The Bible is so important to me. It leads and guides me. It has never shown me the wrong way to go. It comforts and exhorts me. It has been there through the hard times and the good times. Reading 5 Psalms daily in HCSB helped pull me out of a serious depression, caused by the pain of untreated RA, and the condemnation of Word Faith people. That version was so important, because it didn't use the KJV words, which I could not understand.
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance." Psalm 42:5 KJV.
I had no idea what "cast down" even meant. I finally read "A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm" by Philip Keller, and got the meaning. But how much better this meaning:
"Why am I so depressed?
Why this turmoil within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5 HCSB
Certainly, that meant something to my parched soul. This 2nd semester in Intermediate Biblical Greek, we translated the Septuagint for this Psalm. It was tough going. In fact, the professor left it off the final exam! But, that Psalm was put there for me! We learned about the words and what they meant.
That word "depressed" in the Septuagint was περίλυπος or perilupos. In Greek, it means "very sad, grieved, deeply grieved." Pretty close to "depressed" and certainly it is a word that has a lot more meaning. So, I will take Holman's version any day over the KJV.
I would imagine that the Masoretic text says something related to sheep? Like them being cast down, meaning they will die? But then, who wouldn't be depressed, if they knew without help they were going to die. Hmm! I am going to have to brush up my Hebrew, it is obvious. I guess the Hebrews knew a lot about shepherding, and the city scholars who translated the Septuagint realized that most people did not. It is said the LXX is inspired, but I doubt it is any more inspired than the KJV. Instead, it was an incredible vehicle or tool to preserve the written Word of God.
My point being, the Bible is the most wonderful book ever written. But the reason it is so wonderful, is that it reveals Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation, from Genesis to Revelation. I find Jesus in the pages of my Bible. I trust him totally, the only power and authority there is.
"Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Matt 28:18
Who are you trusting? Some of you are trusting in an old translation, that doesn't even clearly translate meaning. As for me and my house, we will serve Jesus, who is revealed in the Bible! And my Bible, (and I have read many versions, plus much of the original languages, says "Jesus Christ is Lord!"
"so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2:10-11