Which Bible translation should you read?

  

The answer to which Bible translation we should read is not a simple one. Sure, there are a lot of people who want a simple answer. They will come to a conclusion that satisfies them and tell you to read the one they read. But that is very simplistic. 

Before we can solve a problem it is a good idea to understand the problem. The fact we are asking the question shows there is a problem. It's not just a case that there are a lot of translations to choose from. But understanding the whole issue should help us change how we think about it and maybe the question won't seem so critical.

The Bibles we have today are the tip of the iceberg. There is a whole lot going on underneath. For example, how many times do we hear preachers say, "In the original Greek?" The thing is there is no original Greek version we can reference. We do not have one single scrap of anything of the original writings. All that we have are copies of copies. So let's start there.

Those who study the copies of the texts are said to study Textual Criticism. They have a word for the original writings that were actually penned by the original authors. That word is "Autograph!" That may sound funny, "Hey, can I have your autograph?" But that's what they are called and they have long since gone, or at least we do not have any of the autographs.

That's probably not a bad thing. Can you imagine what kind of idol would be made of them? Some high religion would be parading them around and kissing them in fancy ceremonies.

So, what of these copies? How reliable are they? For the most part, of the thousands of fragments that exist there are only a few minor differences between them. Is that a problem? I actually think this also helps to tell us something about God's word. The thing is we can be a bit perfectionist. We want to know the exact words that were written down as if they are some kind of magic formula. They are not exact, but the differences help us to see that God's word is not just ink on a page. It is not just a correct sequence of words.

We must keep in mind that although we can say there is power in God's word, the word does not act alone. It is the Holy Spirit revealing the truth of God's word. The Holy Spirit witnesses to our spirit the truth of the word. The truth of the word is not lost just because different words are used. As long as those words do not change the meaning/message.

Think of a human being. How varied are human beings? Yet they are immediately identifiable as human beings. The texts we have are not as variable as human beings! There are minor differences that do not actually change the truth.

Not only are there multiple fragments, but they are also divided into different groups and people will argue over which group is the true group!

Next, these fragments get translated into our modern languages. I'm writing in English so I will use that as an example. What issues are there in translating the old languages into English? The obvious one is that not all words have a word with the same meaning. It would be better to use several words to translate one word, but that would make the Bible way bigger than it is. So, to start with there is a difficulty in accurately translating the ancient texts into English. This can be true between any two languages.

The difficulty doesn't stop there. When I say difficulty, I mean from the point of view of knowing what is a good translation. Another issue is copyright. Bibles cost a lot of money to translate so, once a company brings a group of scholars together to work on a translation they want to get a return on the cost. Almost every Bible is in copyright, even the King James Version. Some Americans think it isn't, but that goes back to not wanting to pay taxes to England. 

Copyright means that every time someone wants to make a new translation they have to be careful not to use phrases that have already been used. Can you imagine how hard that is? It gets harder with every new translation that comes out.

Another issue with needing to make money from translating the Bible is that they need to sell as many copies as they can. The best way to do that is to not tread on the toes of the major denominations. Somehow, it will need to be agreeable to the teachings of the major denominations.  Can you see what a self-fulfilling prophecy this causes? Someone wants to know whether the teaching of a particular church is biblical, but the translation they are likely looking into is written to sit comfortably with the church's teaching!

But don't panic. Everything is fine. I wanted you to know all of that to know that no one can point to a Bible translation and say this is "The One!" Break that thinking. 

My suggestion would be to start with the one you feel most comfortable reading. Google it and look up what the issues are with that one. Then over time, you will grow out of it and find one that fits you at that time. The important thing is not to have an exact string of words. The danger in that is that you will not realise what errors are in your perfect Bible translation!

When I became a Christian, I started with the Good News Bible because that's what was in the house when I became a Christian. Then I got a New American Standard Bible because that's what the person who led me to the Lord used and it was easier for me to ask questions if we were reading the same one. Next, I got the NIV because every church I went to used that Bible and I felt like the odd one out with the NASB. The NIV didn't last long for me. So many times I was finding it didn't say what I knew to be right. Instead, the truer translation was in the footnotes. That lead me to the New King James Version. Then I started using various online Bible tools. One great website is "biblehub." If you look up a single verse on that site, it will list lots of translations of the same verse so that you can compare them. You can also look it up in the interlinear Bible which shows you the text it was translated from. You can click on individual words and see what the dictionary definition of a particular word is.

On this site (Words of Comfort), I mostly use the cleverly titled, "World English Bible." I say cleverly because its acronym is WEB! I use it because it is copyright free. It is actually a very good translation, however, some verses can be a bit complicated. Sometimes, I will use the New Living Translation, because that puts things into much plainer English. Sometimes I will take parts from different translations. I might also add extra bits to show meaning. For example, if Paul is talking about "work" in Romans he is talking about "works of the Law" not manual labour.

Romans 4:5:

"But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness." WEB

'To the one who does not do the works of God’s Law but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness,' My expansion

Romans 3:21-22:

"But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction," WEB

"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are." NLT

'Now God has shown us a way to be made righteous without keeping the requirements of His Law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made righteous by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.'  My Expansion

To me, the most important thing is to get the meaning across. Sometimes that means putting things into plain English. But also to undo some of the "denomination-friendly" translating.

Let's say you have more than one child. Let's say that at some point, when each one hits a particular age, their eighteenth birthday say, you want to share with them the most sage piece of advice you have. Will you make sure you use the exact same sequence of words each time? Or will you have to vary it according to what you know each child is capable of understanding? Will one get it straight away but another need to be told several times in baby language?

God is your Father. Jesus is your Lord, brother and friend. The Holy Spirit literally knows you inside out! He is your comforter and counsellor. When God speaks to you it needs to be right for you. Not one size fits all.

To my mind, the reason God doesn't preserve an exact sequence of words is because that isn't how communication works. Why would we need new teachers in schools? Surely we just need a recording of the perfect lesson and play that to every child! (I can imagine there are government ministers who think that's all teaching needs to be!)

Please don't hear me saying we can change the Bible so much that it becomes something completely different. The meaning doesn't change and that's the important bit. Let me give you an example, one translation could have something in it like "Jew or Gentile." What's the meaning? It covers everybody - whether you are a Jew or not a Jew. So another translation might have "everybody." Does that mean we can change "Father" to "Parent" or "Mother", for example? No, because they do not have the same meaning.

If we believe the Bible is God's word, then God refers to Himself as He. Therefore, His preferred pronouns are "He" and "Him." So, according to the liberals that's what we should use! If you don't believe the Bible is the word of God then why are you bothering with it?

Most arguments are like two people arguing about the best icing when one has in mind a fruit cake and the other a sponge cake. Likewise, if you believe the Bible is the authority for what you believe you will get nowhere arguing about what the Bible says or means with someone who doesn't even believe the Bible is God's word.

Back to the Question

As I have said, start with what makes you feel the most comfortable. That could be a paraphrased Bible which aims to put it into plain English. It could be a more word-for-word version if your aim is to study. It could be a translation your church uses so that you see what the preacher is saying. But whichever it is Google it to see what shortcomings it has. Type in the name of the Bible and errors. So, for example, "NIV errors" or "NKJV errors." (You'd probably need to use the full name of the World English Bible!)

Don't let that in itself put you off of the translation. They all have errors. It's good to be aware of them. When you know the errors you can adjust for them in your understanding.

One answer to the question- "What Bible should I use," is, "More than one!" I think when you study the Bible long enough it stops being about which Bible is the most accurate and becomes a realisation that it's good to hear it from different points of view.