What bible version do you use?

[Kiterius]

HCSB. Certainly not the NKJV.

 

[A Fellow Seeker]

I really suggest going modern - get a tablet. Then get the olive tree and kindle apps. It won't be much more $ and in the long could save you some $.

With the olive tree app I can switch between NIV, NLT, ESV, KJ21, ...,. I have over 20 bible versions now. I can set the font size as big or small as I want, highlight text in any color I want (or delete a highlight), tag sections, add notes, word search...,

Then you can add on additional tools such as Life Application commentary, Strongs numbers, Greek/Hebrew word meanings,
Quest study notes, First Century study notes, Archaeology study notes, .....

Every once in a while Olive tree offers a Bible version add on at reduced price or for free - so check the App Store deals weekly. They also have many free study tools. If something isn't free I check Amazon and download a free sample of the kindle version to check it out.

Then i can switch between bible versions with a finger swipe. Best part - all my notes, study tools (life application, quest, word study,..), tags, highlights, and comments are there in every version. If I see a bible different version I like - I don't have to worry about all my notes and tools - I just add it to my library. Bible versions and tools are also cheaper than paper copies.

Make sure you register your copy. Then you can have the app on your tablet, smartphone, computer, ... and all your notes sync across versions. Tablet breaks - download the app on a new on and everything is back.
Eyes getting old - make your font as big as you want.

I still have my paper bibles - more for comfort than use.

Now that I have my bible on my phone and tablet I find I read it more and actually use those study tools. I can pull out my tablet or phone and read it whenever I feel like it. I never wish I had my bible - because I always have it.

 

[Mark L. Pavlot]

I have asked this before, but I am looking to possible purchase another Bible. I am wanting a Life Application Study Bible. So my version choices are limited I suppose. I am wondering which version you all use. The LASB choices I have narrowed it to, are NIV (2011), NKJV, or HCSB. Which do you all recommend out of these? I have heard and expressed the same sentiment before, that the NIV 2011 is gender neutral. The SBC condemned it, which has me concerned. Thoughts?

In the interest of Bible purchases; you might want to purchase a Key Word Study Bible by AMG Publishers. They are available in KJV or New American Standard. Your best bet is to study words rather than an easy to read translation type Bible.
Mp

 

[scotslad83]

My home Church used to be very KJV only. Personally I found the language very difficult and for personal Bible study I used a NKJV. Then around 10 years ago I discovered the ESV and that's been my favourite ever since.
Like the KJV/NKJV, the translators have aimed to be as literal as possible to the original and have tried not to add personal interpretation.
I have a languages degree and so I understand different approaches to translation. The above Bible translations aim at literal translation. Others such as the NIV aim to translate the thought rather than the exact words, but I feel that requires interpretation. Others such as the Message are not really translations at all but rather paraphrase which definitely involves interpretation.
Personally I'd go for a literal translation and the ESV would be my preference. Incidentally, the ESV study Bible is a very balanced one in terms of notes exploring different positions on controversial topics.

 

[Sine Nomine]

Accuracy in translation and non-gender neutral language are important to me as well. The best scholarship overall points to the NIV or NRSV, but gender neutrality will be somewhat annoying (I tend to stick with my old RSV study bible and refer to other versions/original language where there are questions--perhaps not a great approach if the Life Application format is what. You're after). I don't know if the NRSV Catholic Edition has the same concern or not.

The HCSB is a good choice also, it is a word for word translation. It is said to have the best literal translation available from the original languages. A drawback is that there are Hebrew and Greek idioms that are important and the literal, word for word approach leaves these entirely to the reader to grasp. Would Life Application notes balance this shortcoming?

Good-luck!

 

[Sine Nomine]

My home Church used to be very KJV only. Personally I found the language very difficult and for personal Bible study I used a NKJV. Then around 10 years ago I discovered the ESV and that's been my favourite ever since.
Like the KJV/NKJV, the translators have aimed to be as literal as possible to the original and have tried not to add personal interpretation.
I have a languages degree and so I understand different approaches to translation. The above Bible translations aim at literal translation. Others such as the NIV aim to translate the thought rather than the exact words, but I feel that requires interpretation. Others such as the Message are not really translations at all but rather paraphrase which definitely involves interpretation.
Personally I'd go for a literal translation and the ESV would be my preference. Incidentally, the ESV study Bible is a very balanced one in terms of notes exploring different positions on controversial topics.

