Bible Translations
B
ible translations, everybody has one. We wind up with one that either someone gave us, one that was on sale or one like the person that led us to Christ. I wanted to revise this post that I did before and add a bit of encouragement. Don’t get stuck on one translation. It really is okay to have more than one bible translation. I would even go so far to say that it is healthy to have multiple translations. to be able to review and see just how the translations compare. You may find one writing style more clear during one season of your life than others and then there are times when you need to study and find a more absolute meaning and context of the original scriptures. Don’t be shy, and you don’t have to go buy a variety. There are many sites online such as http://biblos.com or http://biblegateway.com that give you the ability to use a variety of translations.
Also on your phone, there is a great application that allows you to read scripture in a wide variety of translations, and you can even read it online at http://youversion.com or get the app from your phone’s downloads.
Just for simplicity sake. Never forget the facts…
Old Testament (Genesis – Malachi) – HEBREW
New Testament (Matthew – Revelation) – GREEK
Everything you can read in English, is a translation. Always seek the truth. Don’t get hung-up on words, keep the context in mind when reading a verse. Just because the same word is used in one spot for a specific reason, does not mean it means the same thing in another section. A great resource to use when studying translations, word definitions and the bible in general is:
| NASB | New American Standard Bible (1971; update 1995) | NIV | New International Version (1984) |
| AMP | Amplified Bible (1965) | TNIV | Today’s New Internal Version (NT 2001, OT 2005) |
| ESV | English Standard Version (2001) | NCV | New Century Version |
| RSV | Revised Standard Version (1952) | NLT | New Living Translation (1st ed. 1996; 2nd ed. 2004) |
| KJV | King James Version (1611; significantly revised 1769) | NiRV | New International reader’s Version |
| NKJV | New King James Version (1982) | GNT | Good News Translation (also Good News Bible) |
| HCSB | Holman Christian Standard Version (2004) | CEV | Contemporary English Version |
| NRSV | New Revised Standard Version (1989) | Living | Living Bible (1950). Paraphrase by Ken Taylor. Liberal treatment of ‘blood.’ |
| NAB | New American Bible (Catholic, 1970, 1986 (NT), 1991 (Psalms) | Message | The Message by Eugene Peterson (1991-2000s) |
| NJB | New Jerusalem Bible (Catholic, 1986; revision of 1966 Jerusalem Bible) |