Which Bible version?

[mtr1979]

Which Bible translation do you guys use and why?

Right now I'm using the New Revised Standard Version. The reason I use this translation is because back in college I took a Christianity class and this was the Bible we used. A Google search also told me it is the most scholarly. When talking with my girlfriend I got the vibe she doesn't like this translation. I told her I'm using the NRSV not the NRSV-CE. My girlfriend reads the Reina Valera 1960. I also talked with my friend's mom who is religious and told her I use the NRSV and I also got a bad vibe. She reads the Living Bible. My question is what is the problem with the NRSV?

In the past I was never a fan of the KJV, but I'm starting to appreciate the poetic nature of the translation.

I'm also starting to get interested in the Literal Standard Version.

Any advice or recommendations you guys have will be greatly appreciated.

 

[wizardwatson]

Which Bible translation do you guys use and why?

Right now I'm using the New Revised Standard Version. The reason I use this translation is because back in college I took a Christianity class and this was the Bible we used. A Google search also told me it is the most scholarly. When talking with my girlfriend I got the vibe she doesn't like this translation. I told her I'm using the NRSV not the NRSV-CE. My girlfriend reads the Reina Valera 1960. I also talked with my friend's mom who is religious and told her I use the NRSV and I also got a bad vibe. She reads the Living Bible. My question is what is the problem with the NRSV?

In the past I was never a fan of the KJV, but I'm starting to appreciate the poetic nature of the translation.

I'm also starting to get interested in the Literal Standard Version.

Any advice or recommendations you guys have will be greatly appreciated.

The first couple of times I read it through I read KJV, but now I read the NIV. It's just easier to read as an American.

I read the KJV for the same reasons as many purport to read it, for it's "accuracy". But people shouldn't be so quick. It isn't entirely accurate. I had the fortune to read some Leo Tolstoy letters along with "What I Believe" when I was young, and in there he describes his search for accuracy. It taught me that although it's largely accurate, there were some political choices made in passages here and there.

My basic method is as follows:

1. Start with the NIV.
2. If there is scriptural confusion, check cross verses in different versions and read the parallel commentaries (Biblehub.com is great for this).
3. If it's Old Testament and you want even more in depth references, check the Septuagint (the Greek translation that the early church was using) and the Torah. Here are a couple sites to check those (https://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/index.html and https://www.chabad.org/)

Not trying to diss any trinitarians here, but I'm probably considered a "binitarian" by some, but honestly, I just think of it differently (I would argue scripturally).

So as an example, I will use a common verse that people use to claim that Jesus and the Father are the same person, Isaiah 9:6. Here is how it reads in the NIV:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Here is how it reads in the KJV:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Almost the exact same. But this is what the Septuagint said for the same verse:

For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is called the Messenger of great counsel: for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to him.

Not even close, right? What about the Torah?

For a child has been born to us, a son given to us, and the authority is upon his shoulder, and the wondrous adviser, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, called his name, "the prince of peace."

I would argue that the Torah is the most biblically consistent translation. So what happened between there and our modern bible translations?

Who knows. I would advise truth seekers to look deeper when doubts arise. God will not conceal the truth forever.

 

[acptulsa]

KJV

I like Shakespeare, too.

 

[ClaytonB]

Any advice or recommendations you guys have will be greatly appreciated.

In the modern era, there is no need to "choose a translation", especially for word-study, etc. If you search a specific verse like John 3:16, BibleGateway has a button at the bottom of the page "See this verse in all English translations" and if you click it, you will instantly see every translation of John 3:16, in parallel. So much for "which translation?"

Since most of us are not Greek/Hebrew scholars, we do have to be careful not to form baseless opinions regarding complex topics involving the original languages. For most passages, the meaning is so clear that even non-scholars can understand what is being said just using the Interlinear Hebrew and Interlinear Greek, and consulting the linked Strong's numbers. For people who care about what translation to use, I highly recommend to bookmark these resources. Be aware that the BibleHub Interlinear is based on an amalgam of sources, see here (scroll down), so there may be variants in the source manuscripts and you just need to keep that in mind (it would be nice if they had a tool that showed all variants side-by-side, but this is an invaluable resource anyway.)

For people who are new to the Bible, I recommend a modern, neutral translation, such as ESV or NIV (there are other good options, I am just familiar with these two). For memorization, I actually recommend the KJV because the anachronistic language actually helps your brain retain things better... the "weirdness" to the modern ear of some of the language makes it that much more memorable. Plus, it really is a beautiful translation in terms of tone and diction. Some of the modern translations choose very a pedestrian tone and the original just isn't written in that tone, it is closer to the tone of the KJV (high tone, noble diction).

"And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?" (Gen. 44:15)

Next time you think of stealing a chalice, make sure to wot ye that its owner may be able to divine! If you want to use both a modern translation and the KJV together, a good choice is the NKJV because it tries to stick to the KJV's overall grammatical structure, as much as it can be salvaged in modern English.

Modern translations do have various biases and you should be aware of the biases in your translation. That includes the NKJV, by the way, don't just assume it is as faithful to the original as the KJV is. Key messianic prophecies are frequently altered by choosing an inferior source-text, or by using language of a very low tone to make a prophetic passage seem mundane. The language of passages that strictly prohibits immoral behaviors is frequently softened or the tone altered to make the language seem accommodating or parental, instead of judgmental and severe. When you consult the Interlinear in these cases, you will see that the literal translation is usually far more severe than even the most severe English translation (which is usually the KJV). In other words, when modern translations try to "tone it down" vis-a-vis the KJV, they are invariably moving in the wrong direction. If anything, the source text is usually even more strident than the KJV which has already toned down the original to make the reading flow in English.

 

[donnay]

Which Bible translation do you guys use and why?

Right now I'm using the New Revised Standard Version. The reason I use this translation is because back in college I took a Christianity class and this was the Bible we used. A Google search also told me it is the most scholarly. When talking with my girlfriend I got the vibe she doesn't like this translation. I told her I'm using the NRSV not the NRSV-CE. My girlfriend reads the Reina Valera 1960. I also talked with my friend's mom who is religious and told her I use the NRSV and I also got a bad vibe. She reads the Living Bible. My question is what is the problem with the NRSV?

In the past I was never a fan of the KJV, but I'm starting to appreciate the poetic nature of the translation.

I'm also starting to get interested in the Literal Standard Version.

Any advice or recommendations you guys have will be greatly appreciated.

I use the Companion Bible when doing Bible study.

The Complete Companion Bible