The ESV is pretty good and I agree with most of the above and was initially very enthusiastic. The goal of the ESV was in part to keep the approach of the RSV (which tried to preserve the intrinsic beauty of the KJV), update the scholarship, and avoid the perceived flaws of the NRSV. After using the ESV for a couple years, The main problems I've seen are:

1) Some of the words used have modern meanings which are not the same as the original language (but are more correct for students of Elizabethan English). This seems to come from wanting to preserve some traditional readings, but I find it obscures the meaning of the text.

2) inasmuch as NIV(2011) and NRSV are criticized for a bias toward modernist (perhaps liberal) scholarship, the ESV appears biased toward fundamentalist (conservative/traditionalist) scholarship and seems in spots to purposefully avoid better translations that reflect strong consensus among biblical scholars.

ASB is also a fine translation if you the desired format is available--it successfully negotiates a lot of these kinds of issues. Really, unless you're going to be a serious student of Hebrew and Greek, using more than one translation for study is best.

 

[marineimaging]

I read and our church uses the KJV. I find it easy to understand and especially where there is a controversial issue it seems that all the other translations are just the opposite in meaning. To me, the KJV is the most concise and focused and the commentary in this particular one is spot on with our teachings.

 

[Edskii]

I have asked this before, but I am looking to possible purchase another Bible. I am wanting a Life Application Study Bible. So my version choices are limited I suppose. I am wondering which version you all use. The LASB choices I have narrowed it to, are NIV (2011), NKJV, or HCSB. Which do you all recommend out of these? I have heard and expressed the same sentiment before, that the NIV 2011 is gender neutral. The SBC condemned it, which has me concerned. Thoughts?

I used the MKJV for a long time but then at Bible College I found a much better idea. I used a free PC bases Bible study tool called e-Sword (e-Sword: Bible Study for the PC) on my home computer. I now have 25 different Bibles with the option to compare them side by side to see the difference between any of them. The King James + version has Strong's Greek dictionary numbering system for every word in the King James Bible. This great reference allows you to see the original Greek language word meaning(s) It also has 25 Bible commentaries that are inter linked with the Bibles so when you are studying one verse just click on the "Commentaries" button and it will bring the commentaries up for the verse you are looking at. It has 14 Bible dictionaries which are also linked to the particular word you are investigating. This wonderful tool also has NASA satellite images of the middle east, the red sea, the Nile and many other great pictures. So much more in this FREE program. you can download it FREE at:
e-Sword: Bible Study for the PC
I have this same program for my android phone from MySword - Free Android Bible
You can study and research so much of the Word of God with either of these FREE programs.
I have not opened a paper bible in years. I carry 51 bibles in my shirt pocket wherever I go. Studying the Bible is a never ending project for me. I love it and I need to learn more now than I ever did before. It is true the more I learn the greater my realization of how little I already know. Check it out it is so easy to use and both are FREE.

 

[bcbsr]

I have asked this before, but I am looking to possible purchase another Bible. I am wanting a Life Application Study Bible. So my version choices are limited I suppose. I am wondering which version you all use. The LASB choices I have narrowed it to, are NIV (2011), NKJV, or HCSB. Which do you all recommend out of these? I have heard and expressed the same sentiment before, that the NIV 2011 is gender neutral. The SBC condemned it, which has me concerned. Thoughts?

A few things to be aware of. First is the issue as to which set of Greek manuscripts do you want the translation to be based upon. This is just relevant to the New Testament. For example NKJV is based on a majority text - that is upon the majority of greek manuscripts available at the time the Bible was translated into King James. The NIV, NASB and many others, are based on more of a theory that the oldest manuscripts are the most reliable, some of which were not available at the writing of the King James. Consequently you will find verses completely missing in the NIV or otherwise included with a note that they're not found in such manuscripts, such as Acts 8:37.

Old Testament - meaning is not highly dependent upon the precision of the language, and that hold's true for much of the content (though not all) of the NT books which focus on historical content, namely the four gospels and Acts.

Secondly is the issue of accuracy versus meaning. Those who can speak more than one language know that a word for word literal translation is often not the best at communicating the author's intended meaning from the original language. Thus there are a spectrum of translations from
Word for Wordish - Englishman's NT, KJV, NKJV, NASB
(Don't use KJV, it's language it too archaic, use NKJV in its place)
Dynamic Equivalent (not quite a paraphase) - NIV
Paraphrase - Living Bible, The Message (Stay away from these)

Thirdly is the issue as to whether you intend to study the Bible yourself or you want someone else to study it for you and tell you what it means. A "Study Bible" is really just somebody else studying the Bible for you. It's like "studying" classical guitar by listening to classical guitar music. It's the lazy man's approach. In my group studies those who bring a "study" Bible tend to read the notes as if they were the Bible or the authorized interpretation of the verses.

