What is your favorite Bible translation?

[bekkilyn]

Also a little miracle happened. I'm busy warning her about the amount of books about the Bible she reads being a new-ish Christian and having no church. Well, I hapoened to read that Church name as a possible cult last night on a thread here. Well, when she showed me the page on her tablet and I was checking out what she showed me because it sounded dodgy. I asked where it was from after we figured out what was taken from the verse and what was emphasised more than it is in the 3 translations we checked and I saw it was from a certain Church. Well then I foung the thread from last night and it was one listed.

She told me she loves the book and it isn't bad. So I reiterated how close to the bible things can sound and mislead. When she left I thought to phone her and remind her it probably isnt a coincidence that I only heard of this Church last night and its the first time she has shown me one of her many internet books in months and that to happen. God might have been protecting her. She was thinking so too. Praise our Lord!

Very thankful indeed! It can be scary how often people can get deceived into thinking something's of God or sound doctrine just because a person or group happens to mention Jesus a lot, whether that group is religious or political or otherwise.

I love reading books about the bible, including from non-standard groups, in order to learn more and become informed about different beliefs, Christian or otherwise, but I feel it's important to read the actual source, the bible, and to have a solid foundation there so that you don't get unwittingly led in all different directions, some of which may be very deceptive and/or negative. You're very right that some misleading things can sound very close to the bible.

 

[Sam91]

Very thankful indeed! It can be scary how often people can get deceived into thinking something's of God or sound doctrine just because a person or group happens to mention Jesus a lot, whether that group is religious or political or otherwise.

I love reading books about the bible, including from non-standard groups, in order to learn more and become informed about different beliefs, Christian or otherwise, but I feel it's important to read the actual source, the bible, and to have a solid foundation there so that you don't get unwittingly led in all different directions, some of which may be very deceptive and/or negative. You're very right that some misleading things can sound very close to the bible.

My friend struggles to read. So likes having the Bible explained to her, hence the huge amount of books she downloads (I don't know how but her tablet reads them to her). We listened to audiobible on you tude a couple of hours before that conversation. We are going to look for a new bible for her soon. Think she has NKJV. Not sure what translation she'll get, she can decide in the shop but she enjoyed reading my NIV with me and says it's easier to understand... but I was reading it to her.

 

[bekkilyn]

My friend struggles to read. So likes having the Bible explained to her, hence the huge amount of books she downloads (I don't know how but her tablet reads them to her). We listened to audiobible on you tude a couple of hours before that conversation. We are going to look for a new bible for her soon. Think she has NKJV. Not sure what translation she'll get, she can decide in the shop but she enjoyed reading my NIV with me and says it's easier to understand... but I was reading it to her.

Maybe she might want to give the New Century Version (NCV) a try if she has struggles reading. From BibleGateway about the version:

The New Century Version (NCV) is an English translation of the Bible with roots extending to the English Version for the Deaf (EVD) Bible translation (by the World Bible Translation Center, a subsidiary of Bible League International). It is also related to the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), having longer sentences and a more fluent style. The NCV is now published by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

The two overarching principles that stand behind the NCV are that a Bible translation needs to be both accurate and clear. The translation team of 50 Bible scholars and translators included people with translation experience on such acclaimed versions as the New International Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the New King James Version. The best available Hebrew and Greek texts were used, principally the third edition of the United Bible Societies’ Greek text and the latest edition of the Biblia Hebraica, along with the Septuagint.

English vocabulary choice is based upon The Living Word Vocabulary by Dr. Edgar Dale and Dr. Joseph O’Rourke (Worldbook-Childcraft International, 1981), which is the standard used by the editors of The World Book Encyclopedia to determine appropriate vocabulary. The NCV uses contemporary references for measurements and geographical locations when it is feasible.​

It's a very enjoyable translation to just read on its own without getting bogged down with language complexities.

It's great that she has you as a friend to help her sort through what she's reading!

 

[Sam91]

Maybe she might want to give the New Century Version (NCV) a try if she has struggles reading. From BibleGateway about the version:

The New Century Version (NCV) is an English translation of the Bible with roots extending to the English Version for the Deaf (EVD) Bible translation (by the World Bible Translation Center, a subsidiary of Bible League International). It is also related to the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), having longer sentences and a more fluent style. The NCV is now published by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

The two overarching principles that stand behind the NCV are that a Bible translation needs to be both accurate and clear. The translation team of 50 Bible scholars and translators included people with translation experience on such acclaimed versions as the New International Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the New King James Version. The best available Hebrew and Greek texts were used, principally the third edition of the United Bible Societies’ Greek text and the latest edition of the Biblia Hebraica, along with the Septuagint.

English vocabulary choice is based upon The Living Word Vocabulary by Dr. Edgar Dale and Dr. Joseph O’Rourke (Worldbook-Childcraft International, 1981), which is the standard used by the editors of The World Book Encyclopedia to determine appropriate vocabulary. The NCV uses contemporary references for measurements and geographical locations when it is feasible.​

It's a very enjoyable translation to just read on its own without getting bogged down with language complexities.

It's great that she has you as a friend to help her sort through what she's reading!

The Lord put us together last August. We both were just acquaintances at kid's school. After school hols we spoke and realised we both went back to Christ in June and we both had been praying for fellowship. She has been a gift to me as well.

We are in the UK, I don't think we have that translation. I shall go and check though. Thank you

 

[Biblicist]

If the question was aimed at what version do we use for general reading then in my case this would be the NIV; when it comes to using my primary Bible program I would select the NASB. If I found myself within a congregational environment where they used say either that ESV or Holman then I would be quite content to use one of these for discussion purposes.

