How do I know which Bible is the right one?

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Stuey

Senior Member
#101
Aug 17, 2009
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#101
MahogonySnail said:
I agree the KJV is not the most accurate. But it's hard to judge accuracy because there's no perfect and undisputed standard by which to judge or compare it. Even KJV bible societies recognise this fact that the KJV has errors. That's why they made the MKJV and /or NKJV to correct these mistakes. I love my MKJV..it's just like the KJV but it has all the words 'spirit' capitalised in the right places as it should be, and is easy to read.. I'm not left confused over what's talking about.
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+ 1

By claiming the KJV bible is the only authorised bible you are saying that it is perhaps 'annointed' by god (yeah it's a loose term) in the same way the untranslated scriptures are. This is pretty much saying it is free of errors which is clearly not the case.

It's a useful translation, but for me and many others it needs to be translated again, the language isn't the language I speak today! So should I translate it from the 'god approved' kjv bible or from the original scriptures?....

All up though, if you really want to use the proper bible, learn greek hebrew and aramaic. :p
 
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Boston_Laura

Guest
#102
#102
I love how MY thread was taken over. If you guys want to discuss this; create a thread for it. This is not helping me at all! Really inconsiderate you guys.
 
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Lifelike

Guest
#103
#103
Boston_Laura said:
There are so many different kinds; which one should I buy?
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Hi Laura, I firmly believe that the KJV is the most accurate and safe version to study and learn from, but i also have used different paraphrase version for a differnet perspective. Theres an awesome book out called "Which Bbile can we Trust" by Les Garrett. He is an awesome researcher and talks about the origins of a lot of the modern translations - out of Alexandria and egypt, where gnostisism was very strong. And shows the clear history of the texts. Some bibles from these areas have thousand of words and phrases and even paragraphs missing and funnily enough most of them have to do with the deity of Christ... Also the people involved in the translations of these texts were heavy occultists and spiritualist - not really the kind of people i would like interpreting Gods word for me! I would definately advise getting a hold of this book as part of your study library. Let me know if you have any trouble finding it and ill send u a link, Cheers.
 
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Wootie

Guest
#104
#104
It says in Revelation 22:18-20 that if anyone takes away or adds to the bible that they will suffer greatly, so I would suggest the King James version if you can get through all the; thee's and thou's. I use a New King James STUDY BIBLE myself because I think it is pretty close to the original word & it helps me look up facts about things in it. But each to their own preferences... I started with a youth study bible first-even though I was 49 because I was just learning and didn't want to miss anything in the process of growing.
 
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Not_The_Righteous

Guest
#105
#105
Good modern, formal equivalent (non-paraphrase, sticks as closely as English will allow) translations are the NASB, ESV, and NKJV (if you prefer the lineage of the KJV).

I use both the NASB and ESV in more casual study. The NASB is sometimes a little awkward in its syntax because it really tries very hard to keep the structure of the Greek and Hebrew Manuscripts. The ESV is still very good, though much more easily readable.

In my NT Greek classes they recommended the NASB because for diagraming purposes it retains (in general) the formal structure of Greek pretty well. It also uses italics and markings to show when English words had to be added since Greek grammar works differently than English.

About the KJV stuff. I don't really care all that much who commissioned it. It's a translation that uses archaic language and inferior, later-appearing manuscript sources (and random entries from the Vulgate) whereas a good modern formal-equivalent translation try very hard to avoid those pitfalls.

And then there's Hebrews 4:8 - where the translators could not even discern after many revisions that Joshua is being talked about, not Jesus. That's just silly.
 
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Mal316

Guest
#106
#106
Which Bible you should buy depends on what you expect to get out of it.

This is just my opinion....

