Energion.com Bible Version Selection Tool

Informational articles on Energion.com

New! Henry Neufeld's Participatory Bible Study Method
What's in a Version?
Describes how Bible translations are made, and what makes each Bible versiondifferent to help you choose the best Bible version for your use.
What about the KJV? (PDF)
Is the King James Version a good Bible translation to use today? What should its role be in my Bible study?
Bible Translations FAQ
Notes on the Major Bible Versions
Choosing a Bible with Study Notes

January 31, 2006 - I have added the Revised Standard Version (RSV), the New Life Version (NLV, the New International Reader's Version NIrV, the JPS Tanakh JPS, and Young's Literal Version (YLT). A few notes have been updated as well.

Bible Translation Terminology

Most terms used in this tool are explained where they are displayed. Some people make a distinction between the phrase "Bible version" and "Bible translation," believing that "version" refers to a looser rendering, perhaps even a paraphrase, while "translation" refers to a more formal or literal rendering. I use both terms interchangeably, because they do, in fact, cover the same semantic range. Bible translations can vary from extremely dynamic or functional, that is using a thought by thought method of translation, to quite formal or literal, and their name may or may not reflect it. The King James Version, for example, is a formal translation, as is the New American Standard Bible, but the Contemporary English Version is based on functional equivalence and so is the New Living Translation.

How important is each of the following to you?
Functionality
Functionality refers to how well a translation transfers the function, or the meaning to the new language. A high score in this category indicates that idioms in the source languages are translated into idioms in the target language. This is often called dynamic or functional equivalence.
Formality
Formality refers to how closely a translation follows the grammatical forms and wording of the source language. This is often known as literal translation.
Easy Reading
Easy reading refers to how easy a translation is to read. This should not be confused with reading grade level. A children's Bible would rate a 10 here, while a scholarly version using many theological terms would rate a 1.
Use in public reading
If the translation is to be used in public reading, for example as a pew Bible, how well does it flow orally. A translation that lacks dignity or is clumsily worded will rate poorly here; one with dignified vocabulary but also smoothly designed will rate well.
Use in serious study
For serious study, often a more formal translation is required, even when a more functional translation is easier to understand. This is especially true if one wants to do word studies or make effective use of a concordance in other ways. This rating combines formality, good scholarly notes, and consistent translation practice.
Gender Neutral language
Gender neutral refers to translations such as "brothers and sisters" for Greek adelphoi, or use of plurals rather than singular masculine references, and not to use of gender neutral terms for God. A translation is considered gender neutral if groups of mixed gender are referenced neutrally where allowed by the source texts.
Capitalization of divine names
Divine names and pronouns are capitalized in some modern versions. This is strictly a matter of translator practice as there is no capitalization in the original. The rating indicates whether words such as "Son" referring to Jesus, and pronouns referring to God or any person of the trinity are capitalized.
Translation of cultural references
Cultural references always require some translating. I only rate a Yes for cultural translation when extensive items such as species of animal, or even geographic references (such as in the Cotton Patch version) are transposed..
Translation by committee rather than individual
Committee simply means that more than one translator was involved in producing the translation.
Interdenominational participation
Interdenominational means that translators from more than one Christian denomination were involved, even if they came from one broader group, such as evangelical denominations.
Interfaith participation
Interfaith means that there was interfaith cooperation. Generally this means both Jewish and Christian translators were involved in some way.

