What Bible should I get?

The boiler plate standard is the King James version.

What do you mean, the boiler plate standard? Also, I know that Catholics might get a different kind than protestants which is another reason I don’t know what to get.

The main differences between different versions of the bible are translation and subtleties of language usage. The Catholics and Protestants all use the same bible. It’s just that the English translation in one might read: “Thou art” while another might read “You are”.

The King James translation is widely regarded as the standard for the English translation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorized_King_James_Version

The King James version is the best translation we have at this point.

So, when these independent preachers come to campus to preach to random people and they have a bible, is King James the one they are probably holding?

Some bibles have a section called the Apocrypha while other bibles do not (That may be the protestant Catholic difference you are referring to). This site: http://www.biblegateway.com/ has cataloged the main translations available.

Many biblical scholars reference the New American Standard Bible. While a version like the Message or the New Living Translation, written in a more accessible everyday language, may work as a better introduction for some. The truth is that the topic of biblical translation is a hotly debated issue among people and you are going to find as many recommendations for “the best one” as there are people.

Please don’t get the King James version. The original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts were not written in Ye Olde Englishe.

I would recommend the New Revised Standard Version. The translation is both accurate and easy to read.

@mineown Probably, but as stated above it really is kind of splitting hairs. The only difference is the style of the translation. The content is the same.

Consider the Torah, for example. There are, of course, those that argue that the only true Torah is the one written in the original language. However, for the sake of accessibility it has been translated into multiple languages including English. There are several different English translations of the Torah (Included as a part of the various English translations of the bible and known as The Old Testament). That does not mean that a particular translation is less of the Torah than another, only the subtleties of the language usage differ.

Yes, you can argue that those subtleties are important. However, if you are at a level of understanding where you can argue intelligently about the merits of such subtleties of translation you should probably be reading in the original language anyway. For we “regular” folk, the basic meaning holds across different translations.

I had an evangelical roommate in college and I am pretty sure that she used the NIV (New International Version?).

@JustmeAman, the King James translation was fine for the 1600’s, but it’s a terrible translation by today’s standards.

For one thing, the KJV did not have access to the best available manuscripts, and the scholarship in the translation is occasionally suspect.

For another thing, the English language has changed since the 1600’s. You wouldn’t read a 1600’s-era translation of Plato or Aristotle for the same reason.

Seriously, unless you have some fascination with 17th-century English prose, there is no reason to read the Bible in the King James translation. It certainly won’t help you understand the Bible.

I agree with @Qingu and would stay away from the KJV.

Get one you like and find easy to read. And God will do the rest.

I prefer the New International version – it’s very easy to understand.

Personally, I like the style of the KJV, but I’ve found the NIV and other versions sometimes have better translations from the old Greek and Hebrew. I would recommend to get a few different translations. It’s always interesting to see the different perspectives/interpretations that come from different versions.

I’m going with @ChazMaz here, its best if you choose one that you like and is easy to understand. Personally, when I was a Christian, I preferred NIV (New International Version) over the other versions.

As stated the King James Version is the best translation we have I think you should try that one.

Is the King James Version really that bad? That is the one my girlfriend said is sort of the standard and that she recommends it.

Yes @mineown That is the one you should use.

The good book cook book

I would suggest an Oxford Annotated Bible. The annotations will help you cross reference passages that are thought to be connected between the new and old testaments.

@JustmeAman, maybe you can explain why you think the KJV is the best translation?

No Biblical scholars I’m aware of share your opinion.

I grew up with the Revised Standard Version, and asked my “phone-a-friend about Bible stuff” sister, and she recommended the New International Version. My sister doesn’t care for the King James translation.
I just ordered the NIV, and it looks great. Very readable.

If your heart is set on KJV at least get the New King James Version (NKJV) which gets rid of the Olde English and has improved translation technique.

Stay away from the KJV and the NIV. You should trust the New Oxford Annotated Bible or other versions of the NRSV. This is what scholars (who don’t know greek) use.

http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Revised-Standard-Apocrypha-Hardcover/dp/019528478X

If you guys think that the King James Version is so bad then why is it the sort of standard and why do so many people have it?

@mineown Because the KJV is the best!!!!!!

