Opinions on CEV bible?

[TheOneWhoEats]

Contemporary English Version to be exact. What do you all think? What gets added, what gets lost, etc. I'm considering getting a copy and giving it a whirl.

 

[ewq1938]

Contemporary English Version to be exact. What do you all think? What gets added, what gets lost, etc. I'm considering getting a copy and giving it a whirl.

e-Sword: Free Bible Study for the PC

e-sword offers it and many others for free then you can compare the various translations. It can help clear up the confusing, old English the KJV uses but I mainly use the KJV because of the concordances that work with it. All in all, use as much tools and translations that you can to help you understand.

 

[sunshineforJesus]

I think its ok when reading difficult chapters but in general prefer new king James.

 

[Romans 8]

I also use e-sword, mainly use it on my iPad. I also have it on my mac computer and android phone. Tagging verses is absolutely fantastic. Not only are Bibles free but so are the commentaries. I bought the Vines dictionary even though I have it in print form, I just love Bibles and books about them.

For physical bibles, I have a superb thinline King James Version, and another thinline in the ESV. I read both, but prefer the King James. The literal translations are good for the stories, but the more complex verses for meditating on I always use the KJV.

 

[straykat]

Despite being a mostly KJV guy (not KJV only), I actually like the CEV. But it's more of an ESL or kid's bible (or at least that's where it may shine). I like it better than the Bible Society's other version (the Good News bible) because it keeps more faithful renderings (Isaiah 7:14, for an obvious example).

 

[Mathetes66]

Here is a website giving a good critique and history of the CEV. Hope this helps.

Contemporary English Version

 

[hedrick]

I think it's OK for what it attempts. But I'm hoping that people here don't need a Bible at the low level it's intended for. The review above gives several examples where details are lost. The example from Acts 9:22 is probably not bad exegesis, but rather bad wording that could easily be misunderstood in a way that is laughably wrong.

For readers here, I suggest instead the TEV, now known as Good News Bible, as an alternative. Like the CEV, it is a fresh translation designed to be easy to understand, more so even than NIV or other mainstream translations. I've used it heavily, and checked a number of passages. I consider it quite accurate.

I'm currently using the CEB with middle school kids. It's slightly closer to traditional language than the TEV, but still a lot easier for a 10 year old than traditional translations. Next time I have to replace those Bibles, I might go back to the TEV. In general I prefer the TEV for the NT, but I think parts of the OT lose too much poetic form in the TEV (though the meaning is still right). That's the main reason I used the CEB. I still trust the TEV's accuracy a bit more than CEB's, though the CEB is fine.