It should be pointed out that any marketing blurbs that refer to their particular version as being based on formal-equivalence is either a marketing gimmick or at best a realisation on the part of the publishers that most average Christians sadly hold to the false notion that Bibles can be produced on the ideal of formal-equivalence when in reality no such creature exists or is even a remote possibility. What a publisher should say, or would like to be able to say, is that their particular translation leans towards the principle of formal-equivalence and little more which some have actually stated within their sales blurbs.

A good example of the formal-equivalence fallacy can be found with our English word miracle which in fact has no direct or even indirect equivalent in the Greek. If you check the NIV (1984) and the NIV (2011) you will see that in the revised NIV that the translation committee has rightfully removed 64 references to our English word miracle, though they should have removed each and every reference to the word as it does not belong within the Greek text:

 

[Sam91]

The Lord put us together last August. We both were just acquaintances at kid's school. After school hols we spoke and realised we both went back to Christ in June and we both had been praying for fellowship. She has been a gift to me as well.

We are in the UK, I don't think we have that translation. I shall go and check though. Thank you

We do have it. Thank you!

 

[Saint Beloved]

I think students of the Messiah should work up through bible translations like you do with other reading material like age appropriate adaptations or abridged versions of classic novels or ancient myths for kids. Start off with something fairly straight forward or even paraphrased and move on up to the KJV (that's where I stop) but those more into a challenge can go further on into the original languages of Greek and Hebrew. I think I started with the Good News then spent years in the NIV and ESV now slowly moving out of NKJV into the KJV.

 

[PeaceB]

Knox

 

[Monk Brendan]

Who publishes the Orthodox Study Bible and is there an e-book version of it? I did an Amazon search on it, but only came up with an Orthodox study bible for NKJV. I don't currently have anything Orthodox-specific (I don't think) so wouldn't mind taking a look.

That is the one I'm using. Here is a link to the Kindle version

 

[bekkilyn]

That is the one I'm using. Here is a link to the Kindle version

Thank you kindly!

 

[Dkh587]

I rotate between the KJV & NIV. I also use the Septuagint available for free on a bibleHub.com it's the Brenton's Septuagint.

Also, the Scriptures 2013 version is good too. It's a bit more on the "Hebrew roots" side, but good translation nonetheless. It's available for free on BibleHub as well. It's also on the Bible app too

 

[Rockworx]

I clicked ESV in the poll as that is the version I currently use most. I also like the NIV (1984) as that is what I used prior to the 2011 change of the NIV. (fortunately, I still have a few hard copies) Sometimes I enjoy listening to an audio version of the New Testament produced by Colin Urquart (UK) called "The Truth". It is more descriptive (almost like an amplified version) and easy to understand.

 

[Sam91]

That is the one I'm using. Here is a link to the Kindle version

It's on offer too

 

[Winken]

For general reading/reference I currently use the NASB. For study sometimes, I'll usually look at that one and compare it with NIV, KJV, NKJV, and the NET. The NET has *awesome* notes for studying - can be viewed here: Matthew 1

I visited the online NET with those incredible notes just now. While I am NASB/KJV, I will refer to NET for study notes. Thanks!

 

[-V-]

I visited the online NET with those incredible notes just now. While I am NASB/KJV, I will refer to NET for study notes. Thanks!

yw

 

[Deadworm]

Of the many later additions to the manuscripts used for the KJV, consider the bogus ending of Mark (16:9-20). Bible scholars agree that its Greek style indicates a different author than Mark. In fact, we know the identity of the forger, Aristo of Pella (c. 165AD). And thus, this ending is understandably missing from early manuscripts of Mark.

But consider the spiritual harm done by this addition. Many Appalachian Christians have noticed that Jesus here identifies snake-handling and drinking deadly poison with impunity as a "sign" of the true believer. So the KJV has contributed to the deaths of many Christians.

 

[Quasiblogo]

When I dedicated my life to the Lord Jesus, the congregation I attended used the NASB. I noticed it was easy reading. The only instrumentation was a guitar, so the music leader lead us in a lot of scripture choruses and "Maranatha Music" songs from the King James. These songs/melodies are still fresh in my memory, as the KJV rolls so easily off the tongue, once learned.

When I need to look up a verse, I use KJV. But, my favorite NT translation is the JB Phillips. For reading the OT now, I use the CEB.

 

[Quasiblogo]

Forgot to mention, I also read the Spanish Reina-Valera (RV). Whichever was written first, between the KJV and the RV, it seems obvious one was heavily used to write the other.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I bought a bible for someone which had NIV, NKJV, NLT and the Message side by side all through it. This person swore by NKJV but didn't grasp meaning of scripture well so thought it was a useful tool to have. Four translations side by side to compare is pretty handy.

My friend was in today and she showed me an extract from a book she was reading. (By the something Church of God) I didn't quite like what I was reading. Recognised it from Romans 7 so looked it up in my NIV... got son to get the ESV and NKJV and it sounded different to all three. Plus they had added bits in brackets we had to dismiss. I realised what was missing eventually ... The first half of Romans 7:25 and the rest of the extract was made to sound different to suit whatever it was trying to teach.

Sometimes specifically denominational Bible versions will be skewed towards a particular line of teaching that the denominational leaders want to promote. I think that there are different sorts of 'Church of God' congregations, though.

 

[Quasiblogo]

Churches of God are Pentecostal, and the "Drake" Bible (KJV + an amount of footnotes that dwarf the ratio of footnotes/Scripture text in the Scofield) was the preferred tome to use

In the PCA church I attended for a while, the ESV was "in". I later attended an Assemblies of God Church that used the NIV. I liked the read. But, I found it hard to use it to memorize Bible verses.
The pastor was fluent in Koine Greek and biblical era-Hebrew, and he told the congregation that after a certain publication date, the NIV introduced several debatable changes.