Which Bible Translation Should You Use?
Why so many?
Every few years it seems another Bible translation comes out, or an old one is revised. We now have so many to choose from it is hard to know what to do. Which one is best? Which one should you use?
The following discusses the various types of translation, reading level, and will briefly consider a few of the most popular versions.
Translation types
Translating from one language to another is not as simple as it might seem. You cannot just get out a dictionary and substitute one word for another in the language you are translating. There are differences in grammar, syntax, idioms, and word order, among other things. Do you try to stay as close as possible to word for word, or emphasize the thought meaning of the original? Is it intended for study, or reading, or both? Do you want a translation by committee or an individual? All of these are valid approaches, and each has its advantages and disadvantages.
The most literal or the closest to a word for word translation is known as formal equivalence. The KJV, NASB, and ESV, for example, fall into this category.
Functional equivalence tries to convey the thought and ideas of the original writing. At the far end of this spectrum are the outright paraphrases which are much more idiomatic and use everyday language. An early example of this is the Living Bible published in the 1970’s. A more recent example is The Message.
Some translators attempt to strike a balance between these two methods. This is sometimes called dynamic equivalence. The NIV and NAB are examples of this method.
The following chart is a relative representation of translations on a scale of translation methodology.
Literal Paraphrase
NASB KJV NAB GW GNT
AMP NKJV NJB NCV/ICB CEV
ESV HCSB NIV NLT LIVING
RSV NRSV TNIV NIrV MSG
Reading level
Word for word Thought for thought
Reading level
Various translations are written at different reading levels. The literal translations are typically at a higher grade level and the paraphrases at the lower grade levels. This chart gives you some approximations.
Reading grade level
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Reading grade level
KJV NASB ESV NIV NLT GW NCV
RSV NRSV HCSB MSG
NKJV NIrV
CEB
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Reading grade level
KJV NASB ESV NIV NLT GW NCV
RSV NRSV HCSB MSG
NKJV NIrV
CEB
Reading grade level
KJV NASB ESV NIV NLT GW NCV
RSV NRSV HCSB MSG
NKJV NIrV
CEB
Reading grade level
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
KJV NASB ESV NIV NLT GW NCV
RSV NRSV HCSB MSG
NKJV NIrV
CEB
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
KJV NASB ESV NIV NLT GW NCV
RSV NRSV HCSB MSG
NKJV NIrV
CEB
If English is not your primary language consider these;
(CEV) Contemporary English Version
(ERV) Everyday Reading Bible
(GNT) Good News Translation
(NIrV)New International Readers Version
Which is best?
All of the translations mentioned herein are done by competent people trying to accurately convey God’s words to us. They have different translation philosophies and even different doctrinal views, but none can be considered “bad” or inaccurate within their methodology. The version you prefer depends on your purpose, reading level, and personal preference as to style.
For serious study it is recommend you stay with a more literal translation. A good choice is the NASB because it is available with Strong’s word references, which can be helpful for some in their personal studies. For reading, the functional or dynamic equivalents are easier reading. If your English is not too good, use one of the easier translations mentioned above.
The real answer, and strongly recommended, is to use more than one translation. Most Bible questions in regard to language and meaning can be resolved by reading the relevant passages in several translations. A parallel Bible in KJV, NASB, NIV, and NLT will give you a good variety of methodology and style. Other combinations can do the same thing, but try to get versions from several different points of view.
Conclusion
Which translation should you use? All of them.
Common abbreviations for Bible versions. Dates are the copyright, revision, or publication dates.
