Theology Thursday: Which Bible Translation Should I Read?

There are a lot, I mean A LOT of different Bible translations to choose from. Now I address why there are so many Bible translations in a previous article but I want to talk about which translation you should read. However, it can be overwhelming trying to determine what’s the best version to read. Should you read the ESV or the LOL Cat Bible? (I’m not even joking. It’s unfortunately real lol). The last thing a Christian wants is to read a version of the Bible that is inaccurate or intentionally heretical. The goal is to find a good and widely accepted translation, that is faithful to original Scripture, understandable, and enjoyable to read while cross referencing other translations on Scriptures you can’t understand.

1. Faithful to Scripture

As stated before, the Bible was originally written in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) and they are all translated into one single language. When Christians say that we believe that the Bible is inerrant, which means without error, we are referring to the manuscripts in the original languages. Since 99% of people can’t read the original languages, theologians and linguists have created translations to be as faithful to the original Scripture as possible for us.

Now some translations try to be as literal as possible to the original in terms of sentences and word structure whereas some translations focus more on readability (it’s no use to have a literal translation if you can’t read and understand it). However, there are some translations that are either unfaithful to Scripture, poorly translated, or paraphrased. 
An example of an unfaithful translation is the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (The Watchtower Bible). This is the Jehovah Witness Bible and the reason why it’s an unfaithful translation is because it changes the core beliefs of the Gospel and teaches polytheism. An example of a poorly translated Bible is the Passion Translation. The technique used to translate it is not recommended by scholars and it teaches confusing concepts about Christianity which is why it should be avoided. Not to mention that there was only one man, Brian Simmons, who has famously stated that he was given the directive to translate the Bible ‘from God’ through visions and dreams. The point is that you want to make sure that you avoid unfaithful translations that are known to twist the Bible to support heretical views and false religions.

Finally, paraphrase Bibles are great resources to have but they should be used as supplementary to other versions of the Bible that are more literal. Some examples are The Message Bible and God’s Word translation. Again, these are not inherently bad but instead of being primarily a translation(they tell you what the original language says), they act more like a close interpretation(they help tell you what the original language means). I would highly suggest treating paraphrases as faithful commentaries more than faithful translations of the Bible. Some people would say that the New Living Translation(NLT) is a ‘paraphrase’ but I have to disagree. I know of many faithful pastors who use the NLT and say that it is more of a mixture between formal equivalent (word for word) and functional/dynamic equivalent (thought for thought) translation than a paraphrase. Where things get a little bit confusing between the translation methods is that the NLT is an updated version of The Living Bible (TLB) which is a famous paraphrase version of the Bible. Nevertheless, in my honest opinion (and to my knowledge), even if you consider the NLT to still be a paraphrase, I would consider the NLT as a viable translation because its translation is quite similar to other Bible versions and is a widely accepted, well-vetted version of the Bible.
When in doubt, just ask your pastor and your leaders. In fact, this should be the FIRST person you ask before you go searching. Ask your pastor for a good list of translations that he uses or recommends. I’m not saying that he will be able to tell you the exact accuracy or variations of every version but, at the very least, he should be able to point you in the right direction in finding a faithful translation.

2. Read a translation you can understand

There’s no point in reading all the thee’s and thou’s in King James if you have absolutely no idea what it means in the Scripture. It’s important to be honest with yourself and consider your reading level and style. If you have a choice between ESV or NIV but you can understand NIV way better than you can comprehend ESV, then choose ESV. Just kidding! Choose the NIV obviously. You don’t get any special kudos for using a version that you can’t understand. As long as the Gospel message is the same and the translation is faithful to Scripture, that’s all that matters. 
For example, I have a scientific background and an analytical mind so I can read versions like NKJV, ESV, NASB, etc and follow along with little to no problems. I prefer these versions both for my pastoral study and for my everyday reading because I enjoy the literary nuances that come from more literal translations. My wife on the other hand is a different story. She prefers easier to read language with translations that get to the point. She’ll read versions like NIV or CSB (another one of my personal favorites). Our translation differences don’t make one of us more saved than the other, it just helps us to understand it better in our daily reading.


Side Note for Preaching/Teaching.
Now for preaching, I’ll up the ante a bit. I believe that you should use more common and well known translations that are considered ‘standards’ for that church. Furthermore, I would recommend you stick with more literal versions instead of dynamic (thought-for-thought) translations. The only two that I would personally give a pass here for dynamic translations are typically the NIV and the NLT. However, you still have a good range of translations to choose from in order to be understandable to your congregation.
Personally, my two ‘go to’ translations are the CSB and the ESV. If I’m invited to preach to an older, traditional crowd, I would typically use ESV. If I’m preaching to youth or a more contemporary crowd, I would use the CSB. The reason why I like these translations is because they are both faithful and versatile in nearly any context. Also, if you notice, almost every verse that is quoted in these articles are in these two translations.
Rule of thumb: If you’re a visiting preacher or teacher, ask the leadership team what translations they use. If it’s one you don’t normally teach from, ask the leadership about alternative versions that are similar. Using the example above, if they prefer KJV, ask if you can use NKJV, ESV, or ASV as good alternatives. If they’re adamant on using a specific version, make sure you study the verse in multiple versions that you’re familiar with in order to get a good understanding of the text.