Do you want a literal word for word translation? (ESV or NASB)

Do you want a thought for thought translation? Are you trying to understand the idea that the Biblical authors were trying to convey? (NIV)

Do you want a combination of the above? (HCSB)

For a Jewish perspective on the Torah, I suggest the following:

(Modern)
W. Gunther Plaut "The Torah: A Modern Commentary"
Richard Elliot Friedman "Commentary on the Torah"
Everett Fox "The Five Books of Moses"

(Classic)
Rashi's commentary on the Torah, aka Chumash from the Hebrew for "five". Available online at chabad.org

Best of luck. May God open your eyes that you see wonderful things in His Word, no matter which translation you use. "The Lord was pleased for the sake of His righteousness to render his Torah great and glorious." Isaiah 42:21
 
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Not_The_Righteous

Guest
#107
#107
Do you want a literal word for word translation? (ESV or NASB)
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Hey cool! ESV doesn't get a lot of mention on here does it?

Reads like the NIV without the... baggage.
 
resurrection33

resurrection33

Banned
#109
Dec 19, 2009
27,513
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#109
Boston_Laura said:
There are so many different kinds; which one should I buy?
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My church gave me a Revised Standard Version when I was a boy. I think it’s a fine Bible, though I don’t even know if they make them anymore. My second choice might be the New King James Version. I really don’t know much about it, though.
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

Banned
#110
Jan 8, 2009
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#110
Quote:
Originally Posted by MahogonySnail

Starting off with the Good News Bible would be a good one to start with.

Why ?
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It's simple, easy to read, best of all fun to read. It was originally written for non-english speakers as they found other english versions too hard to read. So for an American, it should be good.
 
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lighthousejohn

Guest
#111
#111
Boston_Laura said:
There are so many different kinds; which one should I buy?
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Laura, Your choice of a Bible should be based on your intention (purpose) for your Bible. If you want it for reading and general study, then get one that is easy for you to understand and apply to your life. If you can't understand it, it will be of no value to you. Any of the modern translations will be adequate for this purpose.

If you desire a study Bible, there are many good ones that have special study aids in them. Again, find one that works for you.

I personally have 13 different versions and I have found that there is little difference between them.
I prefer the NIV or the NLT but I also enjoy the NKJV.

So the bottom line for you should be to spend some time at a Christian book store where they will let you peruse the different versions so you can find the one you like.

I hope this helps. Let us know what you decided.
 
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machew

Guest
#112
#112
King James Onlyism is unnecessarily dividing the church.

Here is someone who clearly did a thorough job researching this problem.

http://books.google.com/books?id=hL...=problems with the King James Version&f=false

There is 600+ pages in this book that clearly show that King James Onlyism is a more modern tradition that most people think. You can't argue with these facts that Price thoroughly puts together in his book. Here is someone who clearly knows his stuff, probably more than anyone on this site.

Someone already resolved this issue for us in 600+ pages. Conclusion: no translation is completely perfect. We need the Spirit of God to get the original meaning out of the Bible. Can we move on please?


Let's move on from this divisiveness, Thanks!

Machew
 
resurrection33

resurrection33

Banned
#113
Dec 19, 2009
27,513
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#113
MahogonySnail said:
It's simple, easy to read, best of all fun to read. It was originally written for non-english speakers as they found other english versions too hard to read. So for an American, it should be good.
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What would you recommend for someone who knows English pretty well?
 
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Slepsog4

Guest
#114
#114
The KJV is something like the 7th major English translation is a line of such. It was completed in 1611 and printed in two locations. Strangely enough those two printers had slight variations from each other. Then the KJV has gone through several editions with slight revision each time. The current edition most use today is from 1769. Even with all of these adjustments the version has not kept up with manuscript discoveries or archeology or linguistic studies. The English language has continued to develop whether we like it or not.

We know longer use some of the vocabulary, idiom, syntax, etc. Few if any average Bible readers are fluent in Elizabethan/Shakespearian English.
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

Banned
#117
Jan 8, 2009
7,576
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#117
What would you recommend for someone who knows English pretty well?
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The good news bible. I used it for 10 years and I'm still a Christian. It's great for thought for thought which is what you want as a growing or new christian.
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

Banned
#118
Jan 8, 2009
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#118
My point was if a non-english speaker can use it then it should be good ie even easier for an American.
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

Banned
#120
Jan 8, 2009
7,576
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#120
It's pretty accurate thought for thought yes. Thought for thought are typically more accurate than word for word.
 
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