Christians, which translation of The Bible do you follow, and why?

Answer 1

King James, it is the authorized version. God sets up and brings down kings so I believe he gave King James the power and authority to have the King James translation done.

Answer 2

Personally I don't "follow" a translation.

I use the KJV because the Strong's concordance is keyed to it and is the best concordance.

All translations are exactly that. Translations. Much is lost in the translation from any language to any other language. It really pays to be able to go back to the original languages and see the definitions as in Strong's Greek and Hebrew dictionaries included with the concordance.

Even with good dictionaries the figures of speech may not be spotted since they include many words which can mean something completetly different than the defined words alone. There's where a skilled and gifted Christian teacher is so important, to bring out the figures of speech. The original manuscripts carried with them the footnotes to help preserve the intended meanings of the passages. Can everyone read and understand the footnotes? Not me I can't read the original languages. Very few church ministers can either. Seems to me our people are starving for the truth rightly taught. Look at all the paganism within Christianity and ask yourself how this can be?

Is this prophecied? yes.

Amos 8: 11 teaches us that God Himself brings this famine on the end times. So then if we are to "study to show ourselves approved" we have much work to do.

That is why I use the KJV, because of the Strong's concordance.

Answer 3

Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek by Hebrew scholars,called the Septuagent.That's the version Jesus would have used.Jerome when he translated the scriptures used the Septuagent and translated it to Latin.The King James guys used that to translate to English.So it may not be perfect but it is the best.Not only that ,it the most accesible.I personally,read the New KJV without he Thees and Thous.

Answer 4

The King James Version is the best.

I am also Israeli and have been in different Kehilats (fellowships) and when others translate it from Hebrew to English it is almost word for word to the KJV.

My wife is a native Israeli and we read it side by side and I am amazed at how close it is.

I have been to Cyprus where the native tongue there is Greek and the believers there have told me that it is also the same for Greek to english in the KJV.

It says that the Word of God is alive (quick) and powerful and I have seen that to be true with the KJV as the other versions seem so watered down, filtered with man's wisdom, and missing various scriptures and doctrinal proof.

It is seperated into nice verses which make it easy to memorize scriptures, instead of the lengthy paragraphs of other versions.

When I witness to Mormans, we are able to speak the same language because they use the KJV also.

The Jehovah witnesses also publish the KJV via their watchtower orginization, so it is more accepted for discussion because I refuse to use their corrupted New World Translation of the Bible.
Their translation of John 1:1 and Colossians 3:9 shows that. Also, no reputable Greek scholer on par with J.H. Thayer agrees with the watchtower rendering of this verse.


I find also with the style of the KJV, the Holy Spirit is able to teach me more and more in detail with the Word, wheres the other versions sound like a foreign language to me.

The KJV is very easy to understand, contrary to people who have said that they can't understand thee and thou, lol

Answer 5

I don't believe any translation is particularly better than another. God speaks to different people in different ways, which is why we have numerous translations available.

That said, I grew up with the Revised Standard Version. As an adult I like the New American Bible. It's primarily used by Catholics, but as a Protestant I still like it. I think it does a nice job of using modern language that still sounds elegant.

Answer 6

There is not a particular translation that I "follow"

I personally tend to use the NIV and the NASB primarily.

I think any modern English committee translation is acceptable to use.

If you FOLLOW only one translation then you probably have a misunderstanding of what a translation is, or what the Bible is.

Answer 7

There are more than 130 million copies of "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" in print in dozens of languages; it is distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses.
http://watchtower.org/languages.htm

The entire text of NWT is freely available at the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses, and a personal printed copy can be requested at no charge:
http://watchtower.org/bible/
https://watch002.securesites.net/contact/submit.htm
http://watchtower.org/how_to_contact_us.htm


Jehovah's Witnesses certainly like NWT, but they are happy to use any translation which an interested person may prefer, and in fact Jehovah's Witnesses themselves distribute other translations besides NWT (such as KJV of 1611). Jehovah's Witnesses attach no particular infallibility or inspiration to NWT.

Since the same manuscripts used by the NWT translators are still widely available for study, and since there are dozens of alternate translations for comparison, anyone who chooses to use NWT does so informedly.

It seems that the vast majority of the criticism against the New World Translation is actually as a proxy for blind hatred against Jehovah's Witnesses. The hatred must be "blind" since secular experts of biblical Hebrew and Greek have consistently refused to condemn any particular verse or phrase as an unacceptable translation. Instead, it is religionists with preconceived theologies who bigotedly insist upon particular wordings, since these are necessary to prop up the shaky tenets of their false worship.

(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.

It seems signficant that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are the ones best known for their worldwide preaching work. Yet Jesus commanded that ALL who would call themselves "Christian" perform this public work:

(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.

Answer 8

I read the Greek New Testament when I'm doing any in-depth study, and the NIV when casually reading since I think the NIV translates the Greek meaning well. I'm not really into the RSV, I think the NIV actually does better.

Answer 9

I follow Christ, not the Bible. lol.

I read and study the NIV or The Message, sometimes the KJV because they're easy to read, explains meanings of verses, and the root words of many difficult concepts, etc.

The Message really gets down to Earth. Seriously. It's a really good guide.

Answer 10

I use the King James Version. This is the Bible that is in the offical cannon of scripture for my faith.

I also find that the old style of writing (thee, thou etc.) is eaiser to follow than any of the newer versions.