WHAT IS THE BEST TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE?

by Utopian_Raindrops 50 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  LyinEyes

  Hey Utopian......... sounds like you are making wonderful progress. You remind me of just what I did when I got out of JW,,,,,,,, I was frantic to get to the real truth of the bible , but didnt know which one to choose from.

  I was out of town, hubby was working , and we decided we were not going back. But in my mind I had to believe something, I had to find some kind of truth.

  I ran to Wal-Mart in Dodge city, Ks, and got two bibles. NIV and American Standard Version. I like the NIV the best. Hubby has the Wycliff bible but it is a study bible with footnotes and explainations. Many say it is a great study aid. My father in law is a Moffit praiser...he lost it in a fire, and I am hoping to find him another one.

  When I started reading the Bible back then,,,,,,,,, things started coming off of the pages and it was like all these years I read this book of the bible or that one, and never saw what I was just reading.

  Something tonite reminded me of my love of the bible , my faith , my God, and all that I have lost. I know I never had it, the truth that is,,,,,,,but nonetheless , I miss my faith very much. I miss the spirtiual side of me that is craving understanding.

  I like what Intro said, to use your heart and mind ......... I havent done that in bible reading. I was too afraid to open my heart because I felt I did that with JW and it only hurt me. But maybe it is time to try again,,,, at this different phase of my recovery, maybe I am ready to start reading again.

  Someone told me once when I decided to start cover to cover bible reading, and failed, ( I got pissed off somewhere around Gen. 6, the flood and stopped..lol) to start you bible reading in John.

  I am not sure why. But I guess maybe it is because it is talking about Jesus so much and not so much destruction as the first chapters of the bible talk about. I think maybe John gives up more hope than Gen.
• 

  Yizuman

  LyinEyes,

  Yes when you read the book of John, everything else will fall into place as you will understand the bible better after reading the book of John.

  Here's my tip of how I started out. Read the book of John, after that, read the book of Romans and pay attention to the details of chapter 7 and 8, they are very important chapters.

  You'll see why when you start back on it.

  Yizuman
• 

  AlanF

  I like a number of translations, but you have to realize their limitations. No translation is "best" because they all have their weak points and strong points, and translation is much more an art than a science. More or less in reverse order of literalism I generally find myself using these:

  New Living Translation: While this sometimes goes far afield from the most literal renderings, and can be more an interpretation than a translation, it often renders difficult passages in the most understandable manner. I particularly enjoy the smooth English, especially where Hebrew or Greek idiom rendered literally is virtually incomprehensible in a literal translation.

  New International Version: Same as with the NLT, but it's a bit more literal.

  The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips: Very easy reading.

  The New Jerusalem Bible: Originally translated into French, this is both an accurately literal and smoothly reading version. Marginal notes are excellent.

  Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures: From the Jewish Publication Society; Old Testament only. Fairly literal and with a distinctly Jewish flavor.

  Revised Standard Version: A nice compromise between literalism and smooth reading, I like this old standby better than the New Revised Standard Version.

  New American Standard Bible: Very literal, but still reasonably smooth. Lots of good marginal commentary.

  New World Translation: The most literal that I regularly use. Sometimes wooden and sometimes overly literal to the point of unintelligibility. Extremely accurate word for word except when JW theology dictates an exception.

  The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth Wuest: Hyperliteral; uses many extra English words to bring across the precise meaning of the Greek.

  Every translation suffers from the bias of the translators, i.e., their theological suppositions. I have yet to find a translation that does not somehow alter certain texts in order to make it more palatable to the intended audience, or even to enhance the "proof" of some predetermined doctrinal position. As in every other area, let the buyer beware. Bible readers who really want to understand the text need to obtain a variety of translations, and compare these to a good variety of lexicons, word studies and so forth.

  AlanF
• 

  jgnat

  What is the best? I say ALL of them. Every translation has something to add. I cut my baby teeth on the NIV. Right now I am enjoying a NLT LIfe Application Study Bible that has all kinds of study aids included. For serious study, I found http://www.e-sword.net/ a free download that also offers free translations. The software allows me to do zippy searches and word studies, something I had never attempted before. On my e-sword download, I have the American Standard Version (ASV), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), King James Version (KJV) and the Darby. All interesting. And I can display all translations together when looking up a single verse. Lotsa fun.

  Utopian, thanks for starting a great, friendly thread.
• 

  scholar

  ozziepost

  The reason that I say that the NWT is the the best and the most accurate translation made thus far is because it is a provision from Jehovah - James 1:17. You may find it helpful to consult the journal BIBLE TRANSLATOR held at Moore College Library which will enhance your appreciation of the NWT. My endorsement of the NWT arises not because of my academic attainments but from decades of using the NWT and comparing it with commentaries, other translations, lexicons and word study reference works.

  scholar BA MA Studies in Religion
• 

  jgnat

  See? This individual scholar, through years of research, has determined that his choice is better than ALL THE OTHER scholars that labored diligently over their translation work. One voice in a multitude.
• 

  Big Tex

  Rewind. Erase.

  Edited by - big tex on 15 January 2003 1:55:4
• 

  Athanasius

  I like the Revised English Bible and the New Revised Standard Version. The Stone Edition Tanach, published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd. is the best translation of the Old Testament.

  Sincerely,

  Athanasius
• 

  ozziepost

  You may find it helpful to consult the journal BIBLE TRANSLATOR held at Moore College Library which will enhance your appreciation of the NWT.

  Oh dear, Scholar, methinks you have slipped here!

  Firstly, your claims to Bible scholarship and an inferred corroboration from Moore College. You would be aware that this theological college is a centre of evangelical Anglican learning. Are you now claiming to be Anglican???????

  Secondly, if you wish to claim a Moore College tradition, you would need to produce evidence of endorsement from Australia's recognised Bible scholars, all with a Moore tradition e.g. Paul Barnett, Peter Jensen, Peter Adam, Donald Howard, and the like. From conversations with all this scholars, I doubt very much that you would receive any endorsement of the NWT from them.

  Cheers, Ozzie
• 

  scholar

  ozziepost

  You have misunderstood my reply. I simply drew your attention to a journal in the Moore College holdings that discusses the subject of Bible translation. The reading of this journal enables one to have a good appreciation of the NWT when the principles of translation are applied. It was not meant to imply that this would be an endorsement of the NWT. Many people have a favorite translation for various reasons but when looks into the literature then the standards are somewhat higher.

  scholar BA MA Studies in Religion