Which translation of the Bible is the best?

Answer 1

No more deleting answers here, just add your own!

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A:Best translation of the Bible

• The NIV (New International Version) is the best translation. The KJV (King James Version) though poetic, has too many translation mistakes.

• NKJV (New King James Version). NIV is lacking some parts of verses.

A:The Bible version that your denomination is using.

Actually, the above statement may be false. The best translation that I currently know of is the NASB, but I prefer to read a Greek Bible

A:Just get as close to Hebrew as possible...

The order of translations are as follows (to the extent of my knowledge): Hebrew-> Aramaic->Greek->Latin->English

A:Many languages have numerous Bible translations. Some translations use difficult, archaic language. Others are free, paraphrased translations that aim for easy reading rather than accuracy. Still others are literal, almost word-for-word translations.

The English edition of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, published by Jehovah's Witnesses, was prepared directly from the original languages by an anonymous committee. This version, in turn, has been the primary text used for translations into about 60 other languages. Translators for those languages did, however, make extensive comparisons with the original-language text. The New World Translation aims for a literal rendering of the original-language text whenever such a rendering would not hide its meaning. The translators seek to make the Bible as understandable to readers today as the original text was to readers in Bible times.

Some linguists have examined modern Bible translations-including the New World Translation-for examples of inaccuracy and bias. One such scholar is Jason David BeDuhn, associate professor of religious studies at Northern Arizona University in the United States. In 2003 he published a 200-page study of nine of "the Bibles most widely in use in the English-speaking world." His study examined several passages of Scripture that are controversial, for that is where "bias is most likely to interfere with translation." For each passage, he compared the Greek text with the renderings of each English translation, and he looked for biased attempts to change the meaning. What is his assessment?

BeDuhn points out that the general public and many Bible scholars assume that the differences in the New World Translation (NW) are due to religious bias on the part of its translators. However, he states: "Most of the differences are due to the greater accuracy of the NW as a literal, conservative translation." While BeDuhn disagrees with certain renderings of the New World Translation, he says that this version "emerges as the most accurate of the translations compared." He calls it a "remarkably good" translation.

Dr. Benjamin Kedar, a Hebrew scholar in Israel, made a similar comment concerning the New World Translation. In 1989 he said: "This work reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible. . . . I have never discovered in the New World Translation any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain."

Ask yourself: 'What is my goal in reading the Bible? Do I want easy reading with less attention to accuracy? Or do I want to read thoughts that reflect the original inspired text as closely as possible?' (2 Peter 1:20, 21) Your objective should determine your choice of translation.

*Besides the New World Translation, the others were The Amplified New Testament, The Living Bible, The New American Bible With Revised New Testament, New American Standard Bible, The Holy Bible-New International Version, The New Revised Standard Version, The Bible in Today's English Version, and King James Version.

I you can read biblical Hebrew there is the Biblia Hebraica Stutt., and the Nestle Greek text.