Subject: Choosing a Bible translation |
Bible Note: There's been some excellent advice here, all of which I agree with. The only thing I'd add is, if you come across a review or opinion of a generally-accepted "mainstream" translation which holds it forth as "the only Bible God honors", or "a sinful, destructive translation", you can (in my opinion) ignore these opinions all together. I followed some of these discussions for awhile, and came to two conclusions: 1). Anyone who says there is a an error-free modern translation of the Scriptures in existence today is wrong (I'm not talking about Biblical inerrancy here, but translational flaw.) 2). Anyone who says that generally-accepted translation X is the work of Satan is most likely wrong, too. I suspect all of us have particular preferences for various translations, based on scholarly as well as aesthetic reasons. But as long as you stay away from the "fringe" translations that virtually all scholars disdain (the New World Translation, for example), you can't really make a bad choice. If you pick a more interpretive translation, like the Living Bible, you may find yourself drawn to a more literal translation like NASB as your studies deepen in complexity. Or not. Either way is fine, I think, depending on your background, your goals, and your comfort level. From personal experience, I can only say that, to paraphrase an (in)famous secular author, "One is not enough!" (BG) Yours in Christ, Jim D. |