Bible Question: There are so many new "versions" of the bible today. I have always used the King James Version but found it hard to understand. I have crossed referenced NIV and Amplified...however, when you here people "quote" the bible they use the King James Versions...Do I use both to study???? |
Bible Answer: Cannon45: __BEST BIBLE VERSION, PART 2__ For what it's worth, here's an alphabetical listing of the versions I use most frequently: Amplified Bible; English Standard Version (ESV); King James Version (KJV); New American Standard Bible (NASB); New International Vesion (NIV); and New King James Version (NKJV). My list is by no means exhaustive. There are other good versions. And there are is a growing number of of bad translations too. Before I purchase or use a translation, I always make it a point to read as widely as possible about it, asking such questions as, Who are the translators and what views do they have about the God-breathed inerrancy of Scripture? What is their translation philosophy: word-for-word, loose paraphrase, or somewhere in between (dynamic equivalency)? What do conservative Bible scholars and evangelical preachers and teachers think of this version? Do I like the style and am I confortable with the overall quality of this version? Do I find it generally clear or are some passages hopelessly obscure or ambiguous? Do it avoid slangy, folksy syntax? Does it make extensive use of ephemeral colloquialisms that may seem chic and faddish today but are not nearly as likely to endure as long as standard English. The "Cotton Patch" version is the best archetype of this kind of assault on both Scripture and the English language that I know of. And the "New World Translation" stands alone in its deliberate efforts to distort and pervert Scripture in order to promote and attempt to justify cultic heresies. ..... Finally, while I believe it an excellent idea to avail oneself of serveral good translations, I also recommend highly the choosing of one version as a "home base" with which one becomes most familiar and from which one memorizes Scripture. --Hank |