Whats the differences between bibles?

Question

I went to the Christian book store here while back and there is so many bibles out there. How do you know which one is right?

Answer 1

I have a book here that talks about the NIV. I use to have one that talks about the New King James Version, but cannot find it. I am gonna show you scripture from the NIV and you Read from the KJV if you have one. If not please look up on a web site that has the KJV. Ok here is some scriptures telling us not to take away from God's word. Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:6, and Revelations 22:19. You will find those in KJV. Ok here goes the NIV quotes.(Please Compare from KJV and See what you think).
Genesis 7:1- In the KJV God is calling Noah from the inside of the ark to come in and in NIV God is on the outside telling him to go in. In Revelations 22:18-19 the NIV says God will take away his share. Tree of life is added in the NIV and that means book of life was taken out. In 1 Timothy 3:16- They changed God to a He. Romans 14:10- NIV changes judgement seat of Christ to, judgement seat of God. John 9:35 the NIV changes Son of God to Son of Man. I could go on and show you some many scriptures, but if you wanna know more I have a book with about 20 pages of scriptures that the NIV has corrupted. The NIV calims to help people understand the scriptures better, but thats not true. They have changed so much of the word that really they deny Christ and that He is the Son of God.

Answer 2

The true answer you are seeking can be rather long and detailed.

There is an entire history of where the Bible came from and its various versions and developments.

The original Old Testament was put down in Hebrew. The New was originally recorded in Greek... the Septuagint.

About the year 390 A.D. or so, St. Jerome took on the task of translating all of it into what is known as the Latin Vulgate. The word Vulgate, or Vulgar, originally means "Common" as in 'common lanquage' that could more easily be read by more people.

After the Protestant Reformation came the English translations. The most accurate English version is the Catholic Douay-Rheims version. The reason is, this version was a direct translation of the original Latin from the 4th Century, which in turn was directly translated from the original Hebrew and Greek. And believe it or not, the DR is older than the venerable King James Authorized version.

The New Testament was being worked on in the 1500s in Douay (England) but Protestant persecution forced the work to continue in Rheims (France)...thus the name Douay-Rheims.

P.S. note for jclark (above).. there are seven books in the Old Testament that were removed later by Protestants that remain in the Catholic Bible. Not FOUR. The New Testaments are the same.

Answer 3

All published Old Testament/New Testament bibles are based on the Hebrew Old Testament texts and Greek New Testament texts. Traditional translations such as the King James Version, New International version, Revised Standard Version, etc are authentic and accurate to the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The new King James and New Revised are just that -- updated language but the same basic translations. Then you have the Good News bible -- a good choice for younger people (children), someone who isn't a native English speaker, etc because it uses simple language. The Living Bible and Amplified Bible are paraphrased to read more like a flowing story rather than smaller, separate stories. Amplified is just that -- it uses 3 words to describe a concept instead of just one. Some people find that more dramatic and interesting and some people find it just annoying or comical that they added so many words.

I personally use the Concordia Self Study Bible (New International Version) and occassionally I use the New Revised Standard because it is the most accurate translation of the Greek New Testament.

You can pick any of the translations that suit you best!
Hope that helps!

Answer 4

They should all be saying the same thing. The differences should be in the type of wording for example, King James Version or New International Version and then in type of bible e.g. Prophetic, Lifestyle, Devotional. I recommend a NIV Study Bible.

Whichever Bible you pick it is always necessary to look at more than one source for your answers. At the end of the day each of these books has been translated from something else. You will find that sometimes the translations are just a little off. Which means you really have to go back to the ancient texts to see what was really meant sometimes.

