Everything You Need to Know About Choosing A Bible (Almost) The Bible continues to be the most translated book in the world. As Hebrew and Greek, the original languages of the Bible, have idioms and concepts not easily translated, there is an on going critical tension about whether it is better to give a word for word translation or to give a translation that gives a parallel idiom in the target language. . For instance, in the English language Catholic translation, the New American Bible, as well as the Protestant translations of the Christian Bible, translations like the King James Version, the New Revised Standard Version, ad the New American Standard Bible are seen as fairly literal translations (or "word for word"), whereas translations like the New International Version and New Living Translation attempt to give relevant parallel idioms. The Living Bible and The Message are two paraphrases of the Bible that try to convey the original meaning in contemporary language. A paraphrase is different from a translation. For a paraphrase, authors take an English text and put it into their own words, that is, the way they would say it themselves. A paraphrase does not begin with the Hebrew and Greek texts as a translation does. The further away one gets from word for word translation, the text becomes easier to read while relying more on the theological, linguistic or cultural understanding of the translator, which one would not normally expect a lay reader to require. Many who study the Bible intellectually or devotionally find that selecting more than one translation approach is useful in interpreting and applying what they read. For example, a very literal translation may be useful for individual word or topical study, while a paraphrase may be employed for grasping initial meaning of a passage. Other areas to consider are reading level, especially for children and youth.
A Sample of English Translations (and Paraphrases) of the Bible
5th – 11th Century Middle English 16th – 17th Century 18th – 19th Century 20th Century
21st Century
Old English Bible translations Wycliffe Tyndale + Coverdale + Geneva + Authorized King James Webster’s + Young’s Literal + Darby + Joseph Smith + Quaker + others American Standard + Revised Standard + New World + New English Bible + New American Standard + Good News + Jerusalem + New American + Living + Bethel + New Jerusalem + New Revised Standard + Contemporary English + The Message + New International Reader’s + New Living + Holman Christian Standard + others World English + English Standard + The Voice + New English Translation + Common English Bible + Today’s New International + WGC Illustrated + Apostolic Bible Polyglot + others
© July 2010 Sharon Ely Pearson. Morehouse Education Resources. All rights reserved.
What’s the Difference?
Graphic from www.biblica.com
CEB: Common English Bible
A translation of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, including the deuterocanonical books began in late 2008. It is a bold new translation designed to meet the needs of Christians as they work to build a strong and meaningful relationship with God through Jesus Christ. A key goal of the CEB translation team is to make the Bible accessible to a broad range of people; it’s written at a comfortable level for over half of all English readers. As the translators do their work, reading specialists from more than a dozen denominations review the texts to ensure a smooth and natural reading experience. Easy readability can enhance church worship and participation, and personal Bible study. It also encourages children and youth to discover the Bible for themselves, perhaps for the very first time. • © Fall 2010 (yet to be published) by Christian Resources Development Corporation, a joint project with the United Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Episcopal, United Methodist, Lutheran, Disciples of Christ, and Baptist churches and publishers. • Reading level: Grade 7 or 8
CEV: Contemporary English Version
Translation done in contemporary style using common language marked the American Bible Society’s translation of the Contemporary English Version Bible that was first published in 1995. It was designed to be understood when read and heard out loud, not just when it is read silently. It is one of the best Bibles for children and youth, as well as for new Bible readers who are not familiar with traditional Bible and church words as it is designed for a lower reading level (than the Good News Bible). • © 1991, 1995 American Bible Society • Reading level: Grade 5.6
© July 2010 Sharon Ely Pearson. Morehouse Education Resources. All rights reserved.
GNT: Good News Translation
The Good News Translation, formerly called the Good News Bible was first published as a full Bible in 1976 (revised in 1992) by the American Bible Society as a “common language,” or “meaning based” Bible, initially for those whom English is a second language. It was first known as “Good News for Modern Man) and “Today’s English Version.” It is a clear and simple modern translation that is faithful to the original Hebrew, Koine Greek and Aramaic texts. • © 1966, 1971, 1976, 1979 American Bible Society • Religious affiliation: endorsed by most Protestant denominations • Reading level: Grade 5.6
KJV: King James Version
Translated in 1611 by 47 scholars using the Byzantine family of manuscripts, the King James Version Bible has served as a standard of measurement for subsequent English translations. It is a word-‐for-‐word translation published at the request of King James I of England. It was frequently reprinted with its spelling updated, and most copies today are slightly adapted from a 1769 edition. Many of the best and most ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts of Bible books have been discovered since 1850, and so the KJV could not make use of them. It continues to be a time-‐ honored translation that has been enjoyed for almost 400 years, although its Elizabethan style Old English is difficult for modern readers, especially children and youth. • © Public domain due to age, publication restrictions until 2039 in the United Kingdom • Reading level: Grade 12
TLB: The Living Bible
A paraphrased rendition of the 1901 American Standard Version by Kenneth Taylor in 1971, this is not a genuine translation, but a type of phrase-‐by-‐phrase commentary that was originally intended to help the author’s own children understand the scriptures. It is useful for inspiration and commentary, but for serious Bible study it should only be used in conjunction with a legitimate translation. • © 1971 Tyndale House Publishers • Religious affiliation: Protestant / Evangelical • Reading level: 8.3
MSG: The Message
Subtitled “The Bible in Contemporary Language,” this paraphrase was created by Eugene H. Peterson and published in segments from 1993 to 2002. It uses contemporary idiom and makes the biblical text relevant to the conditions of the people by “converting the tone, the rhythm, the events, the ideas into the way we actually think and speak.” • © 2002 Eugene H. Peterson • Religious Affiliation: None • Reading level: Grade 8.5
© July 2010 Sharon Ely Pearson. Morehouse Education Resources. All rights reserved.
