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 Ben44 |
Best General Purpose Bible? |
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Posts: 25 (09/07/2009 17:43:25) |
What do you think is the best general purpose Bible? Which version would 'fit' your average reader, and be comprehensible to most people as well as being accurate and reliable? To be more specific, which Bible would you recommend to your teenage son or daughter, your co-worker, your neighbor? Ben |
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77 |
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Posts: 856 (09/07/2009 18:05:42) |
The Revised Standard Version, second edition, of course...
"Truly, good Christian reader, we never thought from the beginning, that we should need to make a new Translation, nor yet to make of a bad one of a good
one ... but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, one principle good one, not justly to be expected against; that hath been our endeavor, that
our mark."
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ScottW |
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Posts: 1 (09/07/2009 18:13:41) |
Greetings. I'm new here . Ben, in my opinion, the NIV would be a good choice. It's what my wife, my daughter, and I read at my house.
Last Edited By: ScottW
09/07/2009 18:18:26.
Edited 1 times.
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 mko |
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Posts: 656 (09/07/2009 18:29:30) |
I tend to prefer the REB to the NIV, though they are quite similar.
"Things don't happen together by coincidence, without the hand of God guiding them. Like, say, your ex-girlfriend hunting you down for a date the
minute you give up on love, with an eye on the altar."
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kiwiray |
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Posts: 98 (09/07/2009 23:52:21) |
NEB; RSV ; NASB; in that order, I think.
"And, behold, I tell you these things that you may learn wisdom; that you may learn that when you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only
in the service of your God". (Mosiah ch1.49 - RLDS version)
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Tatermonkey |
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Posts: 274 (09/08/2009 01:02:00) |
Or the NET Bible. If anywhere can keep the Readers Edition in stock I am gonna get one for my stepson.
Matthew 6:34
"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. |
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mko |
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Posts: 657 (09/08/2009 03:13:51) |
REB's a revision of the NEB that makes it more conservative.
My only irk about it is that there's a couple weirdly translated verses (e.g., John 1.1).
"Things don't happen together by coincidence, without the hand of God guiding them. Like, say, your ex-girlfriend hunting you down for a date the
minute you give up on love, with an eye on the altar."
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Exodus Six Verse Three |
Re: Best General Purpose Bible? | ||
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Posts: 235 (09/08/2009 04:48:58) |
I continue to use the King James Bible,
in spite of the fact that I believe it has errors here and there. Exodus |
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SAWBONES |
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Posts: 300 (09/08/2009 06:22:42) |
No single "best general purpose Bible" for everyone IMO.
I use NASB, ESV, KJV daily and sometimes NKJV, with rare reference to NIV, NLT, NRSV, NEB, TEV, etc. |
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mko |
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Posts: 660 (09/08/2009 07:21:55) |
A shame really. I wish there WERE a single translation I could recommend anyone.
"Things don't happen together by coincidence, without the hand of God guiding them. Like, say, your ex-girlfriend hunting you down for a date the
minute you give up on love, with an eye on the altar."
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Gary O 1 |
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Posts: 20 (09/08/2009 09:57:42) |
NASB would be my top recommendation in a heartbeat. Then probably the ESV. Overall I encourage people to use a variety of versions, as long as they are
legitimate attempts at translation and aren't straight paraphrases ("Living Bible" or "The Message", for example).
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"Do not challenge supernatural unless armed with sword of truth" - Charlie Chan at Treasure Island |
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amarillo |
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Posts: 3396 (09/08/2009 11:08:13) Administrator |
Ben44 wrote: glad u refined the question! general purpose for what--for my teenager/co-worker/neighbour--that wld be the Contemporary English Version, hands down. it's written in simple but not condescending English, suitable for family reading, n has an ear for the ESL reader.
Joseph Ng
"For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." Ps 119:89 KJB |
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mko |
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Posts: 661 (09/08/2009 11:32:29) |
Hm. I have a CEV. It's ironically more accurate in places than the NIV. I don't think I would actually use it though.
And I think I've hit the endpoint of the KJVO. On the last page I said, "I wish there WERE a single translation I could recommend anyone." - This is the whole point of the KJVO: There has to be one, so they pull one out of their wishful thinking, which is the one that is most familiar to THEM, i.e., the KJV, the one they grew up with. I desperately need to learn the Biblical languages... with my limited facility I'm getting nowhere fast. :/
"Things don't happen together by coincidence, without the hand of God guiding them. Like, say, your ex-girlfriend hunting you down for a date the
minute you give up on love, with an eye on the altar."
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Ben44 |
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Posts: 26 (09/08/2009 16:48:25) |
Thanks folks.
