| The Bible in English |
| Old English (pre-1066) |
| Middle English (1066-1500) |
| Early Modern English (1500-1800) |
| Modern Christian (1800-) |
| Modern Jewish (1853-) |
| Miscellaneous |
Many attempts have been made to translate the Bible into modern English, which is defined as the form of English in use after 1800 (different than the lingusitic usage of modern English). Since the early nineteenth century, there have been several translational responses to the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the world. Various denominational and organizational goals have produced, and continue to produce, Bibles to address the needs of English speakers from all walks of life. Differing base texts, theological emphasis, style, and translation aims (e.g. readability vs. literality) are just a few of the variables that contribute to the wide range of Bibles available today.
The Development of Modern English Bible Versions
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The Authorized King James Version of 1611 was sporadically altered until 1769, but was not thoroughly updated until the creation of the Revised Version in 1885. These formal equivalence or literal translations have been continued with further modifications to the King James and Revised Versions, including the Revised Standard Version (1952), the New Revised Standard Version (1989), and the English Standard Version (2001).
In the late twentieth century, Bibles increasingly appeared that were much less literal in their style. In 1946, the New English Bible was initiated in the United Kingdom, intended to enable readers to better understand the King James Bible. In 1958, J. B. Phillips (1906-1982) produced an edition of the New Testament letters in paraphrase, the Letters to Young Churches, so that members of his youth group could understand what the New Testament authors had written. Others followed suit. The Living Bible, released in in 1971, was published by its author Kenneth N. Taylor, based on the literal American Standard Version of 1901. Taylor had begun because of the trouble his children had in understanding the literal (and sometimes archaic) text of the King James Bible. His work was at first intended for children, but was later positioned for adults wishing to better understand the Bible. Like Phillips' version, the Living Bible was a dramatic departure from the King James version.
Despite widespread criticism, the popularity of The Living Bible, itself a paraphrase rather than a translation, created a demand for a new approach to translating the Bible into contemporary English called dynamic equivalence, which attempts to preserve the meaning of the original text in a readable way. Realizing the immense benefits of a Bible which was more easily accessible to the average reader, and responding to the criticisms of the Living Bible, the American Bible Society produced the Good News Bible (1976), a new English Bible translation in this more readable style. This translation has gone on to become one of the best selling in history. In 1996, a new revision of Taylor's Living Bible was published. This New Living Translation is a full translation from the original languages rather than a paraphrase of the Bible.
Another project aimed to create something in between the very literal translation of the King James Bible and the more informal Good News Bible. The goal of this was to create a Bible that would be scholarly yet not overly formal. The result of this project was the New International Version (1978).
The debate between the formal equivalence and dynamic (or 'functional') equivalence translation styles has increased with the introduction of inclusive language versions. Various terms are employed to defend or attack this development, such as feminist, gender neutral, or gender accurate. New editions of some previous translations have been updated to take this change in language into account, including the New Revised Standard Version (1989), the Revised English Bible (1989), and Today's New International Version (2005). Some translations have approached the issue more cautiously, such as the English Standard Version (2001).
A further process that has assisted in increasing the number of English Bible versions exponentially, is the use of the Internet in producing virtual bibles, of which a growing number are beginning to appear in print – especially given the development of "print on demand".
Today, there is a range of translations ranging from the most literal, such as the Young's Literal Translation to the most free such as The Message and The Word on the Street.
