Bible Translations Part 2

So which bible translations are best?

It depends on a couple of factors, but the best translation method/philosophy is the Essentially Literal method. The reason for this is important. I believe that the 66 books of the Bible are the inspired, infallible, inerrant, Holy Word of God in the originals. I believe that every word, not just every thought, was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. That means that any translation that leaves out words is leaving out something that God intended to be in there. I have a problem with that.
So let me give you a ranking in reverse order.

Avoid all paraphrases as your bible translation for your normal reading and studying. A paraphrase is not the Bible. Now, it is o.k. to have and use paraphrases as a supplement in your studying of scripture, but it shouldn’t be what you read on a daily basis. That means avoid the Living Bible, Message, Good News Bible and other paraphrases.

Next, I would caution against using Dynamic Equivalent bibles like the NIV (New International Version). This type of translation is not quite a paraphrase but it does leave out some of God’s inspired words and that is problem. I do have a caveat for the NIV.

NIV Caveat. People have different reading abilities. If I come across someone whose reading level is not that high, I might start them off with the NIV. The readability of the NIV makes it a good starting place for adults, and teens whose reading ability is not too strong. But, I would also have the goal of graduating them from the NIV to the NAS(New American Standard) or ESV (English Standard Version).

Best Category: Essentially Literal is the best choice of Bibles because they attempt to stick as closely to the originals in a word for word fashion. The versions I recommend the most are the New American Standard(NAS) and the English Standard Version (ESV). They are not perfect, but I think they are the best choices out there. I think overall, the ESV is slightly better.

What about the King James? This is a touchy subject. There are some people out there who think that it is the KJV or nothing at all. “If it was good enough for Paul, it is good enough for me?”(Paul did not speak King James English, by the way) Some people just prefer the KJV, that is fine. But, if you are a KJV only person, I will not post your comments.

I do not recommend the KJV, unless you have grown up with it and understand the language. There are several reasons why I do not recommend the KJV. One is simple. Most people do not speak, read, or understand the Shakespearean type language that the KJV is written in. There are also some translations issues that I won’t go into.

What do I use?
For my everyday Bible reading I generally use the ESV. I will occasionally use other translations and my Greek and Hebrew Bibles.
For preaching. I always start with the original languages. As I have been preaching through Mark I start with the Greek new testament. I take an ESV onto the stage with me, but as I read it I will modify it based upon my own study of the Greek original.

Conclusion:
Read your Bible. Study your Bible. Believe your Bible. Use a good translation and get into God’s Word!

Bible Translations Part 1

What’s The Deal With Bible Translations

I get asked about Bible translations frequently. People want to know which one I use, which one I preach from. People want to know which one they should use.

First of all, this is a big issue, but it’s not one to stress about. Read the Bible, whatever you’ve got. That is the starting place. Our society, and churches, are becoming more and more biblically illiterate. People don’t know the Bible. I want to encourage people to read the Bible. Start reading it, read it consistently, and then investigate translations.

Here is a primer on Biblical translations. It is not an exhaustive discussion, but a starting point.

Original Bible
The 66 books of the Bible were written in ancient Hebrew, koine Greek, and some Aramaic. So, unless you know those languages you need a translation. If you go to a bookstore in Mexico and buy a book that is written in Spanish, you will either need to learn Spanish or have a translation of that book.

The best option is to learn the original languages. I have studied Hebrew and Greek for the purpose of being able to study the scriptures in their original language. I am not as proficient in those languages as I would like to be, and need lots of help from good resources, but that is the place that I start all of my sermon preparation. I would encourage anyone to learn the original languages.

Until you ( and I) are fully proficient in the original languages we need a translation. There are a seeming plethora to choose from. So, how do you choose the right one?

Although there are so many, they can all be put in 3 basic categories. These categories are methods/philosophy of translation. The method or philosophy used to translate makes a big difference. And, there are no perfect translations. All of them have pros and cons. Some of them are better than others.
Here are the categories with a brief explanation and some examples.

Essentially Literal

This philosophy is to translate attempting to stick as close to the original wording as possible. It is a word for word translation. If there is a word in the original, then that word will be in the translation.

Examples: the most common types are King James, New King James, New American Standard, and the English Standard Version


Dynamic Equivalent

This philosophy translates in a thought for thought process. The translation might leave out a word or two in order to keep a more dynamic flow to the English. This translation is more concerned with making the English translation more readable based on common English grammar.

Examples: The New International Version


Paraphrase

This philosophy does not concern itself with the original wording. It is more interested in producing a bible that reflects the common vernacular. This translation is not a real Bible. It is purely someone’s interpretation of the Bible.

Examples: The Living Bible, The Message



Coming Up In The Next Blog: The answer to the question, “which is best?”