Which Bible Translation Should You Use?

One of the foundational issues of Christianity is the inspiration, inerrancy and worth of Scripture.  Our church's confessional statement regarding the scriptures states: 

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. (Baptist Faith & Message, 2000)

Often questions come related to the which English translation of the Bible is best.  

Regarding English translations, it seems that a new one is available just about every few years.  If you are shopping for a new Bible, you will find numerous different translations in a variety of styles and features.  The marketing of the Bible is big business.

When studying the Bible, it is wise to have a good translation.

There are primarily two types of translations of the Bible available.  One is a word-for-word translation that seeks to be as literal as possible with regards to the original languages.  On the other end of the spectrum is the thought-for-thought versions which seek to maintain the ideas of the original texts, knowing that sometimes the original words do not translate easily into English.

Some Bibles available aren't actually translations at all.  They are paraphrases in modern language, which are fine for personal reading to better gain a grasp of what is being said, but should never be used as one's primary Bible for study, teaching and research.

Yet, this still may not answer the question "Which translation is the best?"

Let me highlight some of the features of translations most often used by those in our church family.

• King James Version (KJV) - The KJV is mostly a word-for-word translation.  It presents beautiful language, with Old English terminology.  There is great beauty in how this version is presented. However, the antiquated language is often difficult for new believers and children to understand.  The KJV certainly has served believers well for the past 400 plus years and we are to be thankful to God for its availability. The KJV is written at a 12th grade reading level.

• New American Standard Bible (NASB) - Other than the Interlinear Greek/Hebrew Bible, the NASB is the most literal English translation available. While preserving the literal accuracy of the 1901 American Standard Version, the NASB has sought to render grammar and terminology in contemporary English. Special attention has been given to the rendering of verb tenses to give the English reader a translation as close as possible to the sense of the original Greek and Hebrew texts. In 1995, the text of the NASB was updated for greater understanding and smoother reading.  The reading level is 11th grade.

• English Standard Version (ESV) - Each word and phrase in the ESV has been carefully weighed against the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, to ensure the fullest accuracy and clarity and to avoid under-translating or overlooking any nuance of the original text. Archaic language has been brought to current usage and significant corrections have been made in the translation of key texts. The ESV is essentially a literal translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each biblical writer. The reading level for the ESV is 12th grade. 

• New International Version (NIV) – The NIV is the most popular English Bible version other than the KJV. From the very start, the NIV sought to bring modern Bible readers as close as possible to the experience of the very first Bible readers: providing the best possible blend of transparency to the original documents and comprehension of the original meaning in every verse. With this clarity of focus, however, came the realization that the work of translating the NIV would never be truly complete. As new discoveries were made about the biblical world and its languages, and as the norms of English usage developed and changed over time, the NIV would also need to change to hold true to its original vision.  The reading level for the NIV is 7th Be aware that the 2011 update of the NIV is gender neutral and not recommended.

• Christian Standard Bible (CSB) – The CSB and its predecessor the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) was created using optimal equivalence, a translation philosophy that pursues both linguistic precision to the original languages and readability in contemporary English.[1] The average reading level for the entire text of the CSB is 7th grade. 

• New King James Version (NKJV) – Authors used the original King James Version as a benchmark, while working to produce and accurate and modern word-for-word translation. The average reading level for the entire text of the NKJV is 8th grade.

Chart from https://www.mardel.com/bibletranslationguide

GENDER NEUTRALITY IS AN ISSUE

Many newer translations have bought into the politically correct rhetoric and therefore have falsely determined the Bible is not inclusive of all people and therefore have sought to remove masculine references. This is a problem.

In an attempt to be all-inclusive, neutering the Bible of gender renders it watered-down and, in some cases, totally mistranslated.

While there are times when it would be appropriate to change the word "man" to "people" in a verse (only when the original text shows that to be a more reasonable translation) many of these translations have gone overboard and have sought to remove all gender references.  This results in verses not stating what was originally intended. Neutering gender in scripture removes characteristics from God and Jesus that are essential to understanding the Word. In a failed attempt to be all-inclusive, gender-neutrality removes the individual need for a response to the gospel.  

The first gender-neutral English translation to hit the mainstream was the 1979 New Revised Standard Version (NSRV).  Others have followed suit, such as the New Century Version (NCV), Contemporary English Version (CEV), New Living Translation (NLT), Today's New International Version (TNIV), the International Children's Bible (ICB), and the New International Version Inclusive Language Edition (NIVI)- sold primarily in Great Britain.

Therefore, I do not recommend a gender-neutral, thought for thought translation.