Answer 5

There are now more than 60 versions of the Bible(Different versions not translations The different versions of the Bible are not merely different translations, but are actually versions i.e. they add and remove things from other versions)



These revisions serve as concrete proofs that all the Biblical books are not at all divinely inspired. This is because it is beyond man's ability to correct the work of his Creator, who alone is Almighty and perfect

The Bible is a collection of writings by many different authors. The Qur'an is a dictation. The speaker in the Qur'an - in the first person - is God talking directly to man. In the Bible you have many men writing about God and you have in some places the word of God speaking to men and still in other places you have some men simply writing about history. Please read http://www.islamdoor.com/ and ask the Creator for guidance

The previous scriptures were meant for a limited period (and a specific people) that ended with the revelation of what abrogated them and exposed what had taken place in them of distortion and change. That is why they were not protected from corruption

Answer 6

Well they are technically all the same Bible just different translations. I have found in my search that the New King James Version is the best one for me. But the New Living Translation is a good one. New International is ok but it is missing a few verses. The Message Bible is ok it reads like a Novel but you will loose a lot in translation with it. I would recommend the New King James Version. Neslon Publishing makes a good NKJV Bible. I just bought Nelson's NKJV Study Bible and it is Awesome. So I would reccommend the New King James Version it is right now considered the most accurate English translation of the original Greek and Hebrew text of the Bible.

Answer 7

This question comes up all the time. If you want a summary of the history of the translation of the Bible into English (an on-going process, because the Bible is so popular, and English keeps changing from generation to generation), click on the link.

I prever the NIV (easy to read & understand), but our church perfers the NASB (a more literal translation)

Maybe this cut and paste might help:

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The King James Version (KJV) — Translated in 1611 by 47 scholars using the Byzantine family of manuscripts, Textus Receptus. This remains as a good version of the Bible. It has been the most reliable translation for over three centuries, but its Elizabethan style Old English is difficult for modern readers, especially youth. This is still a good translation for those who can deal with the language.

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) — Translated in 1971 by 58 scholars of the Lockman Foundation, from Kittle’s Biblia Hebraica and Nestle’s Greek New Testament 23rd ed., which include the Alexandrian Family codices. Though academic in tone, it is said to be the most exact English translation available. A very good version.

The Living Bible (TLB) — A paraphrased rendition of the King James Version by Kenneth Taylor in 1971. This is not a genuine translation, but is a type of phrase-by-phrase commentary that was originally intended to help the author’s own children understand the scriptures. It is useful for inspiration and commentary, but for serious Bible study it should only be used in conjunction with a legitimate translation.

The New International Version (NIV) — Over 100 translators completed this work in 1978 which was composed from Kittle’s, Nestle’s and United Bible Society’s texts, which include the Alexandrian Family codices. This is considered an “open” style translation. It is a good, easy to read version.

The New King James Version (NKJV) — 130 translators, commissioned by Thomas Nelson Publishers, produced this version from the Byzantine family (Textus Receptus) in 1982. This is a revision of the King James version, updated to modern English with minor translation corrections and retention of traditional phraseology. This is a very good version.

Answer 8

There are many different "translations" of the bible. Depending on who did the translations different passages can come out to have different meanings. Text notes will also often reflect the translators own beliefs. As for which one is right? Well who knows. My pastor says that if you read the whole thing the truth tends to come out.

My personal favorite is the NIV because it occasionally includes text note explanations that disagree with protestantism even though it was translated almost exclusively by protestants.

I think it is important to pick one that is easy for you to read and understand. I really recommend www.biblegateway.com because you can look up verses in all of the current translations and get a feel for how they are written.

Answer 9

First of all dont try and get a catholic bible Because the bible says "you shall not add on to the scripture" and the catholic added two more books into the bible that wasn't even neccessary. But other bibles like the NIV or King James or ect.Those are dfferent bibles to help you understand better and grow more into the word. Those are bibles that would break it down for you but I would recommend The NIV study bible. God Bless

Answer 10

There are many translations of the Bible, some are better than others. I personally use the New American Standard (NAS) translation. I like it because it is easy to read (it was updated in 1995) and flows like the original. In my Greek study of the New Testament I have found that the NAS, the English Standard Version, and the Holman Christian Standard were the most accurate.