Holman Christian Standard Bible - Preface
"The Tetragrammaton occurs 6,828 times in the Hebrew Bible. Nearly all English versions follow the ancient tradition of rendering the Divine name as “the Lord.” The King James Version makes only four exceptions (Exodus 6:3, Psalm 83:18, Isaiah 12:2, and Isaiah 26:4), where it renders the name as “Jehovah.” The first edition of the HCSB used “Yahweh” seventy-five times, and the 2009 revision increased the number to 476, although the ordinary rendering continues to be “the Lord.” One of the editors of the version has explained why the version uses “Yahweh” in the places where it does: We use it as the rendering of YHWH (which the Hebrew Bible editors first rendered as Adonai, “Lord”) whenever God’s “name” is being given (either explicitly, using the word “name,” or implicitly), when He is being identified (“I am Yahweh”), when He is being contrasted to other gods such as Baal, in certain repeated phrases such as “Yahweh the God of your fathers,” or when YHWH has been rendered by Yahweh in the immediate context. … our objective is to introduce to the contemporary church what is the most likely pronunciation of the divine name YHWH in the Hebrew Bible. We did not render the majority of occurrences of YHWH as Yahweh because our goal is not only to be accurate but to use an English style that is most familiar to people. Since most Christians today probably do not commonly speak of “Yahweh,” but rather of “the Lord,” we felt it would be insensitive to use Yahweh for YHWH in every case and would make the Bible seem too uncomfortable for most people."
Why do modern translations follow the decree of the pharisees?
Adonai (Lord) is the title that was used by the Pharisees to replace the Name of the Creator:
Talmud - Mas. Yoma 39b
His brethren [that year] the priests forbore to mention the Ineffable Name (Yahweh) in pronouncing the [priestly] blessing.4 Our Rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [‘For the Lord’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-coloured strap become white/"
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - ADONAI
a-do'-ni, ad-o-na'-i ('adhonay): A Divine name, translated "Lord," and signifying, from its derivation, "sovereignty." Its vowels are found in the Massoretic Text with the unpronounceable tetragrammaton YHWH; and when the Hebrew reader came to these letters, he always substituted in pronunciation the word " 'adhonay," (Lord). Its vowels combined with the tetragrammaton form the word "Yahweh (Yahweh)."
The Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Kiddushin, page 71a
...R. Abina opposed [two verses]: It is written, 'this is my name'; but it is also written, 'and this is my memorial'?__The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I am not called as I am written: I am written with yod he, but I am read, alef daleth.7. The Tetragrammaton is yod he waw he (YHWH); but it is read adonai = alef daleth nun yod (ADNY)...
Yeremyah 23:26-27, "How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Yes, they are prophets of the deceit of their own minds plan and scheme, to cause My people to forget My Name through their dreams, which they tell every man to his neighbor, just as their fathers have forgotten My Name for Baal."
Psalm 44:20-21, "If we have forgotten Your Name, Yahweh, or if we stretched out our hands to hinder gods, Would You not search this out, Yahweh? For You know the secrets of the heart."
Isayah 52:6, "Therefore My people will know My Name; Therefore they will know in that day that I am He Who speaks. Behold, it is I!"