If you're serious about Bible study, don't get a Study Bible. If you're lazy and don't want your interpretation to be encumbered by the thought process and hard work, get a study bible. To me the only purpose of Study Bibles is to see what kind of screwed up interpretation other people have.

What I generally do for Bible study is to use the online Bible program, much like esword, which not only allows access to multiple translations, but also Strong's numbers and search techniques for cross reference. I find NKJV and excellent translation for study. Because of its literal nature the software version has each word associated with a Strong's number. This in combination with the Byzantine Greek text, which in software not only has Strong's numbers, but also Greek parsing, provides a superior degree of accuracy in study than any other method. The parsing is useful particularly in the case of verbs where you want to know things like the tense. A good book on getting familiar with the semantics of the Greek is Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, very well written with many examples.

However on my web site (bcbsr.com), when I present my study guides I typically use NIV which uses a simple volcabulary and an easy read for the norm of the population who access it, though I get into the technical aspects of the Greek when necessary. NIV is good for beginners and for evangelism, but not for serious Bible study.

 

[JB123]

In our church we use the NIV, and in recent years I have found that this is also the version used in most of the churches I have visited here in the UK.

 

[TheSeabass]

I have asked this before, but I am looking to possible purchase another Bible. I am wanting a Life Application Study Bible. So my version choices are limited I suppose. I am wondering which version you all use. The LASB choices I have narrowed it to, are NIV (2011), NKJV, or HCSB. Which do you all recommend out of these? I have heard and expressed the same sentiment before, that the NIV 2011 is gender neutral. The SBC condemned it, which has me concerned. Thoughts?

What anyone should want is the most accurate word-for-word translation. Of those you mentioned the NKJV would best fit a word-for-word translation. The NIV is not a word-for-word but a "dynamic" translation where you get man made theology inserted. The NIV is so bad I do not even consider it to be God's word. The HCSB follows the NIV in veering away from a word-for-word translation inserting the doctrines of men.

 

[Sine Nomine]

What anyone should want is the most accurate word-for-word translation. Of those you mentioned the NKJV would best fit a word-for-word translation. The NIV is not a word-for-word but a "dynamic" translation where you get man made theology inserted. The NIV is so bad I do not even consider it to be God's word. The HCSB follows the NIV in veering away from a word-for-word translation inserting the doctrines of men.

Dynamic does not mean that theology has been inserted. It does mean that a phrase in English is sometimes needed to get closest to what is said in Hebrew or Greek. Some disagree with this approach because words are added that are not present in the original text. Also, most of the NIV and all translations are actually word for word, the 'dynamic' element comes in when meaning isn't conveyed by a single English word. Man-made theology can be inserted into word for word translations too by choosing words which convey a different meaning than what the text actually says.

 

[Edskii]

I have asked this before, but I am looking to possible purchase another Bible. I am wanting a Life Application Study Bible. So my version choices are limited I suppose. I am wondering which version you all use. The LASB choices I have narrowed it to, are NIV (2011), NKJV, or HCSB. Which do you all recommend out of these? I have heard and expressed the same sentiment before, that the NIV 2011 is gender neutral. The SBC condemned it, which has me concerned. Thoughts?

The King James Bible came into being at the command of King James in 1604, it was completed in 1611 written in the King's English. The previous Bible used in the Church of England was written in Latin and the common people had no way of reading it for themselves. King Henry VIII was a Catholic who started the Church of England after being chastised by the Pope. The Church of England became a Catholic Church with the King as its head. There was great upheaval in the streets of England between the Catholics, Protestants and the Puritans. When King James died another king took the throne but died shortly afterwards. Mary the next in line was a devout Catholic and had more than 300 Protestants executed earning the name of "Bloody Mary" After Queen Mary died, her sister Elizabeth, a Protestant, became Queen the protestants were granted validity as a religion in England. When Elizabeth died there was no blood relative to pass the rule of England to. Searching historical records the King of Scotland was found to be a relative of King James and he was anointed the King of England. in 1604 King James ordered the brightest scholars of the Catholics, the Puritans and the Protestants to search the original writings, such as they had, and write a true translation of all the Greek, Latin, Hebrew and other manuscripts into the Kings English and all Church services would now be performed in the King's English instead of the traditional Latin which very few people understood. The King James Bible has the greatest history of any Bible in the English language. It was researched by Catholic, Protestant and Puritans and a conclusion was reached by Order of King James. Bibles were printed in the King's English, delivered to every church and chained to the pulpit. Suddenly the number of people who volunteered to clean the church grew tremendously.