18th and 19th century translations
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Challoner's revision of the Douay-Rheims Bible | 1752 |
| Quaker Bible | 1764 |
| Thomson's Translation | 1808 |
| Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible | 1830 |
| Webster's Revision | 1833 |
| Young's Literal Translation | 1862 |
| Julia E. Smith Parker Translation | 1876 |
| Revised Version | 1885 |
| Darby Bible | 1890 |
20th and 21st century translations
Dynamic translations and paraphrases
A significant aspect in translations from the latter half of the 20th century was much greater use of the principles of dynamic equivalence.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| TLB | The Living Bible | 1971 |
| GNB | Good News Bible | 1976, 1992 |
| CEV | Contemporary English Version | 1995 |
| GW | God's Word | 1995 |
| NLT | New Living Translation | 1996, 2004 |
| MSG | The Message | 2002 |
Internet-based translations
The New English Translation is a project to publish a translation of the Bible using the Internet. It is freely available and accompanied by extensive translator's notes. Another Internet based translation is The Free Bible. It is a wiki, collaborative project, based on Wikisource.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NET | New English Translation | 2005 |
| TFB | The Free Bible | In Progress |
Jewish translations
Jewish translations follow the Masoretic Text, and are usually published in bilingual editions with the Hebrew text facing the English translation. The translations often reflect traditional Jewish exegesis of the bible. As translations of the Masoretic bible, Jewish translations contain neither the apocrypha nor the Christian New Testament.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| JPS | Jewish Publication Society of America Version[1] | 1917 |
| Judaica Press[2] | 1963 | |
| Koren Jerusalem Bible [3]Based on a translation by Harold Fisch | 1962 | |
| The Living Torah by Aryeh Kaplan[4] The Living Nach by Yaakov Elman |
1981 1996 |
|
| NJPS | New Jewish Publication Society of America Version | 1985 |
| Artscroll | Stone Edition (Artscroll) | 1996 |
King James Version and derivatives
The King James Version of 1611 still has an immense following, and as such there have been a number of different attempts to update or improve upon it. The Revised Version and its derivatives also stem from the King James Version.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| CKJV | Children's King James Version Jay P. Green | 1960 |
| KJ II | King James II Version of the Bible Jay P. Green | 1971 |
| KJV20 | King James Version -- Twentieth Century Edition Jay P. Green | |
| NKJV | New King James Version | 1982 |
| KJ21 | 21st Century King James Version | 1991 |
| MKJV | Modern King James Version | 1999 |
| AKJV | American King James Version [5] | 1999 |
| KJV2000 | King James 2000 Version [6] | 2000 |
| UKJV | Updated King James Version [7] | 2000 |
| KJVER | King James Version Easy Reading [8] | 2001 |
| HSV | Holy Scriptures Version [9] | 2001 |
| CKJV | Comfort-able King James Version [10] [11] | 2003 |
| NCPB | New Cambridge Paragraph Bible [12] | 2005 |
| AV7 | AV7 (New Authorized Version) | 2006 |
Messianic translations
Some Bible translations find popular use in, or were prepared especially for, the Messianic Judaism movement.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| TS98 | The Scriptures '98 Version | 1993, 1998 |
| CJB | Complete Jewish Bible (by David H. Stern) | 1998 |
| God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation (by Heinz Cassirer) | 1989 |
New English Bible and derivatives
The initiative to create the New English Bible began in 1946, in an attempt to make an entirely new translation of the Bible in modern English.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NEB | New English Bible | 1970 |
| REB | Revised English Bible | 1989 |
New International Version and derivatives
The popular New International Version has appeared in a number of editions.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NIV | New International Version | 1978 |
| NIrV | New International Reader's Version | 1996 |