KJ21 21st Century King James Version 1994
AMP Amplified Bible 1965, 1987
ASV American Standard Version 1881
AV Authorized Version aka KJV 1611, 1613, 1629, 1638, 1762, 1769
BBE Bible in Basic English 1949, 1964
CEB Common English Bible 2011
CEV Contemporary English Version 1995
DBY Literal translation by Nelson Darby 1890
DRB Douay OT Rheims NT 1609/1582 Catholic
EMTV English Majority Text Version 2003
ESV English Standard Version 2007
GNB Good News Bible/Todays English Version 1992
GNT Good News Translation aka GNB 1976
GW God’s Word 1995
HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible 2003
ISV International Standard Version 2011
JB Jerusalem Bible 1966 Catholic
JPS Jewish Publication Society Bible (OT) 1995
KJ2000 KJ for 21st Century 1994
KJV King James Version aka AV 1769
LB The Living Bible 1971
LITV Literal Translation of the Bible aka KJII 1976, 2000
MKJV Modern King James Version 1998
MSG Message 1993, 2002
Mur James Murdock NT 1851
NAB New American Bible for Catholics 1970 Catholic
NAS77 New American Standard Bible 1997
NAS95 New American Standard Bible 1995 1995
NASB New American Standard Bible aka NASV 1995
NCV New Century Version/The Everyday Bible 1988, 2005
NEB New English Bible 1972
NET New English Translation 1999
NIrV New International readers Version 1998
NIV New International Version 1984, 2011
NJB New Jerusalem Bible 1985 Catholic
NKJV New King James Version 1982
NLT New Living Translation 1996, 2004
NRSV New Revised Standard Version 1989
Phi The New Testament in Modern English 1960 (Phillips)
REB Revised English Bible 1989
RSV Revised Standard Version 1971
RV Revised Version 1885
RWB Revised Webster’s Bible 1995
TMB Third Millennium Bible 2008
TNIV Today’s New International Version 2005
WB Webster’s Bible 1833
WEB World English Bible 1998
WNT Weymouth New Testament 1903
WYC Wycliffe NT 1382
YLT Young’s Literal Translation 1898
Many of these versions can be found on BibleGateway.com and in e-Sword. E-Sword is a free Bible study program with many older dictionaries, commentaries, and translations. Other aids are included or available for free. Some later translations and reference works you will have to pay to download.
AMP The Amplified Bible.
Based on the ASV with added English words to convey the full meaning of the original. The added words are indicated by brackets or parentheses. By Dr Frances Siewert complete bible first published in 1965. Occasionally useful, but the same effect can be achieved by comparing multiple translations. This is easy to do with today’s computer bible study programs that didn’t exist then.
AV Authorized Version, commonly called the KJV King James Version.
The standard English bible for millions of people over several hundred years. It has a style and elegance unmatched by other translations, but it does contain some errors and the language can be hard to understand. Largely based on an earlier translation by Tyndale, it was first published in 1611 and revised five times, the last in 1769. Many public domain commentaries and bible study aids are based on this translation including Strong’s Concordance. Not recommended as a primary bible unless you are willing to put up with the language difficulties, but good to use in comparisons.
NIV New International Version.
First conceived in 1965 with the full Bible published in 1978, revised in 1983 and 2011. A very popular translation especially among evangelicals it spawned the gender neutral TNIV and simplified NiRV. This translation lies at the midpoint on the functional – dynamic equivalence scale.
NASB New American Standard Bible.
A revision of the 1901 American Standard Version first published in 1971, modified in 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977 then updated in 1995. These two versions are known as NASB77 and NASB95. Probably the most literal 20th century translation, this is a good study Bible and standard for scriptural comparisons.
ESV English Standard Version.
Another update of the RSV, which like the NASB, was an update of the ASV. The RSV was considered to have a more liberal theology and was originally published in 1952 and revised in 1977. The ESV addressed these objections and was published in 2001 with a minor revision in 2007. A fairly literal translation popular with mainline denominations.
NLT New Living Translation.
The Living Bible, a paraphrase of the ASV by Kenneth N. Taylor, was published in 1971 and proved to be very popular. The NLT began as a revision of the LB but evolved into a new, full translation. First published in 1996, with a second edition in 2004 and revised in 2007. This translation leans toward the dynamic equivalence method and has become very popular, displacing the NIV as best selling translation in 2008.
MSG The Message.
A highly idiomatic translation by Eugene H. Peterson published as a complete Bible in 2002. Even more idiomatic than the LB the message has been called an intelligent paraphrase. Technically, a paraphrase is within the same language whereas this was done from the original languages. It is a good comparative version representing the extreme of the dynamic equivalence view. Not to be used for serious study.
The best selling Versions for the past several years have been the NIV, NKJV, KJV, NLT, and ESV.