WHICH BIBLE TRANSLATION SHOULD I READ? | BIBLE TRANSLATION REVIEW

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WHICH BIBLE TRANSLATION SHOULD I READ?
Which Bible version is best for me?

You got KJV, NASB and now the Message. And so today I want to talk about the three different types of Bible translations and the pros and cons of each.

No Bible Translation is Perfect
• The original Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek [which is why most theological schools teach Greek and Hebrew] meaning men had to interpret what they believed the text was saying.
• The problem is that there are close to 5 million words in the Biblical Greek language and only 1 million English words making it very difficult to always find an exact English word or phrase that reflects the true meaning of the biblical text.

1. “Word for Word” Translations – These versions are normally written at a 11-12th grade reading level.
a. This is where the translators attempted to take each word from the Greek/Hebrew (Aramaic) and translate it to English preserving the exact word order
b. One example of this type would be the King James Bible
i. Pros – The translators prided themselves on translated the Greek/Hebrew manuscripts word for word preserving the authenticity of the original manuscripts.
ii. Cons – The problem is that it was translated in 1611 in Old English words that are over 400 years old.
iii. So, not only are there words like thee, thou, whither and comest, restoreth that we no longer use but there are other words that mean something totally different today than they meant in 1611.
c. Amplified – Another one in this category is the AMP Bible which is one of my absolute favorites.
i. Pros – It adds key words and phrases in brackets to help you better understand what you are reading.
ii. Cons – The words they add are left up to the interpreter who added them.

2. “Thought for Thought” – NIV, NLT
a. This is where the translators took whole phrases and tried to capture the general idea of what the phrase was saying and then disregarding the original word order and then translated it into English.
b. Examples of these would be the New International Version and the New Living Translation
c. Pros – They are written at a 7-8th grade reading level making it very easy to understand which is great because the Bible is already hard to understand.
d. Cons – Some of the original meaning can be watered down in an attempt to make it more readable.

3. Paraphrase – The editors took whole chunks of the Bible and did not even try to attempt to translate it literally but rather they put it in very modern words that people can understand.
a. The most popular paraphrase today is the Message Bible.
b. Pros – it is the easiest Bible to read aimed to be read at a 4-5th grade reading level.
c. The obvious con here is that a paraphrase disregards the meaning of individual biblical words and they take liberties in adding more words in an attempt to make it more readable which then makes it subject to the interpretation of the translators.

So, what’s the best one to use? The one that you enjoy reading the most and the one you feel that God speaks clearest to you. I personally subscribe to the NLT because I’ve found it to be the best combination of accuracy and clarity and when I read it I actually understand what the Bible is saying. I would only use a paraphrase, such as the Message Bible, as a secondary resource only after I’ve read and studied from an actual bible translation.

[healthykrissy]

I’d like to share a revelation the Holy Spirit gave me on this topic. I own a NJKV bible and barely read it. I find myself going back to the Bible app on my phone and reading the AMP version. This is easier for me to understand and helps me enjoy reading the Bible even more. I was praying because I was conflicted with many people saying KJV is the only way to read the Bible. During my devotional time the Holy Spirit told me that when you are born and you begin to learn how to talk do you come out of the womb speaking like someone with a PhD? No of course not! So why is it as a babe or new believer in Christ how would you be able to understand the KJV translation? As you mature and grow deeper and closer to God your language will change you will eventually mature and require greater context and understand of scriptures. Enjoy the level your are at now and look forward to progress in the future. You cannot conquer level 1 by skipping to level 15. Grasp the word of God at your current level. Essentially read the Bible translation you know you will understand, comprehend and enjoy until you outgrow it and then upgrade to a different translation. There is no one size fits all when it comes to this topic. I pray this blesses someone and gives clarity on this matter ❤️.

[pjmilla]

This is my 5th video Ive watched on this channel and i understand more in the last 30 minutes than i have for most of my life...incredible insight on hard to answer questions. Very biblical, straightforward and unbiased. I Love it

[MrThelittleguy]

You know, it's easy to criticize.  I'm just glad that people are reading God's word.  That should be encouraged.

[DrEduardoAdnet]

I am from Brazil, my native language is Portuguese and English is my second language. I love The New Living Translation, it is very easy to read. I read four different Bible translations in Portuguese. And two Bible translations in English, the NIV and the NLT. This makes me understand the Bible language better, but the true comprehension of the meaning of the Word of God can only be given by the Holy Spirit.

[scottplaysk]

I love positivity and how you don’t talk down on any bible translations that you don’t use more people need to discuss this topic like this

[candyclews]

Reading Psalm 23 in the KJV is so beautiful and poetic. Can't imagine loving it in any other translation.