3. Find a translation that’s enjoyable

I think people forget that we can actually enjoy reading the Bible! Psalm 1:2 (ESV) says, “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” We should delight and enjoy reading the Scriptures. 

There are essentially three great reasons to read the Bible but the third one often gets overlooked. The first is obviously to study and learn more about the doctrine/teaching of the Bible. Think of Paul’s letters in the New Testament and the Gospels which are filled with doctrinal teachings about what we should believe and do as Christians. 
The second reason is for devotion and memorizing Scriptures which are often done with the Psalms and Proverbs. Paul teaches us in Ephesians 6 that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God meaning that our greatest weapon in spiritual warfare is Scripture. We must meditate on the Scripture and have the truths of God laced into our hearts and minds, so that when the enemy attacks, we can lean on a promise of God from the Bible. This can only be done if we spend great time in devotional study and if we memorize Scriptures. Now this memorization can be something as grand as memorizing an entire book/epistle of the Bible (like John Piper), or it can be used to remember key verses. Either way, when we choose a translation, choose one that is faithful to the text and easy for you to remember. For instance, while John Piper remembers Scripture typically in the ESV, Joby Martin recites verses in the NIV. Regardless, they’re memorizing Scripture!
The last, again often overlooked, reason is to understand the overarching story of the Bible. (The official term is called biblical theology for the nerds out there). Far too often, Christians look at a verse and completely miss or are shortchanged by the context of the story. For example, 1 Samuel 30:6 (CSB, emphasis mine): “David was in an extremely difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him, for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.” Now you can understand this text just by reading the verse; however, the verse grows in magnitude when you realize that this is a defining moment on his journey to the throne where, right after this, Saul dies and he becomes king. Furthermore, you know how beat down he was after he served Saul faithfully and was betrayed. Then he served his allies, the Philistines at the time, faithfully ‘like an angel’ and was rejected. After going through all of this, THEN he loses his family and his home is burned. The only way to know all of this is if you take the time to read First Samuel.
Christians forget that the Bible is a drama that is expressed over a thousand years that reaches its pinnacle at the cross. Furthermore, the Bible is purposefully written to give us real historical characters that we can glean from such as Jeremiah, David, and Abraham so that we can learn from their victories and avoid their mistakes.
My point is that you should seek to read the Bible as a whole story not just its parts and the best way to do that is to find a translation that you can enjoy reading large portions of the Bible like a normal book. Read the Bible to study, memorize, and enjoy! For example, when I study to prepare sermons, I might cross reference with translations such as the  KJV/NKJV, NET, NIV, NLT, or the ISV, but I enjoy reading in CSB or ESV. They’re good balances of my analytical mind and my long reading comprehension. A good way to determine an enjoyable reading translation is through the Old Testament. Pick any book or multi-chapter story such as Genesis, Judges, Daniel, Ruth, or Esther. Once you found it, if you can read that book and understand the story, you found a good translation for you. Using myself as an example again, if I read KJV/NKJV my brain automatically goes into study mode. Personally, ESV and CSB are two translations where I can read the Bible like a story and turn on my study mode when I need to study the subtle nuances of Scripture as a pastor-teacher.

Conclusion
Ultimately, the goal is to find a translation that is faithful to original Scripture, understandable, and enjoyable to read. If you find one that checks all three for you, you’ve found the perfect translation that works for you! If you haven’t found it yet or are having trouble, that’s fine. Just make sure that the first two boxes are checked because those are the most important. I found CSB and ESV rather recently in the last 3-5 years. The first 20 years of my Christian walk, I used KJV, NKJV, and NIV as my main translations which all checked the first two boxes for me. Be patient and take your time finding the right translation. Also don’t forget to ask your pastor and read into the Bible translations yourself to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Last piece of advice: don’t jump into a brand new translation! It feels like there’s a brand new translation coming out every year and honestly, I think there’s way too many of them. A recent example of a bad translation, as stated earlier, is the Passion Translation. Thankfully, theologians are fast acting in finding discrepancies and errors in translation so they’ll call them out in order to avoid them. However, I suggest only considering translations that are at least 10 years old.
Now I’m not talking about updated versions of older translations. For example, NKJV is simply a language update without all the Thy’s and Thou’s of KJV. Other examples: CSB is an update of HCSB, NRSV is an update of RSV which is an update of the ASV translations, and so on. By new translations, I mean brand new translations that are not connected or updates of previous ones. A good rule of thumb is just make sure that it’s over 10 years old and has mostly good reviews from theologians. This ensures that the translation has some vetted years under its belt in Christianity and that theologians, the people who CAN understand the original language, have read it, and see it as faithful to the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.

Below I have a small list of well known translations that can get you started.
Literal (also called formal or word-for-word translations)

• KJV/NKJV*
  • *I’ve expressed in other articles how the KJV has its flaws as a translation since it uses the youngest manuscripts and has well-known scribal errors. However, as long as this is understood and taken with a grain of salt, the KJV/NKJV can still be great translations to read especially since many Christians grew up on this version of the Bible. Just read with caution.
• ESV
• CSB
• NASB (1998 and 2020 editions)
• RSV
• LSB

Dynamic (also called functional or thought-for-thought translations)

• NIV
• NET
• ISV
• NLT (though some may consider this paraphrase, many theologians would agree that it’s faithful to Scripture)
• NIrV (NIV for kids)
• REB (British audience)

I hope this article has blessed you!