@mineown, the KJV is the “standard” because it’s been in existence the longest. It’s also ingrained in English culture because so much English literature quotes the Bible—and until recently, the only widely-available biblical translation was the KJV. (Think of how many times you’ve seen/heard the Ten Commandments quoted as “Thou shalt not”—of course, the original Hebrew doesn’t sound anything like archaic Elizabethan English!)

Also, there’s a small cult of fundamentalist Christians who believe—I’m not making this up—that the KJV is a magical God-guided translation and all other English translations are tools of Satan. This cult is associated with Jack Chick, who is somewhat influential in Christianity.

@JustmeAman, again, can you please explain why you think the KJV is the best?

You’ve just said this over and over again without offering any support for your claim.

@Qingu

I have found many who make fun of those things that are sacred to others so No I will not reveal how I know just that with my experience I know it is the best. Have you ever heard of the seer stone? Enough said.

Ah. So you’re one of those folks who believe it’s a magical translation?

Nothing Magical about it see what I mean about what others think and say. There is absolutely nothing magical at all involved. Done ever responding to you again.

Let’s just leave it as JustmeAman finds KJV to be the best because of his personal experience with it. As it has been said before, it all depends on the version that you yourself feel the most comfortable with.

@Winters, I don’t really agree. Some translations are, in fact, more accurate than others, and better at communicating the tone of the original documents.

If you want to study the Bible academically or even simply read it to see what it says, some random person’s “personal experience” is not a good guideline for choosing a translation.

Let me say exactly what I am looking for. I want the one that most people use because I want to read it as most people read it and understand it. I want the one that is popular because I want to see it in the same light.

Then you want the KJV @mineown.

@mineown with a shiver I would say that the NIV is probably the most popular translation for those who like to carry around a bible. I shiver because I think it is Zondervan’s proprietary publishing ethics and marketing that make it so, not reliability or accuracy.

You may find this brief article helpful: http://www.firstpresb.org/translations.htm

The King James version is lyrical and poetic. It is also not under copyright. Which is one of the main reasons it is cheap to publish, disperse freely, and put in hotel drawers.The KJV or NKJV works well for personal reflection or meditation but it is not something I would refer to for accuracy.

edit: You may like a parallel bible which takes several translations and lays them out side by side. The one I linked contains KJV, NASB, NIV, & NLT but there are tons of variations out there.

@mineown, most scholars use NRSV. liminal is correct that the NIV is a popular translation too.

I have a theory that nobody actually sits down and reads the KJV.

@mineown The current most popular translation is the ESV study bible, it has spread to a good amount of the Christian population though it is relatively new (released at the end of 2008). But for a while now, most Christians probably use NIV.

I actually have an English Standard Version, I just wasn’t sure about it.

To get started I would use a modern English translation first. The use of English changes over the centuries. Older translations might sometimes use more beautiful language.

My first exposure to Psalm 23 was Martin Luther’s original German translation. I still find it very beautiful, more beautiful than the more modern translations. However, it only took me several weeks reading the entire Bible translated into modern German and I think reading the whole thing in Luther’s German would at least take three times as long. I’m a computer scientist and not a biblical scholar.

This article is worth a read.

It is 6 months since my last post, so allow me to add to what I have said.
Bible translators can use either the Critical Text or the Majority Text. These are two different approaches to translating the Bible. The translators look at ancient manuscripts, and try to understand which is the original or most reliable text. They then translate the text, line by line, and a group of Bible experts then rate the quality of each lines translation. This is especially difficult when you are dealing with the Hebrew language, since words have several meanings, including number values.
I have read the Revised Standard Version cover to cover, and am currently reading the KJV, the NKJV, and the NIV. I read one chapter from each book every day, and include notes from a Ryrie Study Bible. All that said, I find the NIV to be the most readable. I wish I spoke Hebrew so I could read the original, but as I can’t, and I find it easier to understand the NIV, that is the one i recommend.

There are six! different Bibles:

1. The Jewish
2. The Protestant
3. The Catholic
4. The Anglican
5. The Greek-Orthodox
6. The Ethiopian

They contain anywhere from 24 to 81 books. Since they are all different you would have to start by finding out exactly which books and part of books they contain and take it from there. Since you’re Jewish only the five last ones apply of course.