NIV? KJV? NLT? RSVP? ASAP?

One of the questions that I hear from time to time has to do with versions of the Bible. And it makes sense because a quick glance at the christianbook.com website lists at least 43 translations of the Bible...and I'm not including anything listed under the title "other." So why are there so many? Which one do you go with? Is one better than another? If you're joining with me and reading through the Bible (beginning May 24, 2010, reading guide available here), this may be a question you're asking...so I wanted to talk about it just a bit.

So you know, I don't have any endorsement deal on a particular version of the Bible...yet (are you listening Zondervan? Thomas Nelson? Holman? yeah...didn't think so). But I do have some standard recommendations. If you're just interested in those, skip to the end.

Why are there so many translations?

Mainly for the same reason that there are so many different pizza places, shoe companies and paint colors...everyone likes something just a little bit different. And each translation has its own specific purpose and approach.

Some translations try to be more literal to the text (i.e. word for word)...while not concerning themselves as much with readability. Others focus primarily on readability (i.e. thought for thought) while not being quite as particular about getting a word-for-word translation. Here is an excellent visual representation produced by Zondervan of how most of the major translations align themselves between these two choices.

Neither approach is "wrong", they're just different and are best suited for different purposes. A translation that's more "word for word" (e.g. ESV, NASB, NKJV) is great for study purposes. While a version more "thought for thought" (e.g. NLT, CEV) can be better suited for devotional purposes. At CCJ we use the NIV which has tried to pit itself in the middle, and (in my opinion) does a fair job of it.

One more comment about translations before I move on. You may also run into something called a "paraphrase", the most popular being The Message. The difference between a paraphrase and a translation is that translations/versions are translated from the original texts (Greek/Hebrew). A paraphrase is looking at an English translation, and trying to put it into common language. Again, not wrong...just a different approach...and one best suited for devotional rather than study-oriented purposes.

Which Bible should I go with?

The simple answer is...the one that you will actually read. If you understand 17th century English and love reading the King James Version -- more power to you! But that's not for me. So find one that's easy for you to read and understand.

So here are my recommendations of ones that I (or others) use:

ESV - Daniel, our worship minister, absolutely loves this translation, and I'm warming up to it. It's good for study purposes.

NASB - A favorite of mine for study purposes.

NIV - My everyday Bible. Used for study, devotion, preaching, etc. If you're around CCJ this is very familiar to you.

NLT - One that I've used for devotional purposes. I picked one up in college and found that using this as opposed to my other Bible helped me to not see the Bible just as a text book.

With that I think I've reached my limit on acronyms for the day. But before I go let me ask, what's your favorite and why?