People often wonder which Bible Translation is best.
As I indicated yesterday, it all depends on what you want to accomplish. The NAS, NET, or NKJ might be best if you want to study the Bible, but I think most people, when they ask the question about which translation is best, simply want to read and understand the Bible.
For me, the best Bible translation is the one you enjoy reading. The one that, when you are reading it, you forget you are reading “the Bible.” The one that, when you are reading it, you don’t have an urge to pull out a Bible Dictionary, or put together an outline for your next sermon. The one that, when you are reading it, you forget to “look for the main point” and just enjoy the story, the poetry, or the letter which is being read.
A young girl once wrote a letter to C. S. Lewis complaining about “silly adventure stories without any point.” He wrote back (as he did with all the letters he received from children), saying this:
I’m not quite sure what you meant about “silly adventure stories without any point.” If they are silly, then having a point won’t save them. But if they are good in themselves, and if by a “point” you mean some truth about the real world which one can take out of the story, I’m not sure that I agree.
At least, I think that looking for a “point” in that sense may prevent one sometimes from getting the real effect of the story in itself — like listening too hard for the words in singing which isn’t meant to be listened to that way (like an anthem in a chorus). –From Letters to Children, p. 35.
So which Bible translation is best? The one you can read without “looking for the point.” I think that in some sense, Bible study methods and Hermeneutics have ruined the Bible. It would be far better if most of us just read the Bible to get the “real effect of the story in itself.” I encourage picking a Bible translation which will help do that for you. For this, I usually recommend the NLT, or The Message.
For those of you who want a more detailed explanation of the various Bible translations, and the strengths and weaknesses of each, here are some charts and graphs.
Bible Translation Charts and Graphs
This first chart is for “literal” translations. Those near the top try to translate each Greek and Hebrew word literally, and as close as possible to the original word order. Of course, that makes them somewhat difficult to read and understand. Those at the bottom are considered “paraphrases.” They take the idea of a sentence or paragraph, and then try to express that idea in modern language.
The following chart is similar to the one above, but shows it a little differently.
The following chart shows where our translations came from, and how the translations relate to one another. You see that although many translations try to be straight from the Greek or Hebrew, they also build on previous translations, so that if a particular translation has a long tradition, the tradition might get carried forward, even if that way of translating the word or idea is not the best.
I included the following chart because I thought it was funny. It is not helpful for me at all. It is no wonder that people are confused about Bible translations when they see something like this. Of course, the rest of the charts may not be that helpful either….
Finally, here is a chart which briefly describes the style and features of various translations, and then gives a sample verse for comparison.
So which Bible translation do you use, and why do you use it?
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