| NIVI | New International Version Inclusive Language Edition | 1996 |
| TNIV | Today's New International Version | 2005 |
Public domain translations
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| WEB | World English Bible | In Progress |
| MASV | Modern American Standard Version | In Progress |
| CPDV | Catholic Public Domain Version | 2009 |
| DRP | David Robert Palmer Translation[13] | In Progress |
| UKJV | Updated King James Version | 2000 |
| TFB | The Free Bible | In Progress |
Revised Version and derivatives
The English Revised Version was the first official attempt to update the Authorized (King James) Version. This was adapted in the United States as the American Standard Version. The translations and versions which stem from them are shown in date order:
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RV | (British) Revised Version | 1881-5 |
| ASV | American Standard Version | 1901 |
| RSV | Revised Standard Version | 1952 |
| NASB | New American Standard Bible | 1971, 1995 |
| NRSV | New Revised Standard Version | 1989 |
| ESV | English Standard Version | 2001 |
| WEB | World English Bible | In progress |
Roman Catholic translations
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| D-R | Douay-Rheims Bible Challoner Revision | 1752 |
| WVSS | Westminster Version of the Sacred Scriptures | 1913-19351 |
| SCM | Spencer New Testament | 19412 |
| CFY | Confraternity Bible | 19413 |
| Knox | Knox's Translation of the Vulgate | 1955 |
| KLNT | Kleist-Lilly New Testament | 19562 |
| JB | Jerusalem Bible | 1966 |
| RSV-CE | Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition | 1965-664 |
| NAB | New American Bible | 1970 |
| TLB-CE | The Living Bible - Catholic Edition | 1971 |
| NJB | New Jerusalem Bible | 1985 |
| CCB | Christian Community Bible | 1986 |
| NRSV-CE | New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition | 1989 |
| CPDV | Catholic Public Domain Version | In Progress |
1Released in parts between 1913-1935 with copious study and textual notes. The New Testament with condensed notes was released in 1936 as one volume.
2New Testament only; Gospels by James Kleist, rest by Joseph Lilly.
3Contains material from the Challoner Revision, as the translation was never completed aside from the New Testament and some books of the Old Testament such as the Psalms.
4Second Catholic Edition released 2006.
Sacred Name translations
These Sacred Name Bibles were all done with the specific aim of carrying into English the actual Name of God as they were in the originals. Most have been done by people from the Sacred Name Movement. They are distinguished by their policy of transliterating Hebrew-based forms for sacred names, such as "Yahweh", "YHWH", etc.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| ERB | Rotherham's Emphasized Bible | 1902 |
| SNB | Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible | 1976 |
| HNB | Holy Name Bible | 1963 |
| SSBE | Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition | 1981 |
| SN-KJ | Sacred Name King James Bible | 2005 |
| SSFOY | Sacred Scriptures, Family of Yah Edition | 2000 |
| TWOY | The Word of Yahweh | 2003 |
| TS98 | The Scriptures '98 Version | 1993, 1998 |
| RNKJV | Restored Name King James Version | In progress |
| HRV | Hebraic-Roots Version | 2004 |
| TB | The Besorah (a plagiarized copy of The Scriptures 1998 [14]) | 2008 |
| TBE | Transparent English Bible | In progress |
Septuagint translations
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Brenton's English Translation of the Septuagint | 1851 | |
| AB | The Apostles' Bible | 2004 |
| OSB | Orthodox Study Bible | 2007 |
| NETS | New English Translation of the Septuagint | 2007 |
| EOB | Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible | In progress |
Simplified English Bibles
There have been a number of attempts to produce a Bible which greatly simplifies the English. (Some of these versions are also listed in other categories: for example, the NIrV is also found under the NIV section). These are translations which are not necessarily a very dynamic translation, but go beyond simply everyday English into a restricted vocabulary set, often aimed at non-native speakers of English.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BBE | Bible in Basic English | 1949 |
