What Bible should I read?

Question

I'm Eastern(Romanian) Orthodox but I don't understand written Romania too well since I've lived here since I was nine and it would definetly be a struggle.. I know perfect English though, but i don't know what Bible I should read?My mom wouldn't want me to read anything different from the Eastern Orthodox Bible, yet I really want to start reading the Bible. Are there any real differences between Bibles? And which one would be closest to the Eastern Orthodox one? Any ideas on what I could do?

Answer 1

Its really a personal choice. I do like the Revised Standard version myself. Makes a good study bible. In all honesty, we all have our favorites, but the common translations will give you the same outcome as far as accuracy goes.

Answer 2

I think you should ask the question "what is the closest one to the original manuscripts not what is the closest to the eastern orthodox". What do you want to know? Do you want to know what the original writers of the bible said or do you want to know what the eastern orthodox church said that they said? If you get a bible that is put out by some cult(and I'm not saying that the eastern orthodox church is a cult) then they will change their bible to agree with their cults doctrine. The Jehovah Witnesses do that. But if you get a bible that was translated by translaters who are impartial and don't have an ax to grind then there is probably not a whole lot of differences. The New American Standard bible is good. The New International Bible is good. The New King James is good. The King James is good except that a lot of the words they use are english words from back in the 1600's.
Get a couple of those bibles and read them all.

Answer 3

How about the Orthodox Study Bible?
http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/phronema/review_osb.aspx

Or the XX Orthodox Study Bible due out in Spring 2008?
http://www.lxx.org/##

Answer 4

There are many translations. I have been reading from the NIV (New International Version) for 20 years. I have about 8 different Bibles to use when I don't understand a verse. But overall, I believe the NIV is the easiest to read and understand. It is also the most commonly use version.

Answer 5

Assuming that the Romanian Orthodox Church uses the same canon as other Eastern Orthodox churches, I recommend the NRSV, RSV and the CEV.

NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) with Apocrypha contains the entire canon. Unfortunately, it tends to inject "gender-inclusive language" in a much-too-enthusiastic manner. Despite this one (perhaps significant) flaw, this version is highly regarded as a scholarly translation. This http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAnnotated-Apocrypha-Augmented-Revised-Standard%2Fdp%2F0195288815%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1189385469%26sr%3D1-2&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 is one of the best scholarly study bibles available today, but you can also get this version without the study notes (just search for the NRSV with Apocrypha).

RSV (Revised Standard Version) with Apocrypha is a fairly literal translation. Find the "expanded edition", which includes the entire canon (1977 or later). I have not read this version, but my impression is that the language used is more conservative than that of the NRSV. There are also Oxford Annotated RSV editions, but again, I cannot vouch for the quality of the study notes, although if they are like those in the NRSV mentioned above, they are peerless.

CEV (Contemporary English Version) was translated with the primary goal of producing a translation that was easy to read. It has gained approval from many sects, and is suitable for (older) children as well as adults. This http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHoly-Bible-Deuterocanonicals-Apocrypha-Contemporary%2Fdp%2F1585160210%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1187556958%26sr%3D11-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 appears to be out of print but available used. This http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHoly-Bible%2Fdp%2F1585160059%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1187556881%26sr%3D11-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 is an e-book on CD (and is what I own). Although the book introductions on the CD are separate from the bible text, the footnotes are hyperlinked to the bible text itself - a very nice feature if you (like me) want to know more about the translation.

To the best of my knowledge, *no* other English bibles include the entire Eastern Orthodox canon (in other words, all the books). None of the other answers I read deigned to take this into account.

According to this http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7068.asp , the Greek Orthodox use both the King James Version (does not contain the entire canon, even a really good KJV like this http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FKJV-Cambridge-Paragraph-Bible-Apocrypha%2Fdp%2F0521843863%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1189044700%26sr%3D1-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 ) and the RSV. However, the approval of the American Greek Orthodox Church is likely not pertinent to your situation.

I hope this helps. This link may also be of use: http://jimpettis.com/bibles/chart.htm . Look especially at the "Deutero-Canonical Additions" column and footnote (I use the term "additions" with reservations).

Jim, http://www.life-after-harry-potter.com

Answer 6

The best used in America are the New American Standard (NASB), the New International Version (NIV), and the New Living Translation (NLT). Depending on your reading level, NASB is the toughest. Dont ever let anyone interfere with your relationship with God.

Answer 7

My personal choice is King James, go with New if you need to. I choose the old version because they don't cut anything out. God Bless. :)