What Bible would you recommend for ministry?

Question

I am about to be ordained, and my church has asked me what Bible I'd like as a gift. I plan to go into hospital chaplaincy right after divinity school, so want it to be a widely-accepted version that's easy to hear (NRSV, NIV, NASB). I'd like cross-referencing, and ideally, parallel-passage notes for the gospels. I do not want study notes or a large concordance within it to carry around. I also would like a full-sized version, because I will do some preaching and would like to read it from the pulpit. Finally, I'm looking for something in basic black leather. No NRSV I've found online has all these features. I found a wonderful NIV that meets all of them perfectly, published by Holman, but out of print now and unavailable. If you're a pastor or chaplain and have a working ministry Bible you really like, I would very much welcome your recommendation. Thank you!

Answer 1

The English Standard Version (ESV) is good translation. It is a literal translation like the NIV, that has added back some of the readability that was missed in the NIV especially in the poems of the Bible.

For more info http://www.esv.org/

Answer 2

...I have been a Christian about 28 years. I am not a pastor or chaplain but I have researched this a bit -it is based on the work and opinions of others, whom I consider trustworthy.
...Get a good word-for-word translation - like the KJV, the new KJV, and the New American Standard Bible.
...Avoid the New World Translation, which is rejected by most scholars. It is a bible skewed by the Jehovah's Witnesses and is tailored to suit their doctrinal quirks and inaccuracies (like the heretical belief that Jesus is not Deity - they insert an article in John 1:1 that does not belong there to make it suit their belief system).
...I would also avoid the NIV, which while it is very readable, takes certain liberties where it shouldn't. I would also avoid the Good News Bible, the Living Bible, and any other paraphrase.
...My favorite one is the NASB, and I have done most of my memorizing from that one.

Answer 3

mmm...good list. 1st, congratulations on your graduation from seminary! (Don't be surprised if you never want to read another book again) ;)

ok, let's see about this list:

Widely accepted versions:
NRSV, NLT, NIV, and the TNIV

Cross-referencing/parallel passage notes (footnotes too?):
NASB, RSV, NRSV, NLT, NIV, TNIV

No concordance within:
Just don't get a "Study Bible"

Full-sized version:
Most should come in a full-size.

Summary:
I find the NLT has really good footnotes / cross references, and also is great for reading aloud, but b/c the language is set for such, it's not a good Bible for word studies. But I have seen some in black leather.
The TNIV is good in that it's closer to the original Greek, yet not all their bibles have all that many footnotes. Although it does come in leather.
NRSV often has good notes, and is actually what I choose to use with word studies (other than the Greek itself), but as you mentioned, you can't find it in black leather. It's also not the friendliest in speech for reading out loud.

Hope I helped some.

Answer 4

Please notice these quotes:

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 5

I am a fan of the Doughray-Reims (sp?) version. But, then again, I am Catholic. I like the oldest transation I can find...one that does not water down the message of the Gospel and ministry of Christ.
When "Thou shalt not" becomes "Don't," I cringe.
When "Cain slew Able" becomes "Cain killed Able," I cry that the terms possess different definitions, and altogether different meanings behind the motive.

That, and the NRSV, etc., are all missing a few books. :-)

Answer 6

The New RSV is probably the best for the US. The NIV is over-literal to the point of loss of comprehension.

Everyone who loves the Bible loves the KJV, but for those new to the faith, it is too much to ask them to learn what is almost a foreign language.

Answer 7

The KJV 1611

Answer 8

Well, if you want to get it right, try for a Nestle-Alland 27th edition for the New Testament and a Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia for the old. You might want to ask for a dictionary and grammar or two as well.

Answer 9

Latin Vulgate
Douay-Rheims Bible

Answer 10

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