Bible Translations – Which One Is For You?

It seems there are more Bible translations out there than ever. More and more come out with each passing day. Do you ever long for the days when all we had was the good old King James version? With so many Bible translations, how do you know which one is right for you?

For the past couple of years, my husband and I have done our Bible study in the ESV, English Standard Version. It is among the translations that are considered word-for-word. A more literal translation than some. Others in this category are the KJV, the King James Version, the NET or New English Translation, and the ever-popular NASB, the New American Standard Bible. Of these, the NASB is said to be the most literal of all, and because of this, many consider it the most difficult to understand.

Another category of translations is the thought-for-thought. They attempt to take the entire idea and make it more understandable. Two of these are the NCV or New Century Version. I’ve never heard of this one, but as stated, there are so many, I don’t know that any of us could remember or be familiar with all of them. The more familiar in this category would be the NLT or the New Living Translation.

Bible Translations - Which One is For You? @DDuPreeWilliams #faith #BibleTranslations Share on X

PSALM 42 – DAVID WOULD RECOGNIZE IT

I read a favorite Psalm in each of these versions, Psalm 42. While very different, the idea behind each translation is the same. One would know exactly what the original author had in mind.

My husband and I enjoy listening to John MacArthur’s sermons. He uses the NASB. He says it is the most accurate of all the translations. Recently, he and his team of Bible scholars, faculty members from The Master’s Seminary, have done a new translation of the NASB called the Legacy Standard Bible. I ordered one this week and I can’t wait for it to arrive. Once it gets here, I’ll do a review of it.

AUDIO VERSIONS AND OTHER HELP

For daily reading and devotion plans, my husband and I rely on our You Version Bible App. They offer sixty-seven different English translations, and several of those include an audio version. There are many different accents and reading styles available. For listening, we prefer the ESV narrator. His voice is mellow, he reads with feeling, and he gets all those hard-to-pronounce names right. I couldn’t do that in a month of Sundays. Let’s make that about a decade of Sundays.

I’m including a link to a site with fabulous information on Bible translations. It is by Logos. I know my writing friends will know this company as they’ve presented at conferences in the past. If you are a devotion writer, seminary student, or a pastor, you want this tool in your quiver. But pinch your pennies. It isn’t inexpensive, but so worth it. Rather like Scrivener for writers. Not really a good comparison, but it’s what came to mind.   https://www.logos.com/grow/best-bible-translation/

Someone was quoted as saying the best Bible for you is the one you will read. Do chime in and let us know which translation you prefer and why.

Blessings, y’all!!

This is new to me. It’s old, but I didn’t know it before finding it for this post. I hope it blesses you today. Stay in His Word!