What translation / version of the Bible should I read?

Question

When I was younger, I read the entire KJV of the Bible. I'd like to reread it, but I was wondering which one to read. New American Standard? New International Version? The Amplified Bible? The Protestant Bible?

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

I would like to suggest that the version you should read should depend on what you are trying to get out of it. An old missionary once told me it is like the ABC's
Accuracy- go with the NASB (though I hear that ESV is more contemporary and maintains much of the word for word accuracy)
Beauty- The Authorized Version (King James Version) probably takes the cake here, though (I know I will earn the ire of lovers of the King's English and KJV only folks alike), I think that the NLT and Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, The Message, both exhibit a deep resonance with the spirit of the text and a poetical beauty in places
Comprehension- NIV, or I would suggest NLT or even a paraphprase if you are trying to really get the jist (or one of the jists) of the passage.

If you visit any of the various Bible society websites, or any of the Bible publishing sites, they will be able to explain the tension between "dynamic equivalence" (thought for thought, means to you what it meant to the original audience, perhaps) and lexical accuracy (word for word, there is a word for word correspondence), and they often have charts showing where the different translations lie on that spectrum.

I personally believe (other are free to disagree, of course) that one benefits from having a couple of different versions. The problem with translation of anything is that if the original had multiple layers or collors, choosing to translate one or another of those layers almost always necessarily means leaving the others out, and introducing several other meanings that are present in the English but not in the original.

I would also like to state here that I don't believe it makes much sense to argue that you should only read the KJV/AV. The historical and text scholarship arguments that it is the best text are highly debatable (and probably wouldn't even be as debated if it weren't for people who are such passionate supporters of it). I disagree that it is the most accurate translation of the texts it translates, and I further disagree that the text it translates are the most accurate texts. Whether they are the best is dependent on what one's definition of "best" is in this case. I think everyone is agreed that the manuscripts are not the most ancient (manuscripts, not texts). Further, it is written in dialect of English that you are unlikely to speak and have an intuitive, native understanding of. For example, in Revelation 16, a vial (phiale) is not a vial in the modern sense, and the word it translate is something much closer to a bowl, not a test tube. This is verifiable in Strong's Concordance, word 5357. But if you just read it according to modern use of the word vial, you might think that it was something like a test tube or bottle. Finally, the style is very dignified and refined. That is beautiful, but it often doesn't accurately reflect the style of the underlying language, which is varied. Much of the Bible is in simple, colloquial langauge, some of it is coarse (so I have heard), and some of it is refined. But when approaching the KJV/AV as a modern reader, one comes to see it all as something like Shakespeare.

I am sure I have now earned the ire of all who love the KJV/AV and view it as the only theologically accurate, uncorrupted translation. I can only say that I'm sorry about our disagreement and I hope we can still be friends.

So in short, I think you need to find a version that is meeting your needs as a reader, and perhaps get another version that is on the other end of the spectrum to help you balance it out.

Because of my theological position, I would advise against the New World Translation published by the Watchtower Society/Jehovah's Witnesses. But again, that is wholly your choice, I just think you should be informed.

I hope you find something good for you that allows you to hear what God is speaking to you.

Answer 2

Read several different translations, but keep checking back with the KJV for confirmation. I suggest a parallel Bible with a few different translations listed side by side. I would choose the King James Version (KJV), the New International Version (NIV), and one other.

I like to look up words from the King James Version in Strong's concordance. There is a good one on line as well (free) at Lifeway.com.

Answer 3

Amplified Bible is cool, I like it but sometimes I get a little distracted with the super descriptive nature of it.
NIV is a pretty clear read.
I like the NKJV, it keeps the poetic and lyrical tenor to the writings.
Revised Standard is decent.
I still haven't warmed up to the Message.
I never had much problem understanding KJV only because I was a huge fan of Shakespeare and I understood the sentence and word constructions readily.
Okay... sorry if it was too much info.
But I do hope you get some helpful answers.
Thanks for being cool.

Answer 4

ZETA...problem here.

King James had the bible translated and when he didn't like what he read had parts revised. Those parts which someone on here decided were insignificant were changed because said king thaought they gave women too much power and influence. Too much credibility.

Go back, way back, way, way back. The bible is a group of texts written by different people three hundred years after the death of Jesus. Many of which were scribes. Scribes can be accurate, they can also add things that were not there or well they can be quite creative.

I listened to a talk by a man who had gone to semenary school and ended up leaving his vocation and got married. He gave and examples.

Good luck.

Answer 5

I learned Greek, which is the best Bible I could suggest. That way you do not have to worry about the translators getting it right, you could do it yourself. But I have compared the NIV, RSV, and KJV, and I think the NIV gets the original meaning across the best with the most understandable language. The KJV is horrible, the RSV I am shaky about, it words some things strangely if I recall.

Answer 6

If you want readability coupled with reasonably good accuracy, read the NIV. If you want a translation somewhat closer to a literal translation from the original language, but reads rather clumsily, read the NASB. The Amplified is rather arbitrary in what it chooses to amplify. Another excellent version that is less popular but I think quite accurate is the Modern Language Bible, sometimes referred to as the Berkeley translation.

Answer 7

i find that the NIV is the one i pick up the most, although the New American Standard is an easy read as well. If you are studying, then stay away from Bibles with loose translations such as the Living Bible, and The Message which is written in today's language.
Have fun with it, and God Bless!

Answer 8

Try the New Living Translation. I have enjoyed it. But always compare anything you read to the KJV. The KJV is the "gold standard" and has no doctrinal misleadings in it (like some "translations" that are out there).

Answer 9

The NKJV or the KJV are both good. They're the most accurate versions of the Bible.

Answer 10

I prefer the New King James Version (NKJV). It's very similar to the KJV, but without all the thees and thous. It's the old version with more modern language, and has not been altered like some of the others.