The reason I focus on one Bible version is because not everyone is willing to buy two or thee Bible versions, if you can get them to read one Bible you are doing good in many cases. So if you are asked: what single Bible do you recommend? I have a real struggle because there are strengths and weaknesses in most versions. I lean toward the idea that if they are somewhat familiar with the Bible, have read and heard preaching from the KJV, I might recommend the ESV as it is slightly easier to read than one of my favorites, the NASB. If on the other hand they are completely ignorant of the Bible, and need to be 'spoon fed' the milk of the word, I might recommend the NLT 2nd edition. Ben |
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Ben44 |
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Posts: 27 (09/12/2009 08:05:36) |
Scottw said:
Greetings. I'm new here . Ben, in my opinion, the NIV would be a good choice. It's what my wife, my daughter, and I read at my house. Scott your view is a prevailing one if Bible sales mean anything. The NIV is the bestselling Bible. I have used it much over the years and agree it is a good general purpose Bible. Ben |
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ScottW |
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Posts: 2 (09/12/2009 09:32:02) |
Ben, I repented and turned to Christ five years ago. I began w/ the NLT and really grew alot. Over the past couple
of years, I used the majority of the mainstream word for word translations (ESV, NASB, NKJV). I began feeling the need to settle once and for all on a primary
translation (the "hopping" around began confusing me on my memory verses). One day I dusted off an NIV study bible my parents gave me in 88, and
aftter beginning reading it, I became convinced that would be my primary version. I recently got a Thompson Chain NIV for my birthday and I am loving it. I
realize many prefer "closer" translations but I know I am growing in Christ in the NIV and it is the best fit for me.
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Scott McClare |
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Posts: 3231 (09/12/2009 11:23:05) |
In all fairness to the NIV, while I personally would rather use a more literal translation like the NASB and there are legitimate disagreements about the
translation style, it is still a reliable and trustworthy translation and reading it won't steer you wrong.
Plus, as you point out, it's everywhere. There's a benefit to a good literal translation for close study, but there's also a benefit to sharing the same Bible translation as your church and circle of Christian friends. I'd have no hesitation in recommending the NIV to any Christian trying to choose his first Bible. |
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normp |
Due to the symbolism of numbers and multiple layers of meaning pick a version close to the original language | ||
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Posts: 3 (09/12/2009 13:56:04) |
I almost always use the NASB but this comment has even me wondering why I use it as my preferred Bible. The biggest reason I believe version selection being
important is the translation of numbers in the text for things such as measurements. Even though it may help us to know how big something is or how much it
weighs, the symbolism associated with original numbers is more important to the text. For example, see this verse in the NASB vs KJV. From John 6:19:
NASB -- Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. KJV - So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. This is a bit more complicated example because the three numbers in the verse text suggest there can be multiple numbers associated with the text. It's difficult to explain this but numbers in this text could suggest symbolism for one or more of (23, 25, and 35). This is not simply playing with numbers until they mean something, but knowledge of this is a result of examining thousands of the Bible's numbers in text. I'm using 23 in this example but we could also explain 25 whose symbolism is the physical presence of Jesus around us, or 35 which relates to the Glory of the Lord (IE Pillar of Cloud/Fire). Even if you don't agree with my symbolism, the concept still remains--the original numbers in the text have meaning important to the text. When you see numbers like this in scripture they can often be combined to make a meaningful number whose symbolism can be an aid to a more sure understanding the text. The symbolism for number 23 (from "20 or 30" in text) is that of those close to us or with us and very often about God being with us. We see it in many places in the Bible such as text saying " -- Matt 18:20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." or 2Cor 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES. Back to John 6:19 -- the text in the KJV says twoenty or thirty furlongs--if we know about number symbolism and observe numbers in the text, we find they strongly support the text and give us a bit more information for understanding the context of the verse. The text in John 6:19 is also about Jesus being with the disciples during the storm. Incredibly, number symbolism also applies to chapter and verse numbers which are also inspired... (I know-impossible but there's mountains of evidence for this claim). Consider these examples: *** The 23rd Psalm...Psa 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. *** The 23,000th verse of the Bible that is also verse 23 --Zech 8:23 "...'...men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"" *** The 2323rd verse of Psalms is Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; *** The 23923rd bible verse is Matt 23:4 "They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with {so much as} a finger. As far as what Bible version to use, the closer we can come to the original language the better. There's many layers of meaning in the text of scripture and those that attempt to translate the text to make it clearer for us are unintentionally disguising the text and making one level of meaning clearer while further hiding other layers of meanings. I recommend staying with as literal a translation as you feel comfortable with. Norm Patriquin http://www.amazingword.com |
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Scott McClare |
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Posts: 3233 (09/12/2009 14:01:36) |
What the text actually says just isn't enough for some people, I guess.
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mko |
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Posts: 670 (09/12/2009 14:06:31) |
I have in my drafts, "So having rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat; and they were
afraid."
"Things don't happen together by coincidence, without the hand of God guiding them. Like, say, your ex-girlfriend hunting you down for a date the
minute you give up on love, with an eye on the altar."
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Scott McClare |
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Posts: 3234 (09/12/2009 14:16:12) |
I assume that the measurement in stadia is the literal translation? One stadion is about 600 feet, and one furlong is 660 feet (1/8 mile).
So the conversions in the KJV and NASB are basically accurate, but of course the KJV being both a translation and a paraphrase at this point, means that the numbers 20-30 or 23 are essentially meaningless except as a literal figure of distance. 
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