Abbr	Name	Func	Form	Easy Read	Public Read	Study	Gender	Capital	Cultural	Committee	Inter-denom	Inter-faith
NRSV	New Revised Standard Version	3	9	3	4	10	10	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
CEV	Contemporary English Version	9	5	8	8	2	5	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
KJV	King James Version	1	10	1	3	3	1	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
NKJV	New King James Version	2	10	2	3	6	1	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
NASB	New American Standard Bible	1	9	4	4	8	1	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
ESV	English Standard Version	1	9	5	5	8	2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
HCSB	Holman Christian Standard Bible	2	9	5	5	6	2	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
TNIV	Today's New International Version	3	8	7	6	5	9	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
NAB	New American Bible	4	9	6	7	6	1	No	No	Yes	No	No
NJB	New Jerusalem Bible	5	7	7	9	6	2	No	No	Yes	No	No
NIV	New International Version	5	8	7	8	8	2	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
NET	New English Translation	5	9	7	6	10	9	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Phil	Phillip's New Testament	7	1	8	6	3	1	No	No	No	No	No
TLB	The Living Bible	7	1	8	3	1	2	Yes	No	No	No	No
REB	Revised English Bible	7	6	7	9	6	9	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
NLT	New Living Translation	7	6	7	7	5	9	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
GW	God's Word	7	7	6	6	6	1	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
NCV	New Century Version	8	7	10	5	4	9	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
MSG	The Message	9	2	8	4	1	10	No	Yes	No	No	No
TEV	Today's English Version	9	6	9	6	2	9	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
JPS	Jewish Publication Society Tanakh	6	8	8	7	9	1	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
NIRV	New International Reader's Version	8	5	10	5	2	9	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
NLV	New Life Version	6	4	10	2	2	1	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
RSV	Revised Standard Version	1	10	3	3	7	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
YLT	Young's Literal Translation	1	10	1	1	5	1	No	No	No	No	No
CJB	Complete Jewish Bible	6	8	3	3	4	1	No	No	No	No	No
NEB	New English Bible	6	9	5	7	4	1	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
TS	The Scriptures	1	10	1	1	2	1	Yes	No	Yes	No	No

Quick Notes on Choosing and Translation for Serious Bible Study

People frequently ask me which Bible version I prefer, which is a hard question for me to answer. First, I do most of my personal devotional study from the original languages. But I also like to add to my devotions by using Bible translations that are easy to read to help me get a good overview. The following are my own choices for each listed use. Please, please note that these are the translations that work well for me and not the versions that I would call best for everyone. There are many factors that may go into choosing a Bible version, and some of those are about you and the people you want to communicate or share with.

For detailed Bible study:

New Revised Standard Version
Formal, but readable. I don't recommend it for reading long passages, but it is good for doing detailed word studies. My theology is moderate; if yours is conservative, you might prefer the New American Standard Bible in this role.

New International Version
Though the NIV is a little less formal than I like when I need to do words studies (each Hebrew or Greek word has too many possibilities as a rendering), the availability of excellent tools based on it makes is a good possibility for Bible study.

For fast reading and overviews:

Revised English Bible
My personal favorite for Bible reading, but has some anglicisms which may grate on American ears. The language is also sophisticated rather than simple.

Contemporary English Version
I use this Bible for outreach and also for my own devotional reading when I want to relax. It uses simple, straightforward language, and the translators considered how it would sound when read aloud. I often use it in The Learning Bible: CEV from the American Bible Society.

Featured Bibles

Energion.com
The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible With Apocrypha	The Learning Bible, Contemporary English Version	The Jewish Study Bible: Featuring the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation	The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version With the Apocrypha
List Price: $45.00 Our Price: $82.09	List Price: $49.99 Our Price: $32.99	List Price: $32.99 Our Price: $29.69	List Price: $46.00 Our Price: $30.36

Books on Inspiration and Translation

Energion.com
What's in a Version?	A User's Guide To Bible Translations: Making The Most Of Different Versions	Evidence for the Bible	When People Speak for God
List Price: $12.99 Our Price: $11.04	List Price: $15.00 Our Price: $11.25	List Price: $16.99 Our Price: $13.25	List Price: $17.99 Our Price: $14.03

Bible Translations Terminology

Formal Equivalence

In Bible translation, the attempt to make a translation as close to the forms of the original langue as possible, also known as literal translation. Examples of formal equivalence Bibles include the NASB, NKJV, ESV, and NRSV. Sometimes Functional Equivalence is called FE because at one time it was contrasted to Dynamic Equivalence (DE).

Functional Equivalence

In Bible translation, the attempt to make a translation have as close as possible to the same impact on the readers as the original did, or to convey as precisely as possible the same meaning. Often this involves departing from the forms of the source language. Also known as Dynamic Equivalence. Sometimes functional equivalence translations are called paraphrases, but this is incorrect. Some examples of functional equivalence translations are the REB, NLT and the CEV.

Majority Text

The majority text in the New Testament is a text made up by simply counting the manuscripts supporting a particular reading, and accepting as correct the reading contained in the majority. This is done irrespective of the age or the genealogy of the particular manuscript. Contrast with the eclectic text approach.

Eclectic Text

A text made up by weighing the various manuscripts according to their age and ancestry, but not favoring any particular manuscript or group. The readings are each weighed individually.