My favorite Bibles

[baptistcross]

Boy, I can talk on these boards all day and night. You know what? One of my favorite translations is the REB. It's such a great read. I love the NET Bible. That has great notes. Oh, you got to love the NRSV. That is great. My ultimate favorite is the NLT. I love that translation. Literal bibles are O.K. too. I never felt they conveyed the overall meaning very well though. Yeah, I like me gender neural Bibles. Never cared for the fundamentalist thinking. Well, anybody got any favorites and why?

 

[StefanM]

Just as a friendly warning, you're probably going to take some heat.

Personally, I prefer the more literal translations, partially due to my study of the original languages.

 

[DesiderioDomini]

I have found that most here either find the KJV their favorite or the NASB.

I persoanlly prefer the NASB.

 

[PamelaK]

I prefer the KJV. A favorite edition is The Evidence Bible, KJV

 

[webdog]

I think BC's comments were 'tongue in cheek' and stated to cause discord.

 

[bapmom]

Pam, whats the Evidence Bible?

Ive got a Notetakers Bible, KJV.. its got a blank page between each page of Bible. GREAT for taking notes anytime and anywhere...but it doesn't have even a concordance in the back, and I have missed that aspect of it.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Baptist Cross, you need to remember that literal (formal equivalence) translations like the NASB or NKJV will be far more accurate/exact than any of the more dynamic, reader-friendly translations.

I noticed your church has a Lutheran Catechism and found that truly odd. I used to be CBA, too, but of course left when the group went totally neo.

But much of what your church believes, teaches is parallel to my Reformed Baptist church.

 

[Keith M]

Originally posted by Baptist Cross:
Boy, I can talk on these boards all day and night. You know what? One of my favorite translations is the REB. It's such a great read. I love the NET Bible. That has great notes. Oh, you got to love the NRSV. That is great. My ultimate favorite is the NLT. I love that translation. Literal bibles are O.K. too. I never felt they conveyed the overall meaning very well though. Yeah, I like me gender neural Bibles. Never cared for the fundamentalist thinking. Well, anybody got any favorites and why?

Paraphrases like the NLT are not true to the oiginal texts, and gender neutral Bibles do not reflect what the writers originally penned. You would do well to stick with literal Bibles because they do convey the original meanings much better than any paraphrase ever will. I never, never, never consult what the NLT says on any passage, because the NLT and The Message are only paraphrases and they cannot be trusted on any doctrinal matters.

 

[kiwimac]

The NASB is good but then so are the RSV, NRSV, NEB, Good News, TLB, etc.

The best Bible, of course, is the one you use.

 

[baptistcross]

No, I'm serious. I like the translations I mentioned. I make no apologies. My church does use a literal translation, but I do what I like on my time. I enjoy them. I feel they give meaning to the text a literal translation cannot. There are cases in the Bible where it meant all peoples, just not man or men. This is what I like about a gender neutral Bible. But you know what, I just find them a joy to read and I don't give two cents for those hung up on the issue. You read what you like.

 

[Dr. Bob]

"You read what you like."

That is an eye-opening phrase, Cross.

Rather than an "absolute", "black-and-white", "this is what God said" translation, you read what you like.

I like versions that translate "anthropos" as MANKIND or HUMANITY rather than just "MEN". It is what the inspired Greek means for sure. But in many places the Greek says "males" or "females" and you can't just make it gender neutral. That leads to some horrendous conclusions.

BTW, I translate from the Greek, love the major modern versions (NKJV, NASB) and also enjoy reading many other translations. It gives a wealth of thought to the text. So God bless you in reading different versions.

Just remember, some have lots of MAN'S (or MANKIND'S) words added in, mixing with God's chosen, exact, special words. Examine each verse in each translation carefully so as not to come up with wrong meanings.

 

[nate]

I don't understand all the negative statements regarding the NLT! I have found it to be an accurate "loose" translation. I haven't found to many places where it leaves the text from the literal translations. That said I do prefer the more literal translations: NASB,ISV,NET,HCSB,NKJV are my favorites.

 

[Boanerges]

Originally posted by Dr. Bob:


Just remember, some have lots of MAN'S (or MANKIND'S) words added in, mixing with God's chosen, exact, special words. Examine each verse in each translation carefully so as not to come up with wrong meanings.

Sounds like you just described the Message perfectly.

 

[PamelaK]

Originally posted by bapmom:
Pam, whats the Evidence Bible?

Ive got a Notetakers Bible, KJV.. its got a blank page between each page of Bible. GREAT for taking notes anytime and anywhere...but it doesn't have even a concordance in the back, and I have missed that aspect of it.

bapmom,
That Notetakers Bible sounds great and exactly what I need! Here's the info on the Evidence Bible (better than I could explain it, with excerpts) I got my daughter one and used to read it but now she has it at college so I need to get my own!!

www.evidencebible.com
www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml -

 

[bapmom]

Thanks Pamela!

I don't know if you can get the Notetaker's online, but I might be able to get you contact info about it in PM, if you want.

 

[Ed Edwards]

Kiwimac: //The best Bible, of course, is the one you use.//

I was always told a Bible should be red (or what that 'read'?).
So I like my red Bibles.

I've been reading my Bible 56 years overall and 54-years
since I became a Christian. Here are some Bible that are my
favorites:

I like the KJV1769 Edition cause I memorized a lot of it.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels ... 1 Cor 13

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for ... Hebrews 11

I like the KJV1873 edition cause it was in my first four barrel canon
It is also in the four barrel canon that I have now!

I like the KJV1611 Edition cause it spelleth like I doth.
Also it has these neat translator notes in the Margin that show
the KJV was made from several differing manuscripts each of which
were Real Bibles.

I like the NIV (New International Version) cause it can be
understood by my friends in strange, exotic English speaking places like
Canda, Singapore, California, New Zeland, Australia, and Texas.
I mean, you know, everybody in the world ain't no local hick

But my latest favorite is the Christian Standard Bible (Holman, 2003)
AKA = also known as the HCSB. It speaks right in the same language
I use at work, in the market place, and on the internet.
Thou diggest whate I ame saying?

 

[BruceB]

I like the HCSB, NKJV, NLT, and NASB (pretty much in that order). I will go out on a limb and state that I do enjoy reading the NLT, but I am aware of its development as a paraphrase, so I do cross reference what I read in other versions. My brother-in-law is in the my men's group and he is very much impressed with the NIV, so I may just buy one and read it next year so I can get an idea of why he is so convinced it is the "best translation". "Best translations" are always the preference of the individual (as you will see here when people defend their personal favorites.) Bruce

 

[le bel]

KJV is what I have always used. I really like the Evidence Bible.

 

[robycop3]

Baptist Cross, I realize SOME transliteration and paraphrasing is necessary for a translation to make a "readable" English translation, but when a version gets away from the most-correct meanings of the old languages, it ceases being GOD'S word & becomes the translators' word. Like many others here, I use primarily the NASB, NKJV, & KJV because these versions are more literal than dynamically equivalent, and their translators tried to stay with the original meanings much as langiage differences allowed.

 

[cojosh]

I have a KJV - New Open Bible(study edition) that has been very helpful through the years.