Quick Take on English Bible Translations

Amplified Bible – The Amplified Bible provides alternate tranlsations of the original Greek and Hebrew words using a system of brackets, parentheses, and italics. Unfortunately, the reader is often ill-equipped to make judicious choices among the alternative renderings and ends up making selections based on criteria of dubious validity, such as strageness or convenient conformity to preconceptions.

American Standard Version – Published in 1901, the American Standard Version was produced as a revision to the King James Version. Its trademark is being very literal, to the point of attempting to follow as closely as possible even the word order of the original. As a result, it is good for careful study but hard to read page after page (too tedious).

Contemporary English Version – Uncompromising simplicity marked the American Bible Society’s translation of the Contemporary English Version Bible that was first published in 1995. The text is easily read by grade schoolers, second language readers, and those who prefer the more contemporized form. The CEV is not a paraphrase. It is an accurate and faithful translation of the original manuscripts.

English Standard Version – Published in 2001, the English Standard Version stands firmly in the King James tradition and is based directly on the 1971 Revised Standard Version (RSV).

Good News Translation – The Good News Translation, formerly called the Good News Bible or Today’s English Version was first published as a full Bible in 1976 by the American Bible Society as a “common language” Bible. It is a clear and simple modern translation that is faithful to the original Hebrew, Koine Greek and Aramaic texts. The GNT is a highly-trusted version.

Holman Christian Standard Bible – The Holman CSB aims at the maximum transfer of both words and thought from the original languages, expressed in contemporary English.

King James Version – Published in 1611, the King James Version, also known as the Authorized Version, served as the English translation for generations. Faithfulness to the original Hebrew and Greek text was of utmost importance. The result: a time-honored translation that has been enjoyed for almost 400 years. Big problems with this translation include its outdated vocabulary and its dependence on late manuscripts instead of early ones.

Living Oracles – Translation of the New Testament by George Campbell, James MacKnight, and Philip Doddridge, first published in 1826. LO sought to provide fresh renderings of traditional terms, such as "repentance" (reformation), "church" (congregation), and sometimes "bishops" (overseers). Another innovation consists of its paragraphing, retaining chapter and verse numbers only at the beginning of each paragraph. This facilitates rapid reading and helps the reader to keep each verse in context. It retains Elizabethan verbs and pronouns, however.

New American Bible – The NAB was originally published in 1970 as a meaning-based translation intended primarily for Roman Catholic readers. The New Testament was revised in 1986, shifting more toward a word-for-word or formal translation.

New American Standard Bible – The complete NASB Bible published in 1971 is a conservative yet literal translation that retains traditional theological words. The NASB was updated in 1995.

New Century Version – This translation was made from the original Hebrew and Greek. The translation team was composed of the World Bible Translation Center and fifty additional, highly qualified and experienced Bible scholars and translators. Some had translation experience on committees producing the New International, the New American Standard, or the New King James Versions. The third edition of the United Bible Societies' Greek text, the latest edition of Biblia Hebraica and the Septuagint were among texts used.

New International Version – The full NIV Bible was published in 1978 and revised in 1984. A blend of form-based and meaning-based translation types, the NIV is one of the most popular English Bibles in use today. Text measured to be at about seventh grade reading level. The NIV's rendering of the Greek word sarx as "sinful nature" in Paul's epistles is unfortunate in that it tends to support the unsupportable doctrine of inherited guilt. The word sarx refers to the vulnerability to sin afforded by the five senses, each of which Satan can use as an avenue of temptation. See William Barclay's discussion of "flesh" in his great book, The Mind of St. Paul.

New Jerusalem Bible – The NJB is a 1985 revision of the older Jerusalem Bible (JB), which was translated from the original languages but revised from a popular French translation done in Jerusalem. Like its predecessor, the NJB is known for its literary qualities. While the JB tended to more meaning-based (or functional equivalent), the NJB has moved toward more of a word-based (or formal equivalent) translation.

New King James Version – The NKJV Bible published in 1982, is the fifth revised version of the King James Bible. It retains both the standard and theological terms in a poetic and devotional style.

New Living Translation – Published in 1996, the New Living Translation was developed by evangelical scholars based on the most recent scholarship and translation theory. Revision of the old Living Bible Paraphrased.

New Revised Standard Version – The NRSV translation is an ecumenical edition, widely used by both Protestant and Catholic worshippers since 1990.

Revised Standard Version – Published in 1952, the Revised Standard Version of the Bible is an authorized revision of the American Standard Version. It seeks to preserve all that is best in the English Bible as it has been known and used through the years. It is intended for use in public and private worship, not merely for reading and instruction.

Twentieth Century New Testament – Published in parts from 1899 to 1900, with the combined New Testament published in 1901. Its 20 translators based their text on Westcott and Hort (1881), rearranging the books into chronological order in each division. They sought to confine their renderings to words and phrases used in current English. They did retain an older phraseology, however, for poetical passages, quotations from the Old Testament, and in the language of prayer.

Young's Literal Translation – Published in 1898, this translation was made by Robert Young who also compiled Young's Analytical Concordance. This is an extremely literal translation that attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek and Hebrew writings. Because it also seeks to preserve the word order of the original as much as possible, it is very difficult to read. Also the textual base seems to be the King James Version (hence its Elizabethan language), though Young marks some of the places in which more ancient manuscripts support a different text.