10 Which English translation of the Holy Bible is best? Here are some other translations that are worth considering:
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This article is from the Bible FAQ, by Michael Paul Johnson mpj@ebible.org with numerous contributions by others.
10 Which English translation of the Holy Bible is best? Here are some other translations that are worth considering:
The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) is an accurate, readable
translation based on the UBS4 Greek text. Copyrighted.
God's Word is a fresh, new translation from the God's Word to the
Nations Bible Society. It is easy to read and well done.
Copyrighted.
The New Living Translation (NLT) is a thought-for-thought
translation that seeks to retain the readability of The Living
Bible, but with greater accuracy. Copyrighted.
The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is another hybrid
Modern/Archaic English Bible. (Archaic in the Psalms and in
prayer, as if God only spoke Elizabethan English.) It is pretty
well trusted, though. This used to be my mother's favorite Bible
until she got an NIV. The RSV is copyrighted, but it is
available freely with The Online Bible.
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is a decent Modern
English Bible with some scholarly respect. It strives to avoid
"sexist" terminology by translating, for example, "brother" as
"brother or sister," and trying to avoid gender-specific
language by compromising on number (i. e. "their" for "his").
Generally, these substitutions are usually justified by context.
This is an ecumenical work, with editions available that contain
the Apocrypha/Dueterocanonical books for not only the Roman
Catholic tradition, but for several other denominations, as
well. Copyrighted, hard to find on line.
The New American Bible (NAB) is a "Catholic" Bible (with the
Apocrypha interspersed in the Old Testament). It is very
readable and accurate. Copyrighted.
The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a "Catholic" Bible that is a bit
more free in its translation, concentrating on readability and
English style. Copyrighted.
The New International Reader's Version (NIrV) is a simplified
(3rd grade level) Bible that is based on the NIV. It is the best
limited vocabulary Bible I have seen. Copyrighted.
The New Century Version (NCV) is a fairly free translation that
reads like a newspaper. It is targeted at the 3rd grade reading
level. Copyrighted.
The Contemporary English Version (CEV) is the American Bible
Society's latest English entry. It is aimed at a 3rd grade
reading level, but I think it is really closer to 2nd grade. If
you don't mind calling Passover "The Feast of Thin Bread," it is
OK. Copyrighted.
Today's English Version (TEV), also called the Good News Bible
or Good News for Modern Man is an older Modern English Bible
from the American Bible Society. In some ways, I like it better
than the CEV, but it has taken some flak for being too loose of
a translation. Actually, I think that they did a good job within
the confines of its limited vocabulary. Copyrighted.
The Jewish New Testament is an interesting mix of Hebrew and
English terminology that brings out the Jewish nature of the
Rabbi called Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. Highly recommended for
all Jews. Copyrighted.
The Revised English Bible (REB) is a very readable British
English (as opposed to American English) Bible, a revision of
the New English Bible (NEB). It is available both with and
without the Apocrypha. It has a respectable list of churches
that endorse it. Copyrighted.
The Philips New Testament is a free translation/paraphrase that
is easy to read, and has good impact. Copyrighted.
The Living Bible (TLB)is a paraphrase of the KJV that sacrifices
accuracy for readability. Sometimes in makes a point pretty
well. Sometimes the flashlight in Psalms 119:105 bothers me,
though. Copyrighted.
The Message is a paraphrase that claims to be a translation. It
is very earthy, and is a great commentary, but not very
accurate. Copyrighted.
The King James Version (KJV), sometimes called the Authorized
Version (AV) was quite revolutionary when it came out in 1611
(and was revised a few times to correct its large collection of
typos). It is still very popular, in spite of its archai c and
difficult to understand language. Indeed, there is a cult-like
following of this translation that claim that this is the only
true Word of God, superior even to the original languages. While
that claim is bizarre, there are a vociferous few people on this
news group who hold to that opinion. The King James Version of
the Holy Bible is in the Public Domain. You can publish, copy,
distribute it for free, or sell it, all without having to ask
anyone's permission.
The Webster Bible (a revision of the KJV bible) has updated
spelling, but retains the same grammar and almost all of the
wording of the KJV. The Webster Bible is in the Public Domain.
The American Standard Version (ASV) of 1901 is a revision of the
Revised Bible, a revision of the KJV for language and to take
advantage of some new (then) manuscript discoveries to allow
greater accuracy. The ASV uses "Jehovah" for God's name, instead
of "LORD" (which the KJV and many others use). The language of
the ASV is less archaic than the KJV, but still far from modern.
The ASV is in the Public Domain.
The Bible in Basic English (BBE) is an extremely limited
vocabulary translation (1,000 words). The BBE is very wordy, and
some passages are hardly recognizable. Other passages come out
amazingly clear and accurate, considering that the target
language has far fewer words than the original languages used.It
accidentally entered the Public Domain at least in the USA, by
being published without a copyright notice back when that was
required. It retained its copyrighted status in Great Britain.
It regained copyrighted status in the USA when the GATT treaty
was signed.
Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures is a good Modern English translation
of the Jewish Bible (the same as the Christian Old Testament)
from the traditional Hebrew text. "Tanakh" is an acronym for
"Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Kethuvim (Writings)." This
is the work of Jewish scholars and rabbis from the three largest
branches of Judaism in America, done with reference to other
Jewish and Christian translations. I recommend this as a good
reference for both Christians and Jews who speak English. This
work is copyrigheted by the Jewish Publication Society.
The Young's Literal Translation (YLT) is somewhat archaic, but it
is fairly well done and is freely available on line.
The Darby Translation is another somewhat archaic translation. It
is freely available on line.
The Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech is a decent
translation of the New Testament only. It is freely available on
line.
The Hebrew Names Version (HNV) of the World English Bible is an
edition of the World English Bible that uses traditional Hebrew
names instead of the Greek/English forms common to most English
translations of the Holy Bible. For example, "Jesus" is rendered
"Yeshua" and "Moses" is rendered "Moshe." Like the WEB, the HNV
is in the Public Domain. It is available on line at
http://www.ebible.org/bible/hnv You can have daily readings
from the HNV sent to you by email by sending email to
majordomo@lists.sni.net with "subscribe hnv" in the body of the
message.
The New English Translation (NET) Bible is a new translation
being done by the Biblical Studies Foundation (which is run by
some people of good reputation). The NET is copyrighted, but
available on line. In fact, this study Bible was designed to be
read with a web browser. Copyrighted, but online at
http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm
Actually, there are so many good translations that it is easier
to list the ones to avoid: the New World Translation is
notoriously inaccurate, and systematically seeks to rob Jesus of
His Deity. See John 1:1 for an example, where the NWT renders
"a god" instead of "God". The New Testament and Psalms, an
Inclusive Version is politically correct to the point of heresy.
Avoid those.
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