I wnat to read a bible, But there are so many versions. Which one version should i read?

Question

PLease give me as much info as possible.

Answer 1

The original King James Version. When it was translated by King James' servants, it was translated as close to the orgininal meanings of Hebrew and Greek possible. Thus, it is the closest to God's meaning that you can get.

Answer 2

If you want a super literal modern day translation, then you can depend on New American Standard. Personally, I'd suggest the New International Version or New Living Translation because they are translated by top conservative scholars from the original languages using all of the available manuscripts and latest technology. If you want to read for understanding and you don't have a strong education in the bible, I'd recommend the latter two. When you get more familiar with the bible, you may want to move to the previous.
Also, Please consider getting a Study Bible. The Study bible has notes for nearly every verse which explains the things that make you go "huh?". The best one in my opinion from a conservative standpoint is the "Life Application Bible." the "NIV Study Bible" is also excellent. The "Life Application Bible" is available in many different translations, but (of course) the NIV Study Bible is only in the New International Version.

All of the translations that I mentioned above are translated by a committe of Bible scholars who discuss the more difficult bible passages together before landing on a final translation. However, if there are other viable translations, they will include those translations on the margin of the page. So be encouraged! Those translators are trying to give you the very best translation...they even give you the other possible translations as well, so there is no scandalous "cover up" going on!

Many, unfortunately, will tell you that the King James is the only viable word of God. This is unfortunate, considering that the differences between what the King James says and other good modern translations is minor (though they will scream that it is major) Besides, I have a Master's degree in Theology, and I have a hard time understanding its language. (But my degree also included 28 credit hours of Biblical language studies, so don't think that I didn't consider the King James strongly!)
If you need more info on translations that are ou there, please consider www.bible.org. Here, lots of Bible scholars got together and submitted their essays on lots of theological ideas...including Bible translation.
:)

Answer 3

I would stick with the proven versions that we know are fairly accurate: the New American, New International Version, Todays New International Version, The Oxford English Version. Revised Standard Version.

There may be some others but some of the Newer ones, the Publisher had a hidden agenda to Neuter God, which is not accurate.

Good News, Living Bible, New Living Bible and The Message are written for easy understanding for New Christians but should not be used for serious study.

Answer 4

My suggestion would be the New Living Translation and the Amplified Versions is another good one because they both are written in today's language and easier to read. But also I would have a King James Version copy around to because that's the most popular version. I know there are so many versions. But there is nothing wrong with having several different versions. When I am study the word, I have all my versions.

Answer 5

There are different versions because everyone has different needs. Scholars can use untranslated Hebrew and Greek versions. New Christians can get a lot out of transliterations like "Good News for Modern Man". If you enjoy reading 400 year old English, the King James Version is very good. If you want to understand better, though you might opt for the New KJV.

There are reasons to read any number of versions. Best bet is to ask your pastor. He'll probably suggest getting what he uses, whatever that may be. But that's okay, because he'll be explaining it anyway.

Answer 6

NIV is considered the most popular version in the U.S. because of its easy English. However, it is also a copyrighted translation (by Zondervan), which raises the price significantly.

King James is cheap for the same reason: it's not copyrighted. It is also a very popular translation. However, it is very difficult to read for people who don't enjoy shakespere. It was written hundreds of years ago, so our language has changed significantly.

The New King James is a very slightly updated version of King James. The language is slightly modernized. Most of the "thee's" and "thou's" have been replaced with modern versions of the same words, making it easier to understand. Otehrwise, the wording is identical to the King James.

There are literally dozens of other translations, varying in accuracy and popularity. Most of them get the basic gist right. There are even differing versions of the same translations.

But if you ever plan on reading along in church, get an NIV Study Bible (there are several), because its the most common.

Answer 7

There are many good Bible versions. My personal favorite is the King James Version, but that's got language that is quite old fashioned. The New King James Version is another excellent choice. If you want something in very modern vocabulary, try the New Living Translation.

Answer 8

The New King James version is a good choice for new Bible Readers. They have changed the older language of the King James Version to make it easier to understand.

Answer 9

It doesn't matter what Bible you choose as long as you just grab one and read it! God loves you, and His Words are true, real, and enduring.
But just in case you want more information, my favorites are the One Year Bible, which divides an easy-to-understand version of the Holy Bible into 365 fifteen minute sections, and the Amplified Bible, which, using animated language, comes closer to what the original Hebrew writers were trying to say.
Good luck!

Answer 10

The Contemporary English Version makes things an easy read.

Answer 11

You could try an ecumenical study bible. It will have lots of footnotes, on the differences between versions or differences due to different sources of the texts. For that reasons it can be a little harder to read, but you could always skip the notes too.