS ORGHS THS ERXOMENHS) (from the wrath, the coming).
There is nothing about the restriction of the wrath.

Even more questionable is the last added phrase ["investing us with all the privileges and rewards of the new life in Christ, the Messiah"]. There is nothing in the Greek text that corresponds to this phrase. This is purely commentary, not translation, made to appear as if it is specifically intended by the Greek text. It is misleading to say the least.

1 Thessalonians 2:3
AMP: For our appeal [in preaching] does not [originate] from delusion or error or impure purpose or motive, nor in fraud or deceit.

There are serious concerns here: the first is with the inserted text ["in preaching"]. The Greek word is η παρακλησις (PARAKLHSHS), often translated as exhorted or comforted. But nowhere is the connection made with this word and preaching, unless the word κηρουσω (KHROUSW) is present in the context. In other words, the AMP Bible has limited this appeal to a preaching context when the text does not allow such a restriction/limitation.

Also in this text, how many items in last portion of the text are actually mentioned in the Greek text? From the AMP it would appear at first glance as if there are six items that Paul enumerates. Yet the Greek text has only three. Now the question arises, why the expansion? And then, why those particular words for expansion because the six listed do not exhaust the semantic domains of the three Greek words? The reader is left with a false impression, twice in this verse alone, because the AMP Bible is not translating but interpreting and providing commentary.
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There are many others that could be cited. But if you do not know Greek (in the cases of the NT), then at least check the NAS, NKJV, KJV, etc. translations and begin to get a sense of where translating ends and commentary begins.

My recommendation is to avoid Amplified Bible.

bsd13 · Nov 29, 2008

Ultimately get the Bible that you're going to read. You can always get online and look up different versions of different passages if you need them.

filosofer · Nov 29, 2008

I would generally agree, but avoid paraphrases (The Message).

Also, it might be good to wait until you find out what the congregation uses.

If you want to expand your study, then try to get one Bible from the two major groupings (Formal Equivalence and Meaning Based)

Formal Equivalence:

NAS, NKJV, ESV, NRSV, etc.

Meaning Based:

God's Word, NET, NLT, CEV, etc.

NIV and TNIV alternate between the two groups but generally is Meaning Based. Also, be aware that some translations have specific agendas (NRSV "must be gender-inclusive", and less so TNIV, NLT)

In pastoral work over the past 20+ years I have found that the combination NAS/GW/NET (or NKJV/NLT/NET) works very well as recommendations for people wanting to study the Bible but who don't know Hebrew/Greek.

StevenL · Nov 29, 2008

All translation involves interpretation. In fact, our English punctuation is a major means of interpretation. Unintended for the most part, I'm sure. The KJV (and all others) contains many instances of subtle interpretation using punctuation and in some cases either poor or deceptive wordplay. For example, the translation of sheol, hades, gehenna, and tartaroo all into the one word "hell." naughty, naughty! KJ's boys were operating with an agenda.

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