 

[awn]

I'm Swedish and I use Bible 2000, the 1999 translation. It is the first ever Swedish official translation to be directly translated from the original text, and also the version most commonly used in most churches, including mine. Earlier translations were just brushed up editions of the translation from 1541--a translation from Martin Luther's Bible.
I like to compare with another version called The Swedish Folk Bible from 1998--a private but widely known translation. It's a reaction to what is, by some, perceived to be a liberal theology tendency in Bible 2000. I'm not taking a stance on this opinion, but I think it is generally a good idea to compare translations, at least from time to time.

 

[awarren71]

I like the amplified bible....it helps me to get more out of what I'm reading and a better understanding.

 

[TheSeabass]

Dynamic does not mean that theology has been inserted. It does mean that a phrase in English is sometimes needed to get closest to what is said in Hebrew or Greek. Some disagree with this approach because words are added that are not present in the original text. Also, most of the NIV and all translations are actually word for word, the 'dynamic' element comes in when meaning isn't conveyed by a single English word. Man-made theology can be inserted into word for word translations too by choosing words which convey a different meaning than what the text actually says.

Dynamic translation means they did NOT do a word for word but inserted their own thoughts. Have you read the NIV preface? It discredits itself in the preface alone.

 

[Leevo]

Dynamic translation means they did NOT do a word for word but inserted their own thoughts. Have you read the NIV preface? It discredits itself in the preface alone.

To be fair, dynamic means they tried to stay as close to the original wording, but also made it easier to read in our modern language. When people read in Greek back then, you could say it was in a dynamic equivalence style because it was written in their everyday tongue. Which is what dynamic means.

 

[TheSeabass]

To be fair, dynamic means they tried to stay as close to the original wording, but also made it easier to read in our modern language. When people read in Greek back then, you could say it was in a dynamic equivalence style because it was written in their everyday tongue. Which is what dynamic means.

A word-for-word is what should be striven for to maintain integrity of God's word. From the NIV preface "At the same time, they have striven for more than a word-for-word translation."

The "more than" means they added their own thoughts and of course their own thoughts includes their own personal theological biases.


Also from the NIV preface "The first concern of the translators has been the accuracy of the translation and its fidelity to the thought of the Biblical writers" The writers of the NIV make the incredible claim they could read the minds/thoughts of bible writers. In reality, the writers of the NIV tried to change the thoughts of the bible writers to fit the theological bias of NIV writers.



New International Version Preface (1983)

 

[jamespyles]

Generally the NASB since it presents a nice balance between literal accuracy and readability, but sometimes I like to compare versions using biblehub.com and biblegateway.com. Occasionally, if I need a more Jewish perspective, I'll go to Chabad.org.

 

[Clovis Man]

Dog gone it! That's what I was going to say!

I generally use the ESV with some use of Young's literal translation and Green's literal translation with some attempts to read the Greek as well. That last one is difficult...

Of the three that the OP mentioned, I think the NKJV is best.

I really suggest going modern - get a tablet. Then get the olive tree and kindle apps. It won't be much more $ and in the long could save you some $.

With the olive tree app I can switch between NIV, NLT, ESV, KJ21, ...,. I have over 20 bible versions now. I can set the font size as big or small as I want, highlight text in any color I want (or delete a highlight), tag sections, add notes, word search...,

Then you can add on additional tools such as Life Application commentary, Strongs numbers, Greek/Hebrew word meanings,
Quest study notes, First Century study notes, Archaeology study notes, .....

Every once in a while Olive tree offers a Bible version add on at reduced price or for free - so check the App Store deals weekly. They also have many free study tools. If something isn't free I check Amazon and download a free sample of the kindle version to check it out.

Then i can switch between bible versions with a finger swipe. Best part - all my notes, study tools (life application, quest, word study,..), tags, highlights, and comments are there in every version. If I see a bible different version I like - I don't have to worry about all my notes and tools - I just add it to my library. Bible versions and tools are also cheaper than paper copies.

Make sure you register your copy. Then you can have the app on your tablet, smartphone, computer, ... and all your notes sync across versions. Tablet breaks - download the app on a new on and everything is back.
Eyes getting old - make your font as big as you want.

I still have my paper bibles - more for comfort than use.

Now that I have my bible on my phone and tablet I find I read it more and actually use those study tools. I can pull out my tablet or phone and read it whenever I feel like it. I never wish I had my bible - because I always have it.