What is the best version of the Bible for study and general use?

Question

I am an atheist, and I want to gain a better understanding of Christianity, and theistic religion in general. I thought I might start with the Bible. I have read a bit of the King James Version, but that was for literary purposes. I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thank you.

Answer 1

The best version that is quite good is the New Oxford Annotated. It's based on the NRSV and reads quite well and accurately.

Answer 2

The New International Version is easy to read. I think it's the best one to try to get a good understanding of it. The King James Version is just that, edited by King James, where the New International Version is translated from the original texts.

Answer 3

Some may disagree, but stay away from the King James Version. It is difficult to read. Also stay away from the paraphrases like The Message. Good, easily read translations would be the New International Version (NIV) or the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Answer 4

Try the English standard version for a good Protestant translation, or if you want one with the whole Old Testament try the Revised Standard version-Catholic Edition, that is an excellent translation. If you want a Catholic version that uses the same type of poetic language as the KJV, use the Douay-Rheims.

Answer 5

Learn Ancient Greek and Aramaic, then translate it for yourself. That's what most know-it-alls do when they approach RELIGION from a SCIENTIFIC point of view.

P.S. Stay as far away from the KJV. It is often used by critics of the Bible due to dozens of numerical and contextual mistranslations.

If you don't wanna learn Ancient Greek and Aramaic, the next best bet would be to learn Latin, and read the Vulgate. It was translated from Ancient Greek and Aramaic by a monk in the 4th century who consulted Hebrew and Greek scholars so that he could translate it as well as possible. That monk was named Saint Jerome. He was qualified. Martin Luther et. al were not.

Imagine translating Olde English (like Shakespeare) into modern day English. Unless you are familiar with the literary styles of those authors, and subtle contemporary nuances, mistakes are bound to be made, most of them small, some of them not so small.

In other words, leave the translation to the experts, not the amateurs, like the Bozos who made the KJV

Answer 6

Try New King James Version (NKJV) I find it to be most accurate second to the King James Version. Also Im in my teens and i really like this Bible-The Extreme Teen Bible. It gives the most awsome insight.Wow i cant tell you how good and easy it makes the Bible to understand.I highly recommend it , go to www.ThomasNelson.com you'll see plenty other good ones there.Good luck.

Answer 7

You would be much better getting something like the New Living Bible or the latest version of the Good News Bible. These are very suitable for your purposes, they are very readable, explain concepts and themes accurately, and are in modern language.

Answer 8

The new american standard Bible is looked at by historians anyways as the most accurate english translation to date. Also has books in it that King James and others dont. Used by many Catholics and Methodists.

Answer 9

The one I give to atheists, wiccans and agnostics is a parallel contaoining King James, Revised, New Living and Message. This way you can see it from 4 generations of scholars.
Thanks

Answer 10

Peace!
I would recommend the New International Version with apocrypha or the New American Bible. It would help if you also have a Bible Dictionary and an inter-denominational commentary.
God bless!