[evongreiff]

I can’t speak for other translations but when I decided to abandon my passion of theoretical physics and finally dig into the scriptures, I did so by purchasing the King James Bible on cd. Travel time to work was an hour, an hour lunch which I spent in my car eating lunch from a small cooler, and the hour drive home; that was 3 hours of word a day and 15 hours a word a week. That’s a lot of Word! This routine went on for close to 3 years. I could tell you what’s in the Bible and what’s not. In fact, not only did I have scores and scores of scriptures memorized, but also entire chapters memorized verbatim word for word. Even then I had a lot of word in my head, not in my heart. On March 25, 1995 while alone on the beach worshiping God with all my mind, heart, soul, and strength I received the mind blowing powerful baptism of the Holy Spirit which unlocked the Truth of the Scriptures turning those words into a 3-dimensional hologram and those words were suddenly alive jumping out of the pages and speaking directly to ME! I had always listened to and read the scriptures as a third person, in other words, this apostle is writing to this other apostle, this scripture doesn’t apply to me; for the 1st time in my 3 years of getting into the word did I realize there was no 3rd person, it’s just my mind staring at its own reflection!!! The perfection of the word was staggering indeed! No wonder the heathen claim it to be filled with contradictions, that’s like trying to watch a 3d movie without your glasses, all you’ll see is a series of double images that make no sense, but put on the glasses and watch that image come alive and jump out at you. I liken the mind to a computer and the word as the software program. The software is only as good as the one who designed it. You wouldn’t upgrade your computer with some counterfeit underground operating software no one has ever heard about right? You’d go with the latest Microsoft version of Windows. Well that applies in the same way to which version of the Bible you choose to read. Not all translations are equal, and some are downright heretical and misleading. Like I said in the beginning, I cannot testify that I would have had the same powerful encounter with God if I had used any other translation, but I can certainly testify to the authenticity and perfection of the King James version. I can truly say it is God in written form.

[denismwiti]

I am ready to learn Hebrew and then Greek!

[twiceborn_by_grace]

I’ve heard people say that their favorite cup of coffee is the one that actually still has coffee in it. This goes for bible translations too. The best one is the one you will pick up and enjoy reading. (Like you said)

[BillWalkerWarren]

My daily reader is the NASB it’s my favorite. Still it’s followed closely by ( in no particular order) the ESV, NKJV, KJV, and the AMPLIFIED Bible.
They all read great ! Good video brother.
Blessings

[loupapier]

I just finished the KJV which took about 8 months to read and am now reading the NLT which I’m flying through, but I feel the KJV is way more biblical. Next one will be ESV!

[josephiousbrosif]

I'm ESV all day. It has the same beautiful cadence and structure as the KJV, as well as the same word-for-word translation philosophy, while using modern English. God speaks clearest to me through the ESV.

[cherishschocolatecrackers]

So I've been following an online bible study. I use the NKJV and they use NIV, i personally prefer the NKJV but i could still keep up as we read. I noticed something in Matthew 5:22. In NJKV it says "But I say to you, who ever is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger or judgement"... in NIV it says "But anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement"... These 2 version have 2 completely different meanings. One implies it's ok to get angry, especially when there is cause and another implies you can never be angry. I just wanted to warn ppl about some versions because, it can be terribly misinterpreted and could even result in completely different ways of living, especially as a Christian.

[romanspodcast]

Thank you Allen for this video. I was raised KJV only and when I became born again September 21, 2017 I begin to use the Bible app to compare versions and soon found out the meaning doesn’t change at all and as I begin to pray about a bible I found myself reading NLT more and today I purchased my own NLT personalized for me thank you Allen for all you do and may God continue to bless this ministry

[timgreen]

thank you for this video. I personally read KJV, NKJV, OR NASB. and thank you for breaking it down into the three kinds of translations that really helps me to understand what each one was trying to do

[piarossi]

VERY interesting. I recently bought a New Century Version bible, and love it. I am actually beginning to understand the bible, and it is so exciting! I read a chapter every day and I am getting confident about sharing my faith.

[teresasanchez]

Sorry I don't mean to sound a distress one. I just don't know where to start. Again I ask for the Lord to help with understanding, wisdom, motivation

[Timothy]

Please tell me you're related to Denzel Washington lol

[BeverlyMaloy]

Thanks for clarifying this! I like New King James & NLT. Love your videos, you and Dr. Stanley make learning about the bible so easy to understand. God Bless you and your family :-)

[wilsonjjb]

I'm with you brother Par, my favorite version is NLT also I love listening to your ministry!!