what are the difference between the english versions of the Bible? the jerusalem, etc.?

Question

Hi I am a spanish speaker.. well I would like to know the differences between the english versions of the Bible.. I always wanted an english version of the Bible.. but someone told me the jerusalem is better.. but I dont get.. if someone could help me with that.. thanks

Answer 1

The differences are their readability and their accuracy.

Just like any other science, linguistics is improving all the time. What translators know now about the original Bible languages is vastly superior to what King James's translators knew.

I find the Jerusalem Bible to be the best, but then again, I am a native English speaker, and when I read the Bible I like having footnotes about translation possibilities for a certain word or about cultural information that supports the particular gloss that the translators chose.

Another good one is "Good News for Modern Man." I think that translation is only of the New Testament, but the English is plain and easy to read. I think when it expanded into both the Old Testament and New Testament, it was renamed "Today's English Version," and that was changed to "Good News Translation." They're all different names for the same very good English translation of the Bible.

Good luck to you! :)

Answer 2

The Jerusalem Bible is an excellent translation...and that's the key to what the difference is between editions. The JB was re-translated by scholars who knew their stuff, and who could present the words and thoughts in a way modern folk can understand. Stay away from editions where the translators are anonymous, such as the JW version.

Answer 3

The Torah is the first 5 books of the Bible


Try the Good News Bible
It is the Same Bible used by Mel Gibson in the Movie
that showed the Crucifixion Of Jesus Christ
And it was Word for Word

Answer 4

Too many to tell, although all the differences are minor, with few exceptions.

Compare for yourself at least 20 versions:

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Answer 5

If you would like an original, try Lamsa Bible online
http://www.lamsabible.com/

Answer 6

There are so many English versions of the bible, it would be much too lengthy to discuss them all here. Instead, here's my "what bible should I pick" answer:

1st, I'll assume that you are not a member of a sect that demands using the King James Version (KJV) or any other particular version. (Unfortunately, most of these sects do not actually use the whole KJV.)

At this stage you want to decide what your bible should contain. Do you want a bible that contains 1) all scripture or 2) a selection of scripture? Besides editions that contain all scripture, there are editions that contain only new testament books, others containing only books from the Hebrew bible, and still others (the majority) which exclude several books in a somewhat cavalier fashion.

I will assume that you intend to read the entire bible, or at least wish to have the entire bible at your disposal. In this case, you must obtain a bible that includes the Apocrypha. There are some sects teaching that the apocrypha is not inspired scripture, and if you are a member of one of these sects then simply avoid reading these books. There is no other reason for avoiding the so-called apocrypha and every reason to get a bible which includes them. Here is a more in-depth discussion about this topic: http://www.jimpettis.com/bibles/dc.htm .

In my conclusion I will consider two cases:
1) You want a "complete" bible (Complete)
2) You don't care if the apocrypha is included or not (Open)

The next stage is to decide if you want a bible merely for reading and learning the text of the bible itself, or if you intend to study scripture more deeply and intensely in order to gain a greater understanding and to help you interpret the scriptures accurately. This is the difference between a "standard" edition bible and a (scholarly) study bible. I will refer to this as "purpose" when I make recommendations below.

Finally, you need to decide whether you want a translation that offers 1) ease of reading 2) literalness of translation or 3) accuracy of translation. I separate these even though they are not *necessarily* mutually exclusive. Different versions *do* (must) follow primarily one of these three criteria, however, and so should you when you make a decision. I will refer to this as "style" when I make recommendations below.

A note about the KJV: although excellent for its time, and including nearly the entire body of scripture, as well as marginal notes from the translators providing possible alternate translations (making it a passable study bible), the KJV uses 400-year-old English, 400-year-old scholarship (read: they didn't know as much as scholars today), and texts that lacked the last 400 years of archaeological discoveries. By no means was the KJV the first English version of the bible. It's main advantage today is that most people use some form of the KJV and it is often useful to use the same version as others in discussions of scripture.

Recommendations: you can look at a fairly thorough comparison of technical details of different versions here: http://www.jimpettis.com/bibles/chart.htm , but what follows are my recommendations.

Comparisons of "literalness" of translation can be found here: http://www.preceptaustin.org/tool_commentary.htm#obt and here: http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~port/teach/relg/bible.scale.html and here: http://www.zondervan.com/images/cms/Bibles/bible_transchrt_js.jpg . An important note: "literal" does *not* equate with "accurate". A translation that is more literal does *not* equate to a translation that is more accurate. Indeed, in *any* language translation, literal translation is likely to lead to significant failings in accuracy of translation.

