which bible is the most accurate in terms of translation from the Greek and Hebrew scriptures to English?

Question

There are so many different bible translations out there from the KJV to the CEV to the New world translation of the holy scriptures. Whenever i am stufying my bible i have to wonder if i am studying the right thing i just wish there wa one bible in the christian congregation that they would all study out of.

Answer 1

Interseting question I have just returned from an international symposium of Experts on the Bible included were historians, archeologists and lexicographers form all backgrounds and were asked to compare a number of Bibles for accuracy, and ease of understanding and the text, tone timbre and feel of the original Hebrew and Greek representatives from 235 countries world wide were there and they voted on which was the best and most accurate word for word from the original and they voted for the " NEW WORLD TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES ALMOST BY 97% MAJORITY Gorbalizer

Answer 2

The best translation is NO translation. Read the Nestle-Aland Greek, or the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. You can't? Well then you'll have to compromise.

The problem with translations is that the most literal are the hardest to understand, and the easiest to understand are the least literal. Unless you know the grammar and idioms of Greek and Hebrew, knowing exactly what they say may just confuse you. Literal translations also don't sound too good when read aloud. The most literal would be an interlinear, with the original Greek or Hebrew and the English equivalent in between each line. You'd see how it was put together but it's one ugly translation to read!

I recommend getting at least two translation, one more literal (like the New American Standard) for study, one more meaning-driven (say, the New International Version) to read and meditate on. No translation is perfect, or even best.

Answer 3

don't take my opinion, Please read.

Old Testament:
In fact, the New World Translation is a scholarly work. In 1989, Professor Benjamin Kedar of Israel said:
"In my linguistic research in connection with the Hebrew Bible and translation, I often refer to the English edition as what is known as the New World Translation. In doing so, I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that this kind of work reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible. Giving evidence of a broad command of the original language, it renders the original words into a second language understandably without deviating unnecessarily from the specific structure of the Hebrew....Every statement of language allows for a certain latitude in interpreting or translating. So the linguistic solution in any given case may be open to debate. But I have never discovered in the New World Translation any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain."

New Testament:

While critical of some of its translation choices, BeDuhn called the New World Translation a “remarkably good” translation, “better by far” and “consistently better” than some of the others considered. Overall, concluded BeDuhn, the New World Translation “is one of the most accurate English translations of the New Testament currently available” and “the most accurate of the translations compared.”—Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament.

“Here at last is a comprehensive comparison of nine major translations of the Bible:

King James Version,
New American Standard Bible,
New International Version,
New Revised Standard Version,
New American Bible,
Amplified Bible,
Today's English Version (Good News Bible),
Living Bible,
and the New World Translation.

The book provides a general introduction to the history and methods of Bible translation, and gives background on each of these versions. Then it compares them on key passages of the New Testament to determine their accuracy and identify their bias. Passages looked at include:

John 1:1; John 8:58; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1

Jason BeDuhn
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, and Chair
Department of Humanities, Arts, and Religion
Northern Arizona University

Answer 4

You can't get most accurate from both Greek and Hebrew in one translation. The JPS (Jewish Publication Society) is a good one from the Hebrew. It has no need for the Christian canon of course.

Answer 5

Id use the New World Translation. Its more modern english. Easier to understand. No thous art and such lol

Answer 6

1) translation - word for word from Greek / Hebrew - such as KJV or NKJV, or NIV

2) paraphrase - such as message, or NLT this is a thought for thought. less accurate, but easier to read sentences.

I like NIV or New living - also have a concordance on hand to prove to yourself any doubts

Answer 7

The King James Version sticks very very close to both the Greek and Hebrew. You can order parallel Bibles that have the original language on one page, and the English translation on the other. I have a Greek New Testament with the KJV next to it and it is very close.

Answer 8

That would be the one that has been translated back into greek so that you can study greek and see how accurate they were. It's true tho'.

Answer 9

As the source of the Scriptures is perfect (and divinely inspired) the only thing that really matters is that you have a translation that is in a language you can easily understand. I think the NIV is a nice modern day English translation. Also, it is useful to sometimes refer to translations such as the "Amplified" Bible which provides a more elaborate description of the inherent meaning of the orginal words used. For instance, in John Chapter 21, Jesus asks Peter several times if Peter loves Him. However, the word He used for love the third time was different than the word He used the first two times. Below is that passage in the Amplified Bible:

15When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do--with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Feed My lambs.

16Again He said to him the second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Shepherd (tend) My sheep.

17He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, instinctive, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]? Peter was grieved (was saddened and hurt) that He should ask him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.

For a nice online comparison of translations, I recommend www.gospelcom.net

God Bless.

Answer 10

Try the masoretic text.

can't go wrong there. need to understand Hebrew tho.