| BWE | Bible in Worldwide English [New Testament only] | 1969 |
| NLV | New Life Version (Gleason Ledyard) | 1986 |
| SEB | Simple English Bible (Dr Stanley Morris) | 1980 |
| ERV | Easy-to-Read Version (previously English Version for the Deaf) | 1989 |
| NCV | New Century Version | 1991 |
| NIrV | New International Reader's Version | 1998 |
| EEB | EasyEnglish Bible [15] | 2001+ |
Translations published by Jehovah's Witnesses
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NWT | New World Translation | 1950 |
| LivEng | The Bible in Living English (not to be confused with the Living Bible) | 1972 |
Adaptive retellings
Some versions have been labelled "adaptive retelling" [16] as they take many liberties with the form of the text.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Black Bible Chronicles | 1993, 1994 | |
| The Cotton Patch version (various portions of the New Testament done by Clarence Jordan) | ||
| The Aussie Bible; also More Aussie Bible [17]. by Kel Richards | 2003 |
Other translations
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Fenton | The Holy Bible In Modern English (by Ferrar Fenton) | 1903 |
| MNT | A New Translation (by James Moffatt) | 1926 |
| Lamsa | Lamsa Bible (by George Lamsa) | 1933 |
| AAT | An American Translation (by Smith and Goodspeed|) | 1935 |
| BV | Berkeley Version | 1958 |
| AMP | Amplified Bible | 1965 |
| Knoch | Concordant Literal Version (by Adolph Ernst Knoch) | 1966 |
| MLB | The Modern Language Bible (New Berkeley Version) | 1969 |
| TSB | The Story Bible | 1971 |
| BECK | An American Translation (by William F. Beck) | 1976 |
| LITV | Green's Literal Translation (by Jay P. Green) | 1985 |
| The Clear Word (Seventh-day Adventist paraphrase) | 1994 | |
| Anointed Standard Version | 1995 | |
| CJB | Complete Jewish Bible | 1998 |
| TMB | Third Millennium Bible | 1998 |
| RcV | Recovery Version | 1999 |
| VW | A Voice In The Wilderness Holy Scriptures [18] | 2003 |
| AB | The Apostles' Bible | 2004 |
| HCSB | Holman Christian Standard Bible | 2004 |
| CAB | The Complete Apostles' Bible | 2005 |
| ACV | A Conservative Version (NT only in print OT & NT Internet versions) | 2005 |
| ARTB | Ancient Roots Translinear Bible (Old Testament Only) | 2006 |
| The Literary Bible (by David Rosenberg)(Old Testament Only) | 2009 | |
| MGB | The Manga Bible [19] | In progress |
| TEB | Transparent English Bible[20] | In progress |
| ISV | International Standard Version | In progress |
| Jubilee2000 | English Jubilee 2000 Bible | |
| Murdock | James Murdock's Translation of the Syriac Peshitta | |
| EOB | Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible | In progress |
| LOLCat | The LOLCat Bible | In progress |
Partial translations
Old Testament
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| The Wisdom Books in Modern Speech (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Song of Songs), John Edgar McFadyen | 1917 |
| Four Prophets (Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah), J.B. Phillips | 1963 |
| Job Speaks (Job), David Rosenberg | 1977 |
| The Book of J (Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), Harold Bloom and David Rosenberg | 1990 |
| A Poet's Bible (Psalms, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Maccabees, Job, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Jonah, Ruth, Esther, Judith, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah), David Rosenberg | 1991 |
| The Book of Job, |
1992 |
| The Five Books of Moses, Everett Fox | 1995 |
| The Lost Book of Paradise: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis and related apocrypha), David Rosenberg | 1995 |
| Genesis, |
1996 |
| The Book of David (2 Samuel), David Rosenberg | 1998 |
| Give us a King! (1, 2 Samuel), Everett Fox | 1999 |
| The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible[21], Martin Abegg, Peter Flint, Eugene Ulrich | 1999 |
| The David Story (1, 2 Samuel), Robert Alter | 2000 |
| The Five Books of Moses, Robert Alter | 2004 |
