WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE?

Hawkins

Active member
There are actually 2 streams, the KJV stream and the NIV stream.

I think that today's scholars are adapting a wrong approach in dealing with the translations. They care too much about the correctness of wordings and grammars, which will only lead to more errors.

The KJV stream is based off a church (in Greece) conservation of the Scripture. The NIV stream is based off 2 ancient artifacts dated as written in the 4th century. These two copies themselves are actually not so well written and with numerous errors as they are more like the copies of copies and may not be the same Scripture used for the NT canonization in the 3rd century.

There are obvious deviations (in terms of contexts) between the two streams, both may not be what is originally used for the canonization. However, theologically they are consistently the same. God makes His Word perfect through the imperfection of humans who may failed to conserve what is considered original.

That's actually why I said that it could be completely meaningless to over-emphasize the correctness of the Greek wording and grammar as both streams may not be something "originally" textually speaking. It is perfect only when you choose to rely on God the Holy Spirit to do the translation, or more importantly to read the meaning out whether the texts are grammatically and correctly put or not.


By far I am talking about the NT in Greek. The OT is less of a problem as the Jews made it well conserved.
 

SaulToPaul 2

Well-known member
My favorite happens to be,"The New King James Bible." The Old
King James Bible used to be my favorite. (I still use it occasionally)

I grew up using the Old King James Bible and the New American
Standard Bible from 1962 on. I changed over to the NKJB in 2008.

What's your preference?

I like the New International Neapolitan Version.

NKJV, ESV, and NIV rotating every 3 chapters.
 

musterion

Well-known member
Someone: I use the KJV.

Tet: So do I.

Someone: Yeah, it's a great translation.

Tet: Indeed it is.

Someone: Mine also has the Scofield notes.

Tet: THAT'S THE DEVIL'S BIBLE!
 

SaulToPaul 2

Well-known member
Me: I believe every word of the King James Bible, even if I don't understand it.


Someone: which version (edition)?

:doh:
 

CabinetMaker

Member of the 10 year club on TOL!!
Hall of Fame
Me: I believe every word of the King James Bible, even if I don't understand it.


Someone: which version (edition)?

:doh:
It is a fair question. There are many version since the 1611 version was first published. The most common version is use today is the standard version from 1769. And there have been changes to the text in each edition.
 

SaulToPaul 2

Well-known member
It is a fair question. There are many version since the 1611 version was first published. The most common version is use today is the standard version from 1769. And there have been changes to the text in each edition.

Edition is correct, not version.

Spelling and punctuation changes, yes.
 

musterion

Well-known member
There's still the issue with "coney" and "fetch a compass" which no one right off the street would correctly understand without consulting an commentary or dictionary. Have them read it for the first time and they'll assume the Bible speaks of magnetic compasses and chili dogs.

Still, the KJ is at the top of my list.
 

SaulToPaul 2

Well-known member
There's still the issue with "coney" and "fetch a compass" which no one right off the street would correctly understand without consulting an commentary or dictionary. Have them read it for the first time and they'll assume the Bible speaks of magnetic compasses and chili dogs.

Still, the KJ is at the top of my list.

How about

Gen 24:64(KJV)

:D
 

Hawkins

Active member
So you can just read the Greek and not own one English translation, because God the Holy Spirit will translate it for you?

No that's not what I meant to say. It's those who do the translations should pay more attention to what God is trying to say instead of focusing on what is grammatically correct.

It is the same to the readers (of all kinds of translations), they should read what God means to say (by the guiding of the Holy Spirit) instead of focusing on what is grammatically correct in the Greek language.

That's what I meant to say.
 

musterion

Well-known member
No that's not what I meant to say. It's those who do the translations should pay more attention to what God is trying to say instead of focusing on what is grammatically correct.

It is the same to the readers (of all kinds of translations), they should read what God means to say (by the guiding of the Holy Spirit) instead of focusing on what is grammatically correct in the Greek language.

But...

Nevermind.
 

swanca99

New member
Douay Rheims because it is the most true to the ORIGINAL languages

It is a word-4-word translation from the Latin and the Latin version is a word-4-word translation from the original languages spoken by Christ (Aramaic/Hebrew)

In addition:

"Diligently compared with the Hebrew, Greek, and other editions in divers languages."

It is my favorite Catholic translation, and since it is the translation that I heard from the pulpit as a child, may be the reason why I found the KJV so appealing when I got saved.

I also have copies of the NAB (The Catholic Study Bible, Second Edition), the Jerusalem Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible. I like the way that the NAB includes the Deuterocanonical portions of Esther in their chronological place.
 

12jtartar

New member
SaulToPaul,
I have found, over the years of study, that it is best to have many different translations of the Bible. This is because Bible translators use different words and change the places in the scriptures where words are,
and it make it difficult to get the full sense of God's message.
Almost ever modern Bible is accurate, and there are a few mistakes in all Bibles, but the mistakes are not in the same place in all Bibles. So they are easily found by a comparison of translations.
There are several different apps that are free, that can be downloaded from the Internet, that gives you many different Bibles to compare. One is Bible Hub.com, another 65&67 Bibles. I believe the best program on the Internet is OliveTree.com. Once this is downloaded you can use it offline, very handy!!!
 
The King James near 100% of the time, having found that, over the years, you get to know all the old words in modern English from other translations, translate in my head as I read, and, believing the King James a wonderful, trustworthy Bible over the generations, used by many great theologians, I feel comfortable I'm getting the unmolested word of God. But I'm not knocking other good, conservative translations, especially like the NASB. I think some modern translations yield better meaning, understanding, in modern terms, involving some explicit verses, also. But the word of God can be powerful, even in a Sunday school book, many people initially saved by paraphrases they can more clearly understand.
 
I carry the NASB but most memory work is from the KJV. Sometimes the language in the KJV is more expressive and to the point.

I've also found this true, excellent way you put it, the KJV being more expressive and to the point. It's a marvelous Bible, smoothly poetic so many places, yet so concise, to the point, so much done, with so few words, an amazing linguistic work. I've always believed scripture proves the mind of God behind it, as nobody else could write a whole book that way, just in ingenious beauty of style and compaction of words, at the same time. You'd think that, being poetic, would mean adulteration, verbose to create such an effect, but even a good Bible like the NASB doesn't sound quite right sometimes, though it says the same thing, but can be choppy, not as sublimely smooth and beautiful. Anyway, you may have guessed I love the KJV!

Would like to add something, having heard from scholars over the years on this. I so wish I'd learned Hebrew, but am also pretty bad at foreign languages, not much of modern language education sticking. (Even once bought a Hebrew language cassettes course that didn't work for me.) But it's said the Old Testament in Hebrew has an entire world of deeper meaning in Hebrew, including humor that doesn't carry over in other languages, obscure references with deeper meaning that don't carry over, sometimes getting down to the likes of jots and tittles, incredible genius in the Lord's use of Hebrew.
 
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