KJV or NIV!

[chick4christ]

i have to write a speech for school on which version of the bible i choose to read and why i think its better than the other ones. I have chosen the King James Version or KJV. can you please give me your opinion on it. thanks.

God Bless.

[arunma]

Hello Chick. This is an interesting topic you've brought up.

I wonder why people often pit the KJV against the NIV. Both are reasonably good translations, made by godly men (I read both of them), but I think there are many better translations out there. The KJV has the advantage of being a highly literal translation, but it has archaic language which hardly anyone speaks anymore. The NIV corrects the archaic language problem, but sacrifices literality in translation.

I use a translation called the English Standard Version (ESV). It uses modern English, but translates the text literally. And like the NIV, it takes advantage of modern Biblical scholarship, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint for the Old Testament, and the thousands of extant New Testament manuscripts. It also doesn't hurt that my entire church (from my pastor to my small group) uses it.

[Project 86]

I would pick the NKJV Study Bible by John MacArthur personally. It's all about which manuscripts you think are most accurate. I'm a majority text person myself and the KJV and NKJV are mostly based off those manuscripts. If you look at the NIV and NASB they are based off different manuscripts which are missing passages and words. If you are going to not go with the majority text then I would say go with NASB since it's more word for word so there is less interpretation done by the translators which make the Bible more true to the original words of God in my humble opinion.

[Justin The Baptist]

I use different versions for different tasks. I study using NKJV and KJV because I feel like the NKJV is the best translation availible in our modern English, and I love the lyrical beauty of the KJV. When I deliver messages to the children during Children's Worship I use NIV because it is much more understandable for children. I'm not very familiar with NASB, but it normally ranks in the top tier of translations with NKJV and KJV. When discussing translations, I always say that the key is actually *reading* the translation you chose, no matter if it is NKJV, KJV, NASB, or NIV. JUST READ IT!

[daveleau]

I can give you reasons to choose it, but I do not subscribe to one Bible over the other for various reasons including the need to update language as language evolves and the need to look at many Bibles for increased understanding. (I use a parallel KJV and NIV at church)

Reasons for the KJV:
- It is the highest selling Bible of all time
- Many believe the 1611 version is the infallible version*
- It is the Bible that most people have memorized, meaning that it uses the most common verbage that people have memorized
- It's been around for nearly 400 years
- It is based on the Textus Receptus, which many believe to be the best manuscript for translating into other languages (ie English)*
- It is one of the two most frequently used Bibles from the pulpit today.

*Issues I disagree with


Reasons I prefer more modern translations:
- they rely on newer archeaological manuscript findings
- they have updated and easier to understand language
- They correct some of the additions and subtractions that scribes have added to the text that were not recognized as additions until the new manuscripts were dug up

Why I like multiple versions over one version:
- There are some words and ideas in the Greek and Hebrew language that are impossible to translate into 1 word or phrase in English. Comparing many versions helps in understanding these issues.
- There are different views regarding the original wording of the Greek and Hebrew, and multiple versions helps to figure out what makes sense with the rest of Scripture.

I hope this helps.

[£amb]

I like various versions of the bible. I don't just stick with one. :)

[JPPT1974]

I am right with you my friend
I stick with many versions!

[ZiSunka]

For so many people, it's either read a modern translation or nothing at all. I think it's better to read a Bible you understand than to own a Bible you never read or understand. The KJV maybe lovely poetry, but if a person can't understand it, they might as well not even own a Bible. It doesn't do any good if it never gets read.

[JPPT1974]

IMO though, KJV seems to go with old-school people
While NIV goes with people that are like Generation XYZ!

[ZiSunka]

Boomers tend not to use KJV either. It tends to be the older generation--the one called The Greatest Generation--those people in their 70s, 80s and 90s now.

[£amb]

IMO though, KJV seems to go with old-school people
While NIV goes with people that are like Generation XYZ!

I got so excited the other day when I realized I hit a post count of 1,000....then I looked at yours...;)

[DeaconDean]

I will not fuel this discussion with reasons either for or against either version. Erwin Lutzer did a sermon on the radio one night about this very subject. In it he said that it really does not matter which version you use, he himself uses the old KJV but there were members of his congegation who like the NIV. What it boils down to is this: which ever version that you read the most, which ever version you are loyal to, is the one for you. Personally I love my KJV! But when I prepare sermons, I use 5 different versions, KJV, NIV, RSV, ASV, NKJV. The fact that one version may say a verse in a little clearer view. But I do preach in the KJV, it is what I was raised up on, it is the version I feel most comfortable with.

[willcoach]

i'm an niv person but I also perfer nlt and nasb the reason being they are easy to read and the nasb is the most literal. Whatever helps in your walk is cool also.

[JPPT1974]

I have eight bibles that are NIV or KJV!