Best version to read?

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You guys rock :D

The link for the Comp. Bible is great, I've been searching for one like that for a good while. thank you John.

Also S2C, I thank you again for that link, it's one of the best I've seen this whole year :eek:.

avlight: I love the ESV. I think it's a very good translation, and very much praise all round.

Boanerges, That is a great say. I think it was attributed to John Clifford. It is so well said :)
 
In concert with the Companion Bible Link that John S. supplied, I'd also like to provide, once again, the link to the Companion Bible APPENDIXES.

These, in themselves, are a wonderful study resource and as the Bible Student has time, many of their scriptural questions can be answered within these 198 Appendixes:

http://www.levendwater.org/companion/index_companion.html

Please bookmark John's link and possibly this one as well.

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I would recommend the NET bible first edition.
NET said:
The NET Bible is the first Bible in history with extensive Translators' Notes
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Here's a sample:
http://www.bible.org/assets/netbible/1sted_nah1.pdf

But if it's too much, just go for the reader's edition.
NET Bible Print samples:
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1898

Here's their online version:
http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm

And here's their shop:
http://store.bible.org/category.asp?CategoryID=1&ParentID=0

I recommend it because they give a excellent justification of their translation according to the variant texts.
They even have a live open forum, if you wnat to discuss their translation:
http://forum.bible.org/index.php?f=175&sid=2304a56340675c87b17bd9acca3ffc89
 
I personally recommend the Amplified Bible, but I read other versions as well. Sometimes, for study purposes, I read the same verse in several version so I can get the best interpretation I can. I also like The Message bible, because it is written in modern language and it's kind of funny too! Anyway, I truly believe that any version of the bible is fine as long as you do read it!:D

Laura:)
 
As long as we are providing hints and tips concerning various versions, there is an additional piece of literature that I'd just like to mention, in case it has not been mentioned here in the forum recently.

"The Interlinear Bible", by Jay P. Green, and published by Hendrickson Publishers, is definately not for everyone. This intense study Bible contains the text of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek Manuscripts IN the Original Languages. It is specifically provided to the English Language Bible Student who also wishes to see and hear what the Original Language texts looked like as they were penned on parchment scrolls by the Scribes and Prophets under the direct orders from God. ( Before the translations of man changed those original words.)

If you wish to have an AFFORDABLE set of Original Manuscript Text copies, then this is the study Bible for you.

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=639774&p=1018818
 
P/S

P/S - I thought that it might be a good idea to supply an example of how the Green's Interlinear Bible is formatted, so you can decide for yourself if this is something that you may be interested in. The photo below is the first page of Genesis with the Hebrew text and the English text as well as the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance reference numbers for critical, in depth analysis and research of the origianal word meanings. The Hebrew presentation is the Masoretic text while the Greek presentation is the Textus Receptus text which are both essentially the same as what the King James Version translators used for the 1611 AD version translating. The photo below is a bit small, but this forum has a limit to the file size for photo attachments.
 
All translations have errors

I believe all English translations have errors. This is just part of a translation. Being a native Dutch person myself I know that it is just not possible to 100% correctly translate between 2 languages. They just do not fit 100%. Words have multiple meanings, sometimes there is no equivalent word and the syntac can be dramatically different and confusing. And of course there are occasionallt small differences in the manuscripts used as source for the translations. The KJV and NIV for instances did not use the exact same Greek manuscripts for their New Testament translations.

And as I believe that the writers of the Bible were inspired by God that means their writings (in Greek - or Hebrew and some Aramaic for other books in the Bible) was inspired. The translators were not inspired, so errors happened.

There are well documented errors in the KJV, NIV and so on. So - as I am not fluent in Greek either - I think it is OK to read an English translation but to understand that errors are present and if multiple translations are conflict, one needs to go back to the Greek (and there are good tools to help with that) to figure it out.

For whatever it is worth - just my experience,
Rob VandeWeghe
http://www.windmillministries.org
 
Biblethumper said:
I just bought a NKJV Study Bible today.. just before I went to the dentist. I really like NKJV the best. I hear a lot of people "dissing" the NIV. Why is that?
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some people are simply misinformed, and slam the NIV because of some "KJVonly" site they may have visited.... others have a problem with how a couple of verses here and there have been translated, and speaking of that point.... some people slam the NIV because it is what is called a "Dynamic Equivalency" translation, eg it is a "thought for thought" translation (the range of translation is from a loose paraphrase, to dynamic equivalency, to word for word) and some people prefer the so-called "word for word" translations and slam the NIV simply because it is not a word for word... although no English Bible is a pure word for word without having other words in that do not appear in the Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. The KJV "adds" words just like every other English translation. Having said that, I prefer the English Standard Translation, then the updated New American Standard, then the New Living Translation, though I use many more versions... oh... I should add that the reason I do not prefer the KJV or the NKJV or their many spin-offs is because of the manuscript tradition that stands behind them... I just don't think the Textus Receptus family is the best way to go... blessings
 
James B said:
What is the best version of The Bible to read? I've noticed some comments lately online that say the NIV which i listen to online should be avoided.

What do you recommend?
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For listening, there's nothing wrong with the NIV.

For study, I prefer the ESV, NASB, or NKJV.

Not everyone believes in the "KJV Only" idea. I certainly do not, and I have spent a very good amount of time studying it.
 
Starting on page one I began to count the differesnt recomendations each with it's own supporters and reasons. I stopped at 12. May I be so bold as to suggest this- pray and ask God which He would have you read and study. I have really enjoyed the many " flavours " of God's Word that I have read over the years and I cannot say I wasn't blessed, moved and changed by each one.
 
Pastor Gary said:
B2LY:

If you are going to go out to a Christian Book Store to purchase a King James Version, may I please just suggest that you consider "The Companion Bible" as well?

It is a full King James Version, but it also contains margin and tabulated "companion" notes about word meanings in the original languages an well as historically verifyable time lines of certain Biblical happenings and also contains 198 Appendixes in the rear of the Bible that will help you with your studies and give you a much better understanding of God's Word than just a King James Version alone. Thank you.
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Pastor Gary, I was looking in my Churches Book shop yesterday and saw they have a Companion Bible in there. Definately going to be looking at getting this. Thanks. :)
 
I have a favorite version.
what I have a problem with is which bible?
I'm in need of a good study bible and there are so many.
What is the better one
Old Scofield,
Companion,
Ryrie,
Dake,
Thomson,
Which is the better of these?:confused:
 
Daniel1654 said:
I have a favorite version.
what I have a problem with is which bible?
I'm in need of a good study bible and there are so many.
What is the better one
Old Scofield,
Companion,
Ryrie,
Dake,
Thomson,
Which is the better of these?:confused:
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The easiest way to settle that is to read them all.:)
 
Boanerges said:
The easiest way to settle that is to read them all.
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Good idea.
IMO it helps a lot to have more than one translation on hand. I have 3 different translations (NAB, NRSV and NKJV) plus one NAB study edition. And then I use biblegateway.com. Can't go wrong for covering all your bases. :)
 
I don’t know if I have a favorite.
I have the…
KJV
NKJV
NIV Quest study Bible
NKJV Spirit Filled Student Bible
KJV Study Bible
KJV (from 1900) that one has the pronunciation of a lot of words right in the text. That helps for the names a lot.
NLT Life Recovery Bible
I can see a couple more up on the bookshelf. One is a KJV, don’t remember the other.

It all depends on the mood for the day.

The NIV has changed iniquity to sin or sins over 118 times. That has oversimplified it to make it easier reading, but has not given us a clear understanding of iniquity.

Just my two cents.
Blessings
Dean
 
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