A person of faith should always have a Bible nearby. But with a myriad of options, which translation should one choose? People tend to have strong feelings about Bible translations, but those debates rarely involve substantive differences in theology. Importantly, almost all commonly-read translations convey the same message of God. My view is that one should choose a translation that one enjoys. After all, if it's a pleasure to read, you'll read it more often!
Here, I list seven popular English-language translations. My advice is to pick one and go with it! (Note: there are plenty of other popular translations not listed here. Most English-language translations can be read and compared for free at
biblegateway.com, or on the freely-available smartphone app published by
lifechurch.tv.)
From a literary view, the KJV is, simply put, a masterpiece. Each verse flows with elegance and authority. From a spiritual view, the KJV has the benefit of being a literal translation, meaning that it faithfully reproduces the original Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew documents. KJV loyalists also argue that, compared to modern translations, it uses superior source documents for its New Testament. (Since I don't speak ancient Greek, I won't wade into that debate!)
The major drawback of the KJV is that, unless you grew up with it, its 17th century language can make for a cumbersome read. So my advice is this: Unless you're already familiar with KJV parlance, opt for one of the other translations listed below. But do yourself a favor: Consult the KJV from time to time.
- New King James Version (NKJV)
The NKJV maintains the same sentence structure as the KJV, but updates some of the language. For example, the archaic pronouns (e.g, "thee," "thou," "ye") are updated, and words whose definitions have changed are modified accordingly.
- English Standard Version (ESV)
Published in 2001, the ESV has quickly become a favorite of many Bible readers. It's the version from which I often quote on this blog. In addition to its literal translation philosophy, a huge advantage of the ESV is that digital versions are available for free. Here is the
Kindle version, and here is an
audio version. Also, the
official ESV smartphone app is one of the best Bible apps out there.
- New International Version (NIV)
Arguably the most popular modern translation, the NIV is (slightly) less literal than the ESV, but it's somewhat easier to read. For many people, this is their Bible of choice. (If you seek a free Kindle Bible that has a similar feel to the NIV, check out the
New English Translation (NET).)
- New Living Translation (NLT)
The NLT aims for readability. While less literal than some of the other options listed here, it's still pretty literal.
The NAB (along with its Revised Edition) is to Catholics what the ESV is to protestants: a highly literal translation written in modern English. Although the Catholic Church does not have one "official" Bible, the NAB is the closest thing in the English-speaking world.
Similar to the NLT, the GNB aims for readability. It's a popular choice among Catholics.
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