best bibles Archives | Faithlife Blog

November 10, 2014 By Guest Author | 16 Comments

How to Choose a Bible for Preaching

Today’s guest post is by Randy Brown, creator of BibleBuyingGuide.com. Randy reviews Bibles in all price ranges to help people make the best choice for their budget. His mission is to promote Bible reading and study, and to share quality publishing.

I’ve never been one to just pick a Bible at random. A Bible has to suit a specific purpose. It has to meet certain needs.

You don’t just pick any bowling ball, bat, glove, club, bow, shoe, tire, car wax, gasoline, car, house, suit, television, DVD player, or computer when you have a specific job to do. You choose them for your specific need or purpose.

A Bible is no different. Sure, you can preach from any Bible you can get your hands on. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a better choice for your purpose—one that will make you a more effective preacher.

11 Available Translations—$10 Each

Last week, I wrote about how to choose a Bible translation, recommending that you pair a highly precise translation with a highly readable one when you study. This week, I’d like to give you a quick guide to 11 of the modern English translations available on Logos.com, to help you understand the strengths and history of each.

Lexham English Bible (LEB)

The Lexham English Bible, translated right here at Logos, is unique in that the translation decisions are made transparently with notes in your Faithlife Study Bible, explaining why difficult passages were translated the way they are. While this translation represents more than a $10 value, it’s completely free. Download it together with the Faithlife Study Bible.

Reading level: 9th grade
Translation method: transparent hybrid
Precision: ★★★★★
Readability: ★★★

King James Version (KJV)

Originally published in 1611, the KJV has had a profound effect on the English language. The readability of the KJV has faded over time as language evolved.

Reading level: 12th grade or above
Translation method: verbal equivalence
Precision: ★★★
Readability: ★

New King James Version (NKJV)

A team of 60 scholars and church leaders created a modern-English equivalent of the KJV. Only slight changes were made, making the NKJV less poetic and a little more readable, but equally precise.

Reading level: 11th grade
Translation method: update of KJV (verbal equivalence)
Precision: ★★★
Readability: ★★

New American Standard Version (NASB)

The gold standard of precision translations, NASB is perfect for word-by-word study. But it has been criticized as hard to read because it lacks flow.

Reading level: 12th grade
Translation method: verbal equivalence
Precision: ★★★★★
Readability: ★★

English Standard Version (ESV)

Dr. J. I. Packer provided oversight, leading to one of the most universally loved English translations. Dr. Packer called it, “the most important thing that I have ever done for the Kingdom.”

Reading level: 11th grade
Translation method: update of the RSV (verbal equivalence)
Precision: ★★★★
Readability: ★★★

New International Version (NIV)

The translation committee behind the NIV included members from several English speaking countries for better international acceptance, hence the name. The 2002 update, polarized the church with its use of gender-inclusive language. The most recent update, published in 2011, rolled back many of the controversial changes.

Reading level: 8th grade
Translation method: hybrid
Precision: ★★★
Readability: ★★★★

New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)

The NIV was modified to help early readers understand the Bible. It uses shorter words and sentences, and it includes more subheadings to break chapters into smaller chunks.

Reading level: 4th grade
Translation method: hybrid
Precision: ★★
Readability: ★★★★★

New Living Translation (NLT)

Revised from The Living Bible, the translation team used a thought-for-thought methodology (instead of word-for-word). The result is easy to understand but less precise.

Reading level: 6th grade
Translation method: dynamic equivalence
Precision: ★★
Readability: ★★★★★

The Amplified Bible (AMP)

The translation team delivers synonyms of critical words, often verbs, in parentheticals to draw out an application. I find this approach confusing, but I know many who love it.

Reading level: 12th grade
Translation method: verbal equivalence
Precision: ★
Readability: ★★

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

A team of 90 scholars, predominantly Southern Baptist, released the HSBC in 2003. While a strong, well-balanced translation, it has been overshadowed by the ESV.

Reading level: 8th grade
Translation method: hybrid
Precision: ★★★★
Readability: ★★★

The Message

The Message is unique because it is the work of a single scholar, Eugene Peterson, and because it leans heavily toward readability. It has its critics, but The Message has never claimed to be anything other than a paraphrase with a heavy emphasis on readability.

Reading level: 6th grade
Translation method: paraphrase
Precision: ★
Readability: ★★★★★

Add one or more translations to your Faithlife Study Bible for $10.00 each at Logos.com.

November 20, 2013 By Ray Deck III | 22 Comments

How to Choose a Bible Translation

Glasses on Open Bible Since the Bible was originally written in ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, it must be translated for most of us to read and understand it. In English, we have several options. But how are they different? How do you decide which version to read? Should you have more than one?

Here’s your guide to choosing a Bible translation.

What’s the difference?

Translating from an ancient language is a balancing act between precision and readability. The more strictly a translation holds to the word order of the original, the harder it is to read, and the smoother the translated language, generally the farther it strays from the original wording. Some translations sacrifice readability in favor of an extremely precise translation (like the NASB). Others play loose with the original word order and achieve a very smooth, highly readable final product (like the NLT). Most fill the space between those extremes.

There are four major translation methods:

Verbal equivalence—translate with strong preference to use the same word order as the original
Dynamic equivalence—translate with freedom to rearrange the order of words in the final product to enhance readability
Hybrid—a combined approach in which a committee of scholars decide which method to use in each situation
Paraphrase—translate with freedom to rearrange or use different words to express the author’s intent
(Some scholars argue this method is not even a translation, but something different.)

Do I need more than one?

Yes.

While some teach that highly readable translations are better for children and new believers, it’s wise for everyone to pair a precise translation with a highly readable one, especially when dealing with a more complex passage. The readable one may lead to faster understanding, while the precision can clarify that understanding.

The NASB, a highly precise translation, pairs well with NLT, a smooth reading.

The ESV, a balanced translation with a tendency toward precision, pairs well with NIrV, which prefers readability.

While the Faithlife Study Bible comes free with the LEB, there are many other translations available for $10.00 each on Logos.com. Pick your preferred translations today!