Style: Translated for Ease of Reading
....Purpose: Reading (Ease of Reading is not a relevant style for a study bible purpose)
........Content: Complete
............CEV (Contemporary English Version) - complete version http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHoly-Bible-with-Deuterocanonicals-Apocrypha%2Fdp%2F158516173X%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1196142796%26sr%3D11-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 , also available as an e-book on CD 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 . Second choice: NAB (New American Bible) - not as easy to read but still easy, translation accuracy may be slanted slightly by Roman Catholic bias.

Style: Translated for Ease of Reading
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Open
............NIV (New International Version) - one of the easiest-to-read modern translations with higher marks for accuracy than most easy-to-read bibles

Style: Literalness of Translation
....Purpose: Study
........Content: Complete
............RSV (Revised Standard Version), New Oxford Annotated Bible, Expanded Edition - one of the most literal translations with some of the most scholarly study notes, though somewhat archaic language. 2nd choice: NET (New English Translation) - literalness uncertain but copious translator's notes help the reader achieve this goal. Deutero-canonicals incomplete.

Style: Literalness of Translation
....Purpose: Study
........Content: Open
............NASB (New American Standard Bible), Scofield Study Bible - most literal modern translation, but study notes are for the most part independent of the translation. 2nd choice: RSV New Oxford Annotated Bible - not as literal as the NASB but more comprehensive and scholarly study notes, available without Apocrypha.

Style: Literalness of Translation
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Complete
............RSV - most literal complete version, but somewhat archaic language. Make certain to get a version that includes the Apocrypha. (All "Catholic" bibles include *most* of these books, and "Expanded Edition" includes them all).

Style: Literalness of Translation
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Open
............NASB - most literal modern-text bible, high marks for accuracy

Style: Accuracy of Translation
....Purpose: Study
........Content: Complete
............NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), Regular Edition - copious study notes, word use demonstrates great concern for accuracy of translation, my favorite version. 2nd choice: NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Augmented Third Edition - includes complete deutero-canonicals, excellent scholarly study notes on par with NJB, but translation suffers slightly from over-zealous use of "inclusive" language

Style: Accuracy of Translation
....Purpose: Study
........Content: Open
............Same as above. New Oxford Annotated available without the Apocrypha.

Style: Accuracy of Translation
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Complete
............NJB Reader's Edition. 2nd choice: NET - copious translator's notes may make this the most accurate translation, but requires study to absorb the translation; deutero-canonicals incomplete.

Style: Accuracy of Translation
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Open
............NJB Reader's Edition. 2nd choice: NET. 3rd choice: NIV (New International Version) - highly regarded non-biased translation, not as careful as NJB but easier to read.


Recommendations for the true bible student (who doesn't know Greek or Hebrew):
1) Software including NASB, KJV, NRSV, NJB and NIV - I use Ellis (lacks NIV) but there is at least one other *affordable* (under $100) package providing this selection. Make certain a Strong's Concordance is also included.

2) NJB Regular Edition - get it if you can, don't settle for the Standard Edition. (My review here: http://www.jimpettis.com/bibles/njb.htm )

3) NASB - make certain to get the latest version. Get it in print if your software doesn't have it. Most literal translation.

4) The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Augmented Third Edition - NRSV translation demonstrates over-zealous use of inclusive language but the study notes are invaluable, perhaps better and less biased than NJB.

5) Oxford Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBible-Authorized-James-Version-Apocrypha%2Fdp%2F0192835254%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1190233697%26sr%3D11-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 - the complete books of the 1611 King James Version with printers errors removed and spelling modernized. No marginal notes.

6) KJV New Cambridge Paragraph Bible with the Apocrypha 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 - the complete 1611 edition, *including* marginal notes, with modernized spelling. Probably more valuable than 5), but it's a tough call.

7) A good bible dictionary, such as HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. There are a few equally good alternatives.

Honorable mentions:

1) Tanakh, 1995 edition, by the Jewish Publication Society - scholarly translation of the Hebrew Bible by Jewish scholars, very highly regarded.

2) NWT (New World Translation), With References - a very literal bible with some excellent though incomplete study notes. Shows significant but infrequent Jehovah's Witness bias and is available only from the WatchTower Organization (Jehovah's Witnesses). Reading this with the awareness of the bias (which is mostly documented in the bible itself) can be quite worthwhile to a student of the bible.

I hope this helps.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/