Which version is best among English bibles?

Answer 1

I prefer the English Standard Version, its easy to read without losing the essential meaning of the text.

Answer

We are so fortunate today to have the choice of many Bibles written in English and so well translated.

The King James Version, though good in its day, is now difficult to understand because of the old English used in it, and, as it was translated itself from a translation (the Latin Vulgate) Bible scholars do not regard it as reliable a translation as some modern ones. Also, we have these days the benefit of more archaeological and textual evidence and experience (eg the Dead Sea Scrolls) which enable modern translations to be much more accurate. Despite the problems with the King James Version, though, it is still popular - especially in the USA.

Of the modern translations most scholars now agree that two versions stand out among the rest. These are the New International Version (NIV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) both of which were translated by a large panel of Greek and Hebrew experts and historians, from the original Greek and Hebrew documents.

Of course, individuals have their preferences; some prefer the Good News Bible, some the Jerusalem Bible, others the New Living Translation and so on. But for accuracy of text, the aforementioned two Bible translations are really very good.

The translation to avoid, however, is the New World Translation, which is a translation from the King James, which was itself a translation from the Latin Vulgate. This translation is used exclusively by Jehovah's Witnesses and no others as all eminent Biblical scholars and Greek and Hebrew experts regard this translation as very poor as no one on the panel of translators had any Greek or Hebrew understanding. The translation was deliberately skewed and biased to back up the bogus heretical theology of Jehovah's Witnesses, and so reading this version will provide you with a very inaccurate and warped idea of scripture.