Different Bible Translations

[kat69]

Hello Everyone!:wave:

What bible translation do you use and does it really matter? I hear so much about how the KJV is the one and only translation and anything else is considered a "bad translation".

What are your thoughts on this? And does it really matter?

I'm looking forward to everyone's input!:)

Thanks!
Kat

[Dies3l]

I use the NIV and the NRSV, but I don't think that it is terribly important which translation (at least among the major translations) you use as long as you understand it. The KJV has some beautiful language, but it can be difficult to understand and is probably quite a bit less accurate than most of the modern translations. There are also some "versions" that are actually paraphrases (e.g., The Message & The Living Bible) , and lack both the scholastics and objectivity of the major translations. These can be good as long as you keep in mind that you are not reading a translation of the Bible, but rather somebody's personal understanding of what the Bible means. I think it is best to read from more than one translation. Very often, there are more than one acceptable way to translate a given phrase or passage or there are conflicts among the earliest manuscripts, and reading from multiple different translations allows you to pick up on some of these types of subtle differences.

[Wade Smith]

Hello Everyone!:wave:

What bible translation do you use and does it really matter? I hear so much about how the KJV is the one and only translation and anything else is considered a "bad translation".

What are your thoughts on this? And does it really matter?

I'm looking forward to everyone's input!:)

Thanks!
Kat

The King James is a great translation because it is very close to word for word, almost every passage, and it preserves obscure verb conjugations that can actually matter in some cases. The King James is also easy to retrace back into the root language for the purpose of clarification, unlike most "paraphrase" versions.


Also, many paraphrase versions replace certain words with other words that no longer have the same meaning, or that have language very similar to the occult. Here is an example:

The "model prayer":
KJV
Matt. 6:9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

"The Message"
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

As you can see, these two passages from different Bible versions don't even remotely say the same thing, and at least two phrases have direct links to occultic teaching.

"Give us this day our daily bread" has a direct spiritual connection to some of the other teachings and miracles in the Bible, and is not just about "food".

"Keep us alive with three square meals" is just pathetic really, and loses any connection to other teachings and parables and miracles in the Bible.



These "little things" do matter, because "Precept upon precept... line upon line...here a little there a little."


It matters because changing up the language "arbitrarily" in this fashion alters the way a new bible student might draw connections between passages of scripture, and consequently, they will often read things incorrectly.

[kat69]

Hi Wade:wave:

I knew I would be hearing from you.:)

I will agree that the translation The Message totally changes the meaning of the passage you're referring to. Personally myself I prefer the NIV and NLT but I have many different translations to compare with whenever a passage I'm reading is unclear to me. There is a poetic beauty to the KJV version but sometimes I have trouble understanding it.

Blessings,
Kat

[Benoni]

I like them all. Quite often I go to Biblegateway and use multiple translations to get to the bottom of a thought.

[Kelly]

They also make parallel bibles that take two versions and put them side by side. I like resources like biblegateway and e-sword for easy cross translation lookups.

[little_tigress]

i usually use NKJV but will use NASB, KJV, and occasionally NIV

I personally don't care much for paraphrases Esp the new ones like Word on the Street or The Message which distort the actual message of the Bible

[Bryan Cotton]

I usually use the NIV with a KJV handy. While I have several electronic version and the hard copy of the Amp and the NKJV, for the most part I make sure I have the KJV to make sure the translation I'm reading does not deviate in meaning from the KJV.

[iamjcs]

Mostly the following online Bibles

NASB w/ Stong's @ http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=Genesis+1&section=0&version=nsn&new=1&oq=&NavBook=ge&NavGo=1&NavCurrentChapter=1

Amplified
www.biblegateway.com/versions/index.php?action=getVersionInfo&vid=45#books&version=45 (http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/index.php?action=getVersionInfo&vid=45#books&version=45)

Online Parallel = upto 15 versions at 1 time for a verse
http://bible.cc/

-----------------

I like the NIV Experiencing God Study Bible as far as one to take with me.

[LovebirdsFlying]

I like to compare the differing tranlsations. My library includes NKJV, NIV, HCSB, and NASB. For other versions, I go to biblegateway.com.

I do not buy into the notion that KJV is the *only* inspired version, on the simple fact that Christ and His disciples did not speak medieval English, and neither did Moses or the Prophets.

PS: I am not entirely opposed to the paraprhases. Some of them are a very good shallow end of the pool and might serve as a handy introduction. I think it would be best to outgrow them, though, as we walk with the Lord, just as someone doesn't continue in the shallow end of the pool after learning to swim expertly.

[alancrookham]

I usually used the NKJV, but I love the Amplified version as well! Different translations can cause some confusion because of badly translated words, but the message is the same, so I don't really think it matters too much. Unless you really want to do serious Bible study, then you really have to pay attention to the translation.
Alan

Do you love Jesus? Let's seek him together.
seekingtheking.blogspot.com/

[SoundCard]

I usually go by the NIV, KJV, and Amplified, since the hard copy I own is the Amplified version. Got it from me grandparents I did.

[trentlogain]

I use the KJV pretty much exclusively. Even though I'm not part of the "KJV only movement" I would say that there are other translations out there who either by coincidence or other motives have taken out the deity of Jesus Christ. Perhaps not to a seasoned Christian, but changes have definitely been made that would cause a person to wonder. This isn't a debate so I'm not going to post references or examples, but I would just say that in attempts to make God's Word more understandable to lay people (which is a good thing) they have added and taken out things that I'm ordinarly used to seeing in the KJV.

Who's to say that one day all The Bibles won't be wiped off the face of the earth, and it will be up to a few gifted people to recall every word written in it to repopulate the earth with copies? The Bible says (and I'm paraphrasing) that God's word will last forever.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. Does anyone have the verse where God talks about The Bible standing the test of time? Thanks and God bless.

[Cjwinnit]

I happen to like the ESV but also have an NIV (as most other people have one) and have an electronic copy of the KJV.

[UNCHURCHED]

Itend to preach from the HCSB, But love to study with the Recovery Version. There has been a bit of controversy with the Witness Lee, Watchman Nee Groups but the Version has Amazing Notes and is a profound Study Bible

[kat69]

Thanks everyone for your input! Much appreciated!:clap:

Kat

[LogicalChristian]

Thanks for the link to biblecc.com, haven't seen that one before.

Personally, I find the KJV hard to read. I use my NIV, with others to compare it to.

[kat69]

Thanks for the link to biblecc.com, haven't seen that one before.

Personally, I find the KJV hard to read. I use my NIV, with others to compare it to.

Me too. :)