I have to ask, for those that follow the bible, which to you is the right version?

Question

There are several versions and translations of The Bible, and since so many people claim it is the end all, be all of everything, I wonder. Is it the "New World", the Coptic the Greek, the King James or a different one not yet mentioned? Now before you answer think about not only which one you follow if you do follow it, but how many times has the version that you are thinking of been revised, edited and translated at the hands of men.

And if you could tell me why that would be great too.

Answer 1

always quote from the new revised standard version. the reasons for the authenticity of a translation are quite complex. essentially it comes down to the fact that the original texts are not extant - they are long gone and all we have now are copies of copies. not all the documents agree with one another, which leads to the bible translation council discussing each variant and giving it a rating from a (most likely to be in the original) to d (least likely). then you have to factor in the bias of the translator. the greek of the new testament can be taken in a number of ways in some places, and thus you get a range of translations existing along a continuum, from absolutely faithful to the greek (but a bad read in english - like the older translations and the new king james version), to a translation like the good news bible which runs roughshod over the greek and, i'm sorry to say, downright makes it up in some places to fit an evangelical agenda. as someone who learnt ancient greek, the NRSV strikes the best balance in my opinion between readability and faithfulness to the greek. your comment about 'the hands of men' is quite disingenuous, because the bible was written by men in the first place, men who had agendas, both social and political. so, you're never going to arrive at 'the word of god', because the concept of 'the word of god' is so tied up with politics and blind faith as to make it useless. yes, i am an atheist, but i've spent years studying religious texts and i assure you, you can't go wrong with the NRSV.

Answer 2

Nearly all of the original version of the Holy Bible is still available in Greek and Hebrew. The translations are in the King James Version and many modern day language version are available now but still from the accepted KJV. There have been few translated versions in the hands of men since then and we can still revert back to the original scrolls to verify what the KJV, New Standard or many other versions. So what your saying is really not accurate about the "translations at the hands of men." Some of the words in the translations from old Greek to English can be questioned like the word "Hades". In old Greek this meant "Grave" and in English it means "Hell." A very big difference there but not the fault of the Bible, just the same word used today with a somewhat different meaning in modern English. Still, anyone with a question about the original text can see the original word and investigate themselves the translations.

Answer 3

The Greek is the "right version" and isn't a translation. The Greek New Testament and the Septuagint are the base texts for the Christian bible. They are the originals, as far as we are concerned (not the Masoretic.)

The reason for this in the case of the New Testament is because Greek was the language in which it was written, as were most first century writings. The Greek Septuagint is considered our Old Testament (and not a translation) because:

* It is the version that all New Testament personalities quote
* the LXX text is actually older than any known complete Hebrew texts.

And the redaction process leading to the present scriptures isn't relevant. If the scriptures as we have them in Greek are what God meant for them to be, then obviously we consider all the events of the redaction process, as well as all the scribes who set the words down, to have been inspired. How complex that process was isn't germane - that it was inspired is.

Answer 4

If I were to choose one; I would choose the NIV (New International Version) because when the NIV was released; they did not start with the King James Version; but they went to the oldesy Greek and Hebrew texts they could find; and translated those into todays english.

Answer 5

LOVE the KJV! but having said that, I like several modern English versions as well, such as the New Berkley Version, the Amplified, The New American Standard Version, J.B. Phillips translation, the New King James, and some others...

Ones I dislike: New International Version, the Revised Version and the Jehovah Witness "transversion" (The New World Translation) YUCK!

All in all however, one must remember that the Word of God is something beyond the printed page, something invisible that seeks communion with our spirit.

The printed versions are vessels attempting to bring that Word to us. They may be considered "Clothing" on the body which is the Word; the body remains the same, but the clothes may differ.

If one is truly seeking God, He can reveal Himself using even the most errant version, because of the pure intent of your heart.

Answer 6

Bible versions can generally be categorized into three:

1) Essentially Literal [ex: KJV, ESV, NASB]
2) Dynamic Equivalence [ex: NLT, TEV/GNT]
3) Free Paraphrase [ex: The Living Bible, The Message]

It is best to use all when studying God's Word. The essentially literal ones are especially good for detailed word-for-word studies while the dynamic equivalence ones are good for a clearer understanding of the intended message. Free Paraphrase Bibles are recommended for beginners and young people, for casual reading, as well as for those to whom English is a second language.

Since all languages - including Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek - naturally differ in structure and usage, all versions do, out of necessity, use all three methods to a certain extent. One good example of this is the NIV which, at first glance, may seem to be literal, but thorough reading shows the use of dynamic equivalency and free paraphrase in several places.

Reading the Bible in its original languages and then in the English language is like watching TV in full color and then in black-and-white. No single translation best captures the richness of God's Word in the tongues it was written. As such, you would do well to use the above-cited versions and more. If limited finances is of concern, try to have one version for each category, or at least one literal and one dynamic. This would help you maximize your understanding and appreciation of God's Word and Message.

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Answer 7

The New American Bible is great for studying and learning from. It contains all the books of the old testament that the king james and other protestant, and non-denominational bibles have eliminated. King james isn't complete. Back in the 1800's the protestant's eliminated 7 books from the old testament, but they are known for very selective teaching and learning anyway baptists are really selective. But it depends on what your looking for. If your looking for New Testament learning then they are all the same, as long as you stay in the Christian line of Bibles.

Answer 8

King James...as far as it has been translated correctly.

However, regardless of which version a person reads or follows, I personally believe that it takes study and prayer to understand it as God would want His words understood. Each verse can mean something different to different people at different times in their lives.

If we were to ever get an accurate translation, I believe it would take the Catholics releasing the ancient texts they have at the Vatican and finally allowing the rest of the world to know what it originally said.

Answer 9

All of the versions come from the same manuscripts, with very little discrepencies. I use a number of versions, depending on what I am doing. There are two main divisions of translations, the literal and the paraphrase. The litteral is a word for word translation and the paraphrase is a thought for thought translation. Literal versons like the KJV and the NASB are better for detailed study, and the paraphrase like the NIV and Living Bible are easier reading. I have copies of a number of different versions, and most Bible search programs give you numerous versions for comparison purposes. The real accuracy of the Bible does not come from the versions, but from the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to the earth when He left to guide people into the truth using the versions that are available during whatever time period in history and whatever culture you may live in and whatever translation you have. God has it all under control for those who genuinely want to know the truth and not just want to express their opinion.

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Answer 10

The King James version.