NAB: New American Bible
The New American Bible was published in 1970 and has had new editions released since then as revisions on specific books have been accomplished (2nd Edition 1986: some traditionally familiar phraseology was restored to the New Testament, including some inclusive language. 3rd Edition 1991: More inclusive language for the Psalms; 4th Edition 2002: Revision of the Old Testament, excluding the Psalms). • © 2002 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops • Religious Affiliation: Roman Catholic • Reading level: Grade 6.6
NASB: New American Standard Bible
The complete NASB Bible published in 1971 (updated in 1995) is a conservative yet literal (word-‐ for-‐word) translation of 58 scholars working from Kittle’s Biblia Hebraica and Nestle’s Greek New Testament of Alexandrian roots. It retains traditional theological words and is academic in tone. Because of this, the NASB is a good version to use in Bible study where one is concerned with the form of the original Hebrew and Greek. • © 1971 The Lockman Foundation • Religious Affiliation: Nonprofit Christian corporation committed to evangelism • Reading level: Grade 11
NIrV: New International Reader’s Version
A Bible version developed to enable early readers to understand God’s message that is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). Can be read by the typical 4th grader as well as those for whom English is a second language. • © 1996, 1998 Biblica & Zondervan Publishing House • Religious affiliation: Protestant • Reading level: Grade 3.5
NIV: New International Version
The NIV was published in 1978 by 100 translators as a completely new translation, but was strongly influenced by the King James tradition. It is a “thought-‐for-‐thought” open translation and not a literal translation with broad audience appeal for both older and younger readers, being revised in 1984. The deutero-‐canonical books are not included in the translation. It preserved traditional Evangelical theology on many contested points for which the Revised Standard Version has been criticized. • © 1978 International Bible Society – Publisher: Zondervan • Religious affiliation: explicitly Protestant • Reading level: Grade 7.8
NJB: New Jerusalem Bible
The NJB is a 1985 revision of the older Jerusalem Bible (JB) that was translated from the original languages, but it developed out of a popular French translation done in Jerusalem, which is why it was called the Jerusalem Bible. It is a word-‐based translation. • © 1985 Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd • Religious Affiliation: Roman Catholic • Reading level: High School
© July 2010 Sharon Ely Pearson. Morehouse Education Resources. All rights reserved.
NKJV: New King James Version
The NKJV Bible published in 1982 is the fifth revised version of the King James Bible using the work of 130 translators. It retains both the standard and theological terms in a poetic and devotional style, while being updated to modern English with minor translation corrections and retention of traditional phraseology. This is the translation that Gideons International places in hotels and hospitals. • © 1979, 1980, 1982 Thomas C. Nelson, Inc. • Reading level: Grade 8.5
NLT: New Living Translation
A meaning-‐based revision of the Living Bible, it made changes by comparing it to the original language texts. It is a helpful translation for youth and adults who have difficulty with traditional language. • © 1996, 2004, 2007 Tyndale House Foundation • Religious Affiliation: Protestant / Evangelical • Reading level: Grade 6.3
NRSV: New Revised Standard Bible
The NRSV translation has been labeled “An Ecumenical Edition,” that has been widely used by both Protestant and Catholic worshippers since it became a 1989 revision of the RSV. It is the latest authorized translation in the King James tradition and has become a standard translation for serious Bible study. • © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ of the USA • Religious affiliation: Ecumenical, but generally with mainline Protestant denominations • Reading level: Grade 8.1 – Grade 10 (Zondervan)
LINKS
Websites about Bible Versions and Search Engines:
• • • • • •
The Bible Researcher http://www.bible-‐researcher.com/versions.html The Bible Gateway http://www.biblegateway.com/ Oremus Bible Browser http://bible.oremus.org New Testament Gateway http://www.ntgateway.com/ Online Bible http://www.onlinebible.org/ Bibles in Your Language http://www.ethnicharvest.org/bibles
Choosing a Bible for Children: • • • •
United Church of Christ http://www.ucc.org/children/choosing-‐a-‐bible-‐for-‐children.html Sunday School Resources http://www.sundayschoolresources.com/biblechoices.htm#considerations ChristianBook.com http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=844809&sp=1003 Gretchen Wolff Pritchard http://sundaypaperblog.blogspot.com/2005/09/choosing-‐childrens-‐bible.html
© July 2010 Sharon Ely Pearson. Morehouse Education Resources. All rights reserved.
