favourite bible version?

[Eddi]

(((Christianity DIR)))

Christians: What is your weapon of choice?

I prefer reading a paraphrase to a translation

So when I read the bible as a part of my personal bible study I read from The Message Bible The Message (Bible) - Wikipedia as I find it much easier to follow than any translation

However, when discussing scripture with others I use a translation, I think I have now settled on the NASB New American Standard Bible - Wikipedia

I've found that The Amplified bible has its uses, too
Amplified Bible - Wikipedia

 

[exchemist]

(((Christianity DIR)))

Christians: What is your weapon of choice?

I prefer reading a paraphrase to a translation

So when I read the bible as a part of my personal bible study I read from The Message Bible The Message (Bible) - Wikipedia as I find it much easier to follow than any translation

However, when discussing scripture with others I use a translation, I think I have now settled on the NASB New American Standard Bible - Wikipedia

I've found that The Amplified bible has its uses, too
Amplified Bible - Wikipedia

New Jerusalem bible. It avoids antiquated language while sticking close to traditional interpretations. And it is the one I grew up with in church.

But for literary quotations I obviously need the Authorised Version (what Americans call the King James Version), as that is what was used in England when most of our literature was written. It has more poetic language, even though it can be hard to read in places.

 

[Cooky]

(((Christianity DIR)))

Christians: What is your weapon of choice?

I prefer reading a paraphrase to a translation

So when I read the bible as a part of my personal bible study I read from The Message Bible The Message (Bible) - Wikipedia as I find it much easier to follow than any translation

However, when discussing scripture with others I use a translation, I think I have now settled on the NASB New American Standard Bible - Wikipedia

I've found that The Amplified bible has its uses, too
Amplified Bible - Wikipedia

The Vulgate

 

[Eddi]

New Jerusalem bible. It avoids antiquated language while sticking close to traditional interpretations. And it is the one I grew up with in church.

But for literary quotations I obviously need the Authorised Version (what Americans call the King James Version), as that is what was used in England when most of our literature was written. It has more poetic language, even though it can be hard to read in places.

Oh, hello there...

I thought you'd put me on ignore?

 

[halbhh]

(((Christianity DIR)))

Christians: What is your weapon of choice?

I prefer reading a paraphrase to a translation

So when I read the bible as a part of my personal bible study I read from The Message Bible The Message (Bible) - Wikipedia as I find it much easier to follow than any translation

However, when discussing scripture with others I use a translation, I think I have now settled on the NASB New American Standard Bible - Wikipedia

I've found that The Amplified bible has its uses, too
Amplified Bible - Wikipedia

I liked The Message ok when I read quite a lot of chapters in it from various books of the bible, but I'd already read through the bible fully in other translations before then. There are places where The Message doesn't get it all, for one thing. But that's to be expected, because God's thoughts are literally above ours (so they are irreducible in a way) -- Isaiah 55:8-9

I have liked at times in my life the NIV, the NASB, the KJV, and another I think was "the Living Bible" (since replaced by the not-always-great NLT).

At this point, I really do appreciate the precision and excellent translation of the English Standard Version (ESV). But if it disappeared tomorrow, I'd be fine, and could use the NASB and NIV and so on without losing much. We really get the messages only through listening well to entire passages and chapters, as a whole, and even the old KJV can get those across (even if it leaves you wondering what a verse means here and there).

One big advantage of a more word-for-word translation is the ineffable transcendent quality of the Word when more exactly reproduced, in addition to helping at times to get something more clear.

 

[InChrist]

(((Christianity DIR)))

Christians: What is your weapon of choice?

I prefer reading a paraphrase to a translation

So when I read the bible as a part of my personal bible study I read from The Message Bible The Message (Bible) - Wikipedia as I find it much easier to follow than any translation

However, when discussing scripture with others I use a translation, I think I have now settled on the NASB New American Standard Bible - Wikipedia

I've found that The Amplified bible has its uses, too
Amplified Bible - Wikipedia

I prefer the New King James Version. The Message is not actually a Bible translation, but rather a paraphrase.

 

[37818]

Christians: What is your weapon of choice?

The KJV.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

New American Bible - Revised Edition
Revised Standard Version: 2nd Catholic Edition

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

New American Bible - Revised Edition
Revised Standard Version: 2nd Catholic Edition

Actually the NABRE is a pretty terrible translation. It's just ugly and has dumb "inclusive" language. I just use it because my study Bible uses that translation. But it's not a favorite translation of mine. The RSV is my favorite one.

 

[Estro Felino]

The Vulgate

View attachment 46627

I love it...when I used to study Latin ...the high school teacher used to let us translate only from Cicero or from Seneca...which were harsh, harsh, harsh...
The Vulgate is so simple and clear. I wish high school students could translate from the Vulgate.

 

[Estro Felino]

BTW...since we are speaking of Bible in English, I'd say the KJV. No contest.

 

[Oberon12]

I use the Sondervan NKJV Illustrated Study Bible, formerly used the KJV, and I also use a NKJV study Bible in chronological order, which is very helpful in some instances. Concordances are helpful as well. The more footnotes the better. My opinion is the translation staff for the NKJV is the most varied and complete set of translators so far.

 

[halbhh]

I use the Sondervan NKJV Illustrated Study Bible, formerly used the KJV, and I also use a NKJV study Bible in chronological order, which is very helpful in some instances. Concordances are helpful as well. The more footnotes the better. My opinion is the translation staff for the NKJV is the most varied and complete set of translators so far.

There are a lot of places it can help to have an accurate more modern translation like the ESV, but still...

Having read all the way through the KJV in youth, I have so many wordings in it I just love, from memory, such as:
"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

I love that! While the ESV does excellent in conveying the poetry of the wordings very well, it's hard to beat that wording in this one verse!

 

[Oberon12]

There are a lot of places it can help to have an accurate more modern translation like the ESV, but still...

Having read all the way through the KJV in youth, I have so many wordings in it I just love, from memory, such as:
"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

I love that! While the ESV does excellent in conveying the poetry of the wordings very well, it's hard to beat that wording in this one verse!

'English' was still a relatively new language, only maybe a couple of centuries old at the time, so the language would be a lot more colorful, certainly. Chaucer and Shakespeare were huge influences on the early language. I like them both as writers.

I don't dislike other translations, I just think the NKJV is more literal', and with the footnotes in the study bible version that cover other word translation differences it is the one I prefer and think is more accurate. Not everyone needs to be a scholar and a linguistics expert these days, and in any case as long as the Pentateuch, the core of the four Gospels, and John's books and Revelation are relatively the same across all translations of the NT that is fine for most Christians. The rest is mostly history, commentaries,passion literature, etc.

 

[The Crimson Universe]

I have the NIV in my posession. Once i purchase the MacArthur NASB (which is a bit expensive), i will read both of them at the same time.