| The Bible with Sources Revealed, Richard Elliott Friedman | 2005 |
| The Book of Psalms, Robert Alter | 2007 |
New Testament
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Diaglott | Emphatic Diaglott [22] by Benjamin Wilson | 1864 |
| Sinai and Comparative New Testament [23] by Edwin Leigh | 1881 | |
| The Epistles of Paul in Modern English (includes Hebrews), by George Barker Stevens | 1898 | |
| The Twentieth Century New Testament | 1902 | |
| Weymouth New Testament (New Testament in Modern Speech) | 1903 | |
| Centenary New Testament (by Helen Barrett Montgomery) | 1924 | |
| The Four Gospels, by E. V. Rieu, Penguin | 1952 | |
| The Authentic New Testament, by Hugh J. Schonfield | 1955 | |
| Phi / PME | Phillips New Testament in Modern English and Four Prophets (by J. B. Phillips) | 1958 |
| The Simplified New Testament, by Olaf M. Norlie | 1961 | |
| WET | Wuest Expanded Translation (by Kenneth Wuest) | 1961 |
| The New Testament: a New Translation, by William Barclay | 1968 | |
| TransLine, by Michael Magill | 2002 | |
| CPG | Cotton Patch Gospel [24] by Clarence Jordan | 1968-1973 (4 vols) |
| The Four Gospels, by Norman Marrow, ISBN 0-9505565-0-5 | 1977 | |
| The Original New Testament, by Hugh J. Schonfield, ISBN 0-947752-20-X | 1985 | |
| McCord's New Testament Translation of the Everlasting Gospel by Hugo McCord | 1988 | |
| A Fresh Parenthetical Version of the New Testament by B. E. Junkins ISBN 0761823972 | 2002 | |
| God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation by Heinz Cassirer, ISBN 0-8028-3673-9 | 1989 | |
| Jewish New Testament, by David H. Stern | 1989 | |
| Gaus | The Unvarnished New Testament [25] by Andy Gaus | 1991 |
| The New Testament, by Richmond Lattimore, ISBN 0-460 87953 7 | 1996 | |
| TCE | The Common Edition New Testament [26] | 1999 |
| COM | The Comprehensive New Testament [27] | 2008 |
| ALT | Analytical-Literal Translation | 1999? |
| A New Accurate Translation of the Greek New Testament, by Julian G. Anderson ISBN 0-960-21284-1 | 1984 | |
| The Voice ISBN 1418534390 | 2008 | |
| JNT | Jewish New Testament by David H. Stern | 1989 |
| The Source New Testament With Extensive Notes on Greek Word Meaning, by Dr A. Nyland ISBN 0980443008 | 2004 |
See also
- Jewish English Bible translations
- List of English Bible translations
- Bible translations - for a view of translation into languages other than English.
- Bible errata
References
- ^ The Hebrew Bible in English
- ^ The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with Rashi
- ^ [http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/scriptures/jbk.htm Jerusalem Bible (Koren)
- ^ Available online
- ^ American King James Version
- ^ King James 2000 Version
- ^ Updated King James Version
- ^ King James Bibles
- ^ The Holy Scriptures. Rabon Vincent Jr., translator. Victoria: Trafford, 2001. ISBN 1-55369-199-7
- ^ The Evidence Bible
- ^ Amazon Online Reader : The Evidence Bible
- ^ New Cambridge Paragraph Bible
- ^ A new translation of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 1 John, 2 John, and Revelation
- ^ http://besorah.synthasite.com/
- ^ Simple Translations of the Bible in Easy English
- ^ Boswell, Freddy. 2006. Classifying "Cotton Patch Version" and similar renderings as adaptive retelling rather than translation (La clasificación de la "cotton patch version" y de otros tipos de versiones más como reescrituras adaptadoras más traducciones)." Hermēneus, Vol. 8: 45-66.
- ^ http://www.theaussiebible.com.au/
- ^ A Voice in the Wilderness
- ^ The Manga Bible
- ^ Original Bible Project
- ^ The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
- ^ DCL: Emphatic Diaglott - New Testament
- ^ The Sinai and Comparative New Testament. - 1881
- ^ The Cotton Patch Version
- ^ [1] [2]
- ^ [3] [4]
- ^ http://www.cornerstonepublications.org
External links
- The Gender-Neutral Bible Controversy
- Rating the Translations
- Translations of the Bible Into English
- An extensive list of English translations
- OSIS User Manual Appendix D provides standard abbreviations for many translations.
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