Question: Why are there so many different versions of the Bible? Which one is the best one to read?
Answer: In their original versions, the books of the Old Testament were written in Hebrew and the books of the New Testament were written in Greek. At one point, they were both translated into Latin so that they could be used by the priests in the Roman Catholic Church.
Eventually, it was decided that an English translation should be made. King James of England authorized the 1611 version that bears his name. This version remained the standard for many years, until modern biblical scholars felt that its language, with all of those Thee and Thou references, was no longer accessible to modern readers.
This resulted in several different attempts, by several different groups, to modernize the language of the Bible. These versions include the New King James Version, The New International Version, The New American Standard Bible and the Living Bible.
When comparing the versions, you would need to consider two features: accuracy and readability. Publishers sometimes choose to paraphrase instead of using literal translation in order to make the text more readable.
The New American Standard Bible is considered to be the most accurate version, and the Living Bible is possibly the easiest version to read.
I think the best rule to follow when choosing a Bible might be this: The best version is the one that you will actually read on a daily basis! None of the various versions are worth much to us when they are just sitting on a shelf or a nightstand.
Dr. Steve Rahter
Pastor, Praise Tabernacle
Egg Harbor Township
