Evee ~
there are lots of translations one can use, and i'd say the biggest distinction between them is how literally or how freely the original text is translated.
some Bible translations are essentially paraphrases of the meanings of the original text into contemporary American English. others are more word-for-word. the KJV has the general reputation of being very literal, and also being rendered in an Elizabethan English that some find very beautiful, and others find difficult to read. the KJV is the one with all the "thees" and "thous" and "dosts".
i really like the NKJV (New King James Version), which is essentially the KJV rendered into a slightly more modern English. all that really has changes is "thine" becomes "yours" and certain archic words have been replaced with more modern ones. the original syntax of the KJV is preserved, giving the NKJV a still slightly archaic feel, which i like.
i also really like the NIV. i find it easy to read, and enjoyable. it's a less literal translation, and the English is more modern. it was put together in the 1960's by a team of Protestant Christian leaders and Bible scholars. the NIV uses older Greek manuscripts when translating the New Testament. the KJV relied on the Textus Receptus to render the NT into English, a 16th Century Greek NT textual collection.
some Christians prefer one translation to another, and some go as far as to say that only certain versions should be read, or held as authorotative. in passages where God is understood to be talking, the text may be headed with a bold heading such as The Lord's Reply. these headings would be found elsewhere in the translated Bible, and are not parts of the original Hebrew or Greek or Aramiac text, but are inserted as a way to keep topics and sections of the narrative clear.
my church is a Baptist church, where only the KJV is officially used and read from. many of us bring our own Bibles to the services so we can read along with whatever text the pastor or speaker is quoting, and a few congregation members bring their NKJVs or NIVs to church with them, too.
