This translation was first published in 1963, with the most recent edition being published in 1995. for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University-Purdue hard to go wrong reading the CSB -especially this one on Amazon, Center The Bible is a complex book. I dont think the KJV is bad, actually I think its a good translation. While youre at it, dont forget to check out my new post where I go into detail about Study Bibles. Its included here because there has been so much interest in it. The Phillips translation is an extended paraphrase by Anglican Clergyman J.B. Phillips. Water Baptism of new believers in the name of Jesus Christ is a vital and important part of the Christian faith. Many of the phrases and words are no longer in use today, thus making it very hard for most to understand. (see this thorough post about each book of the New Testament with many faith-building details). Pastor. Let's take a comparative look at twelve of the more common English Bible translations used today. I know this isnt a popular opinion and I probably wont persuade any KJV Only enthusiasts. Its regarded as somewhat colloquial, and It has been highly criticized for straying too far from the original text. Thomas Nelson published the complete NKJV Bible in 1982. The project for the translation started in 1985; as a result, the speech patterns used in books, magazines, newspapers, and television a study by Barclay Newman. All registered. One of the benefits of this strategy is that you can look up Greek or Hebrew words in a dictionary and see how they were translated exactly. That venerable old standard the King James Version (KJV) These refinements maintain faithful accuracy to the original texts and provide a clear understanding of God's Word to those who prefer more modern English standards. A more literal translation can be useful when doing an in-depth study of a passage. Through these writings, God communicates his will, his laws, his nature, and his saving purpose to humanity. Judges 20:2 illustrates this meaning: How could you possibly go wrong reading a word-for-word text that translates the original language into your own language? Others found it difficult to read, particularly for those new to the Bible. Salem Media Group. If you do pick up a copy of the Message I would highly encourage you to not read it by itself. What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. And different people may have different reasons for selecting the version they read every day. If you were to just translate the word love from ancient Greek to modern English you would be missing a lot. Its a paraphrase. This is easier to understand, but most of the words are different, the meter is gone, and the rhyme of stand and hand are gone. Also, we will look at the different accuracy claims by the owners of these Bible translations. It is written in very modern English, yet readers still find that it reminds them of the KJV and RSV. The English Standard Version (ESV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and Holman Christian Standard Bible are among them (HCSB). Bible in Basic English (BBE) A translation of the Bible using the standard 850 Basic English words. And as we saw in the first part of this series, 5 Bible Translations You Should Avoid, not all options are good. This approach attempts to stay as close to the thought the original writer was trying to convey. I love traveling. This theory is called closest natural equivalence. Sign up for Rethink Updates and youll also get access to 3 exclusive articles AND 2 Bible reading guides! I highly recommend owning a Study Bible, as no matter which version you are reading, notes and commentary are helpful to understanding, and give full context to what you are reading! This is not an exact chart, rather an overview to see which translations are more literal and which ones focus on the main ideas. The King James Version (KJV) translators went to considerable measures to ensure that their translation was as near to the Hebrew and Greek source texts as possible. I use this translation when Im studying a passage, but not in my personal reading. This keeps it close to the original meaning. In the year 2017, the top selling Bible translation was the Christian Standard Bible updated in the same year, according to the Bible Sources. What Are the Most Accurate Bible Translations. The important thing is that you find a translation that you like. Others feel that no one translation of the Bible is superior to another and that each has its own set of strengths and limitations. Though modern, it remains pure and faithful to the gendered language found in original texts and older translations. NASB in it's forms is usually considered the most accurate word for word translation. King James Version (KJV), Amplified(AMP), New American Standard Bible (NASB), English Standard Version ( ESV), Dynamic Equivalent or Thought to Thought Translations, New King James Version(NKJV), New International Version (NIV), Christian Standard Bible (CSB), New English Translation (NET), New Living Translation ( NLT), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), The Message Bible ( MSG), The Living Bible (TLB), Good News Translation (GNT), Contemporary English Version (CEV). If you are like me, you will have multiple translations around the house, on your computer and all your electronic devices. Buy it here: New Living Translation Bible. They looked at previous translations in a variety of languages, including Tyndales English translation from 1534, which he finished before being murdered for his work. Then go buy your favorite. Its the modern equivalent of the KJV. Based on Functional Equivalence or Literal (Word-for-Word) The three principles followed in the CEV translation were -: must be understood by readers without stumbling in speech, must be understood by people with little or no comprehension of Bible language, and must be understood by all. The King James Version,originally known as the Authorized Version, dates to 1611, is a formal/literal version, and has had just a few language tweaks since written. The NET is considered more formal than most of the other English Bible translations that are considered dynamic. Most accurate Bible translation according to Scholars. It aims to make the translation easier to understand in the contemporary English language. These Bibles are not quite important for serious study as Word-for-Word Bibles, but they have developed an excellent following among many Bible students as secondary sources. Theres two reasons I think you should avoid the KJV. