Which version of Bible should i buy?

Question

Since when i asked Christians about bible verses, they will said.."oh u refer to the wrong version of bible, u better use this blablabla version..." everybody said their version is the best but which one is the true and the best referrence for me to buy?

anyway, why there are a lot version of bible? and which one is CLOSEST TO THE TRUTH AND ORIGINAL BIBLE?

its catholics version is it?

Answer 1

Hey,

Different translations doesn't necessarily mean that the Bible in THAT translation is not truth. The Bible was originally written to be relatable to the people of the time. Many believe nowadays that translations that are little "looser" attempt to do that --> relate the Bible to modern day a little more.

So there are two ends of the spectrum here; of course, at one end where everybody above has mentioned the King James Version, this side is the closest to the original Greek/Hebrew text. These versions include the King James Version (with all its thous and thees) and the New King James Version (replacing thee with you and etc). The New American Standard Bible fits in between the KJ version and the middle.

On the middle of the scale is the New International Version which is usually the most common in churches nowadays in North America; the Amplified Bible gives a lot of extra words in case you don't understand (amplified = expanded). The New Living Translation sits in between the middle and the far "liberal"/"loose" side.

So on the "loose" side, there would be the Message by Eugene Peterson - the Bible basically in contemporary, modern language. This version is the loosest you can get, with the English Standard Version sitting closer to this side than the middle.

Lemme draw this out:
King James ---- Most to Greek Text
New King James
New American Standard Bible
New International Version ---- Middle Ground
Amplified Bible
New Living Translation
English Standard Version
Message --- Most to Modern Day Language

Essentially, it depends on the purpose of your Bible. If it's for personal devotional time, it might be good to spring for a good study Bible that settles in the middle on that scale (ie. the New International Version Study Bible is a really good one; if you're a youth, go for the youth edition.)

For research and textual study, the King James line is good for you.

For modern day easy-read (maybe you commute and you just want to give the Bible a read w/o much thought into it), there's the Message version by Eugene Peterson.

So happy Bible reading! Remember, most important though is that you're not just reading, but allowing the Word to shape your life.

Answer 2

The real name of the "King James Bible" is the Authorised Version. It was authorized by King James I of England, VII of Scotland, in the early 17th century. For its time it is an incredible work of translation of the texts available at the time and and incredible use of the recently and barely codified English language. Beyond it's importance to English speaking Christianity this Bible is as important as the writings of Shakespeare as a masterpiece of modern English writing. Down through the years several revisions of the Authorised Version were made: the Standard Version, Revised Standard Version , The LIving Bible (The Word), Good News for Modern Man (New Testament and Psalms if I'm not mistaken) and the NIV are all based on the Authorised "King James" Bible.

We now have access to older texts and codices than were available in the early 17th century as many things have been discovered in the past 400 years. Modern Bible scholars and linguists also have a much better understanding of the ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic in which the Bible was originally written.

Therefore I would suggest you buy a more modern, scholarly edition such as The Jerusalem Bible, The New English Bible or the New American Bible. There are probably others, but these are the very best that I know of.

Oh did I mention that the "King James" Bible was the result of anti-catholicism? It says so right in the preface.

Answer 3

If you would like a Bible in modern English, but that has extensive documented notes, you might want to try the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB). There is a version without or with very few notes. I would suggest, however, getting the complete version, which has many notes. The notes often tell you what the original text says, and why the translation uses what words it does. Also on the plus side, it is a Catholic Bible, and so has all 73 books, including the 6 ones that are missing from the protestant versions. Good luck in your search!

Answer 4

All Bibles regardless of the version get their origins from several basic sources. Those sources are anceint texts that have been read and re-read, translated and re-translated many many times. Have about 8 different versions of the Bible I have found that it seems the most diligent and accurate translation in to modern english is the New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures printed by the Watchtower Bible Tract Soceity.

Along with a Bible you can receive a free Bible Study with any one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Bible is also published online at the link below.

Answer 5

Old Testament was written so long ago in Hebraic langage in such a different culture. The New Testament was written in Greek between 50 and 150 years after Christ, also in a different culture.
You should check that the people who translated the Bible have sufficient knowledge about history, culture, langage, translation, etc, of that ancient time to be able to translate such a difficult text as the Bible.
Generally, a team work is better as it will be very hard for one person to know everything he should to be able to translate the Bible.
In the catholic church, authorized versions of the Bible obtain an "Imprimatur" and / or "Nihil Obstat". This means the Church has done some verifications about the translation.

Answer 6

The King James Version (Authorized Version), is the only accurate version of the Bible. It is taken from the Antiocan text, or textus receptus, (the received text.)
ALL other modern versions come from the Vaticanus text, which as you can see is from the Vatican. The RC church has altered the text and lots of verses are missed out. They have changed some of the verses too so that they have different meanings, so all modern translations are corrupted versions, if you have any of these modern ones I would put them in the bin as it is just Satan trying to corrupt the word of God. He did that in the garden of Eden and he is still trying to change Gods word today.
The ONLY accurate version is the KING JAMES. Look up Chick Publications and on their web site they will tell you in more detail about the different versions. Also if you email them they are very good at getting back to you.
Hope you find this helpful.

Answer 7

The closest to the original bible is the King James Version. It was the first version of the Bible in English, commissioned by King James and translated by a scribe named Jerome. It has changed little throughout the centuries and is therefore very difficult to understand with the way the english language has changed. I prefer to study from the New King James, but I use crosswalk.com to refer to other references. I would recomend buying the NKJ, but I encourage you to keep double and triple checking the other versions online :)

Answer 8

The "Authorized" (as it was known in England) King James Version is the most accurate English translation of the Holy Bible. Other English versions have many words altered or removed. Look the differences up in these sources.

Answer 9

The King James version is ok, it's not the closest, or the "true" version. There is no such thing. Get a Bible that is easy for you to read and has language you can understand. New American Standard is a good version.

Answer 10

James Version.