Bible Versions

Hello everyone.

I am confused when it comes to selecting a version of the bible to purchase. My wife and I want a nice big family bible. this bible will be used to record family history and to read our daily one year reading plan out of to the kids. Current versions of regular bibles we own are the KJV, NKJV, NIV, CEV, NLT.

The KJV is hard for me and the kids to understand, I find the NLT easy to read but after doing some research I found out that it is thought for thought. I would like to find a bible that is easy to read, and understand.

I did find a helpful website that shows the difference between all of the, http://www.apbrown2.net/web/TranslationComparisonChart.htm

I find the word for word ones difficult to follow with the sentence structure most use, and the thought for thought ones flow easily. I understand some thought for though ones differ greatly the closer one gets to the paraphrased version.

I guess my question is what do others use that is easy to follow and understand hat really gets the point across?
 
I use a variety of versions; Living Bible, NIV, KJV, Rheims, Tyndale. Of these the Living Bible is easyer to read. I read the Living Bible a lot because it is so easy. But, it is flawed as is the NIV. So, I keep the older translations around as a reference. For easy reading I recommend the Living Bible. Caution, when using the NIV or the Living Bible, and you see the words shall and should, compare that to the KJV or an older version. These two words are not interchangeable.
 
Hello everyone.

I am confused when it comes to selecting a version of the bible to purchase. My wife and I want a nice big family bible. this bible will be used to record family history and to read our daily one year reading plan out of to the kids. Current versions of regular bibles we own are the KJV, NKJV, NIV, CEV, NLT.

The KJV is hard for me and the kids to understand, I find the NLT easy to read but after doing some research I found out that it is thought for thought. I would like to find a bible that is easy to read, and understand.

I did find a helpful website that shows the difference between all of the, http://www.apbrown2.net/web/TranslationComparisonChart.htm

I find the word for word ones difficult to follow with the sentence structure most use, and the thought for thought ones flow easily. I understand some thought for though ones differ greatly the closer one gets to the paraphrased version.

I guess my question is what do others use that is easy to follow and understand hat really gets the point across?

I have found that the ESV is an excellant translation.
 
I use a variety of versions; Living Bible, NIV, KJV, Rheims, Tyndale. Of these the Living Bible is easier to read. I read the Living Bible a lot because it is so easy. But, it is flawed as is the NIV. So, I keep the older translations around as a reference. For easy reading I recommend the Living Bible. Caution, when using the NIV or the Living Bible, and you see the words shall and should, compare that to the KJV or an older version. These two words are not interchangeable.


The link you provided is a good one. The terms for different translations are "formal equivalence" which is 'word-for-word', "dynamic equivalence" which is thought-for-thought, and "functional equivalence", which is the best of both worlds and based more on how people interact in cultures. My signature files shows what I use for translations, and in addition I have just started using the NRSV which I find to be a good translation. Daily I use NIV but I always consult all these verses when wanting to really exegete scripture.
 
A saw a bumper sticker once that said: "What difference does it make what version of the Bible you aren't reading?"

That being said, the importance is that you are consuming the "Word" daily to grow spiritual.

When I first got saved, I struggled with this topic for several years after realizing what a monumental issue it has become. My opinion is that you should use the KJV as your English Foundation-as a check for the other translations since it is closest to the core translations. I have a parallel Bible that has 4 different translations that I reference now and again-I would advise at least having a NKJV handy. Not a a fan of the NIV for various reasons.

But this topic is like releasing a bag of snakes into the sanctuary, so I am sure that many will have differing opinions and I am willing to defer to those with much more experience. I also have a Bible program that I bought from Dollar General of all places that has commentaries as well as Strong's numbers along with the Greek & Hebrew texts with multiple translations of certain words and phrases. I find that particularly useful on hard to swallow verses.

Once again, in my humble opinion, it can't hurt to go back and peek at the Greek & Hebrew for ultimate clarification. (and fellowship with many wise in the scripture.)
 
Hello everyone.

I am confused when it comes to selecting a version of the bible to purchase. My wife and I want a nice big family bible. this bible will be used to record family history and to read our daily one year reading plan out of to the kids. Current versions of regular bibles we own are the KJV, NKJV, NIV, CEV, NLT.

The KJV is hard for me and the kids to understand, I find the NLT easy to read but after doing some research I found out that it is thought for thought. I would like to find a bible that is easy to read, and understand.

I did find a helpful website that shows the difference between all of the, http://www.apbrown2.net/web/TranslationComparisonChart.htm

I find the word for word ones difficult to follow with the sentence structure most use, and the thought for thought ones flow easily. I understand some thought for though ones differ greatly the closer one gets to the paraphrased version.

I guess my question is what do others use that is easy to follow and understand hat really gets the point across?

I use the NIV for daily reading, but if I am studying a portion of scripture I use a literal translation like the NKJ and a dynamic equivalent like the NIV.

E-Sword is an excellent free resource which can be downloaded. There you can put all the translations side by side and even use the original Greek and Hebrew dictionaries.

God bless
 
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