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) holds the reputation for being the "most accurate" Bible translation in English. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is often regarded as the most accurate English Bible translation. You can gain a lot by watching Allen Parr discuss the source material for all of todays English translations of the Bible. 4. Not every Bible translation is good. The simplest answer is the New King James Versions (NKJV). Formal Equivalence - This is a fancy way of saying word-for-word. The majority of the New Testament was written in Koine Greek. This evidence comes from centuries of scientific, archaeological and historical studies and discoveries. One of the reasons people ask these questions is because they want to have a precise and clear picture of any incident in the Bible. A Study Bible has cross references, parallel passages, maps and other helps designed to enrich your experience as you read the greatest stories ever told in human history. According to the preface, the four-fold aim is that 1. William Tyndales translation from Greek and Hebrew sources came before the King James Version. New American Standard Bible (NASB) The NASB holds the title of Most Accurate Translation due to its strict adherence to Literal (Word-for-Word) translation methods. The NIV was translated using a literal and dynamic translation. The NIV Bible translation, one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations, has its recent edition in 2011. If you are interested in deep study, you can get this highly-recommended Interlinear on Amazon. Writer. This makes it suitable for reading for Catholic believers. Because of the success of the ESV translation, an edition incorporating the Apocryphal writings was published in 2009, while the ESV-CE was published in North America in late 2019, and The Augustine Bible was published in The United States of America in 2020. You can take a look at this very popular and highly-rated NKJV Study Bible on Amazon. The New International Version (NIV) is regarded as a dynamic, thought-for-thought translation that took ten years to complete and involved a team of over 100 scholars. In fact, it really belongs on the list of the Worst Translations of the Bible, where you can read a lot more about it. millennia. Is the English Version the Most Accurate Bible Translation? Why is there a funny accent mark over blessed? SparkNotes translates it as, When this dance is over, Ill see where she stands, and then Ill touch her hand with my rough and ugly one.. Proud member Anyone and everyone? Im going to state my concerns, and you can look further into them if you would like. But remember this: we need to keep in mind that GNT was designed with a purpose and it is very good at fulfilling that purpose. There are numerous Bible translations to choose from, and many factors must be considered. The KJV is an English translation of the Bible commissioned in 1604, then published in 1611. You can buy this highly-rated ESV study Bible on Amazon. Because of its numerous outstanding translations, the English Bible Translation is widely regarded as the most accurate Bible version. The long-established . Thats why translating from one language to another is so complicated. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is a word-for-word translation that was first published in 1971 and revised in 1995. The difficulty for readers with Bible Translation is that the Bible was not originally written in English. How can I know that the information you provide is accurate and true? Bible, the CSB is a major revision of the Holman. All Bible translations can be found on the spectrum from Word-for-Word thru Thought-for-Thought and all the way to Paraphrase. Or you may prefer a translation that is easy to read. Want articles like this one delivered straight to your email? While there are easier to read Bible translations, this one strikes a good balance between being literal and easy to read. The Old Testament of this version was translated from the Masoretic text, and the translators used the Textus Receptus to translate the New Testament. The translators wanted to stick to the structure of the source language as closely as possible. Thus we should read a more thought for through translation. When you read it in English, you naturally want it to be the best possible translation. Ive had an NIV (Thompson What is Romeo talking about here? It may elaborate more on the context in a way designed to help the reader understand the passage better. The KJV being an Authorized Version was originally translated from the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. Lets take a look at the spectrum where some of the most popular English versions fall. The ESV is my favorite translation, although I also enjoy reading the NLT. The entire Bible was published in 1978 and revised in 1984 and 2011. They should always be read alongside a more literal translation to help us navigate what the Bible actually says. What Are the 5 Most Accurate Bible Translations? Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. How Many Versions of the Bible are There? But this old English version is still just as beautiful as it always was, and its very memorable.