{"id":4598,"date":"2008-11-17T00:20:45","date_gmt":"2008-11-17T00:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2008\/11\/translations-which-one-is-best.html"},"modified":"2008-11-17T00:20:45","modified_gmt":"2008-11-17T00:20:45","slug":"translations-which-one-is-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2008\/11\/translations-which-one-is-best.html","title":{"rendered":"Translations: Which one is best?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I got a request from an e-mailer to blog on translations. This is the first one of such posts.<\/span><\/p>\n

There
\nare a number of good translations available, and there are advocates
\nfor each one, and they use a variety of reasons for why they are
\nadvocates for one over another. I think there is a quick and generally
\nuseful question to ask, and the answer to that question can determine
\nwhich translation to use. But before that, a good book, like Gordon Fee, Mark Strauss is a great investment: How to Choose A Translation for All Its Worth<\/a>\"\"
\n<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The question is this: “What is my purpose in reading the Bible?”<\/p>\n


\n<\/span>If
\nI want to do careful study of the Bible in English, even down to the
\npoint of diagramming sentences, then specific translations will be
\nbetter; if I want to choose a Bible that will be good for reading the
\nBible in large chunks, then I would choose another; if I want a Bible
\nthat is good for public reading, then yet another. So, the question
\n“What is my purpose?” is very important and can usually settle the
\nquestion.<\/p>\n

So, let me answer this question with translations that are best for specific questions.<\/p>\n

1. If you want to study the Bible technically, you want a more literal translation<\/p>\n

KJV, ASV (1901), NASB, RSV and NRSV.<\/p>\n

2. If you want to read the Bible in larger chunks, and so want a readable, smooth translation:<\/p>\n

NIV and TNIV, Living Bible, New Living Translation<\/p>\n

3. If you want a Bible that is really good for public reading:<\/p>\n

KJV, NRSV, NIV and TNIV, NLT; in England many use the NEB<\/p>\n

4. If you want a Bible that is sensitive to gender inclusivity:<\/p>\n

NRSV, TNIV<\/p>\n

Now, you may ask this question of me: “Which do you prefer?” The answer is the same, “It depends on my purpose.”<\/p>\n

Having
\nsaid that, for eleven years I have carried the NRSV to class (along
\nwith the JPS Tanakh, which has Hebrew and the JPS English translation).  The last three years I chose to carry the TNIV, the Today’s NIV
\ntranslation. Why? Because I support the attempt to make the Bible
\nreadable for as many as possible and no more offensive than it needs to
\nbe. I think the notes on the Christ vs. Messiah and the “adoption to
\nsonship” issue are overcooked notes, but I still think this is the best
\nand most readable translation we have today for a classroom setting.
\nAnd I really like the new TNIV Thinline Bible: Burgandy\/Pecan European Leather (Today’s New International Version)<\/a>\"\"
\n<\/em><\/strong>, with two-color (maroon and
\nbrown) leather is a handsome thing to carry. (Now, if all publishers would just
\njettison the idea that the words of Jesus need to be in red.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I got a request from an e-mailer to blog on translations. This is the first one of such posts. There are a number of good translations available, and there are advocates for each one, and they use a variety of reasons for why they are advocates for one over another. 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