The best translations of the Bible are mostly well-known, but there are also a few that are not so well-known. Scholars regard Word-for-Word as most accurate translation method that leaves the least room for error.
The following is a list of “Bible” translations that should be avoided for any real and faithful personal Bible study (in a separate article we will look at a list of Bible translations that are encouraged for use). 1) The Message (MSG) - This translation is a paraphrase by Eugene Peterson.
He prepared it originally for his church youth group, but it has become a favorite of Bible students and scholars for decades since it was first published in 1958. This translation has been lauded by many as “lively” “a treasure” and “dynamic” –superlatives you seldom hear when describing a Bible translation!
On the other hand, if you want a brief, basic look at some of the major Bible translations today -- and if you want something written by a non-genius type like me -- then keep reading. One of the mistakes people make when they shop for a Bible translation is to say, "I want a literal translation."
Bible translations are usually broken down into three major categories: Word-for-word or Formal Equivalence, Thought-for-Thought or Dynamic Equivalence, and Paraphrase . Word-for -word is a more literal translation of the original language used and puts more of the onus on the reader to discover the intended meaning of the author.
3) The Living Bible (TLB) - First published in 1971, The Living Bible is another paraphrase translation by sole translator, Kenneth Taylor. However, Taylor does not follow the typical biblical translation process of using the original language manuscripts to create his translation. He instead uses the 1901 American Standard Version as his foundation.
5) Contemporary English Version (CEV) - This translation is another work by the American Bible Society, commonly referred to as the Bible for Today's Family. The CEV uses an even more simplified version of English than the GNT. Again, the attempt to make a translation that is simple for anyone comes at the cost of containing misleading text, such as claiming the Holy Spirit actually replaces Jesus (John 14:26) and gender-neutralizing Paul’s instructions for a pastor (1 Timothy 3:1-5). The translators of the CEV prove their exegetical incompetence with confusing and illogical translations of verses, such as their handling of Acts 9:22. To see additional comparisons other than what is listed below, visit Bible Gateway, where you can view parallel translations of this translation (and any of the other poor translations featured in this article) with the ESV (or any other reliable translation) side by side.
2) The Passion Translation (TPT) - This is another paraphrase translation like The Message. The Passion is the work of sole translator, Brian Simmons, whose work has been heavily critiqued by the scholarly world.
It’s always better to refer to Scripture than to quote any pastor, preacher, biblical scholar, theological professor, etc., no matter where they are in their walk with Christ. Only the Bible is authoritative and “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correct ion, and for training in right eousness”, as made clear in 2 Timothy 3:16.
The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek. When you read it in English, you naturally want it to be the best possible translation.
There are 3 main approaches for Bible translations. Here is a list:
New American Standard Bible (NASB) The NASB holds the title of Most Accurate Translation due to its strict adherence to Literal (Word-for-Word) translation methods. It was originally published in 1963 and was revised in 1995.
A paraphrase translation of the Bible seeks to make the Bible more understandable to the reader.
The left side is the more literal translations –formal equivalence- and the right side –the paraphrase- is fully into the dynamic equivalence realm.
The Interlinear is a literal word-for-word translation showing words from the original text in the source language along with the exact word from the target language that corresponds to it. The grammar of the source language is conserved, so it is awkward to read in the target language.
Bible scholars have to study the original languages for a long period of time in order to develop a high proficiency in the original language. And these same scholars must be top experts in the target language as well. Anybody who has learned a foreign language knows there are certain idioms in each language.
Dynamic Equivalence is an interpretative Bible translation philosophy. Examples of such translations would be the CEV, TEV (GNT), NIV, NRSV, NLT, and so on.
The translator’s primary purpose is to give the Bible readers what God said by way of his human authors, not what a translator thinks God meant in its place.
The translator’s primary goal is to be accurate and faithful to the original text. The meaning of a word is the responsibility of the interpreter (i.e., reader), not the translator. Nevertheless, extremes in the literal translation of the text just for the sake of being literal must be avoided.
A translation of the Greek geenna is best transliterated as Gehenna.
When dated terms are used ( iniquity ), they should be replaced with a corresponding English word ( unrighteousness) of the original biblical text. The Bible translators can use such literal wording as ( stain, defile, corrupt) in place of such ambiguous expressions as “ spotting the whole body ,” which helps the modern reader avoid confusion.
The Old Testament was originally written in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic, while the New Testament was written in what is known as Koine Greek, namely, common Greek. The Bible has been translated into at least hundreds of other languages, possibly as many as 2,600.
They give you, the reader, an interlinear rendering of Matthew 17:18, and then refer to it as a literal translation, which by association would include the ASV, RSV, NASB, ESV, and the UASV. Again, an interlinear is not a Bible translation; it is a Bible study tool for persons who do not read Hebrew or Greek.
We use the ESV, but there are still some Congregations which use the NKJV, not common, but some.
Luther caught the sense of the Greek not changing the verb erlasset (forgive) into noun for the second part, but rather implied the direct object from the first part of the sentence (die Sünden “sins”. He didn’t twist it like NIV, ESV, GW, and many others have done. Check NAS and NKJV for a correct rendering of the text.
In Bible studies, it seems many use the NIV but he ESV seems a close second. Most have a study Bible put out by the publishing house of the LCMS. The older one used the NIV (and many at my church still have and use that one) whereas recently, a new edition came out and it has the ESV. My pastor always uses the Hebrew and Greek - and does a running translation (which is often pretty loose) as he reads it.
In my initial study of NIV 2011, I think it is better than the 1984 edition. A few areas I think it took a step backward (not using saints as translation for αγιοι, inconsistently translated even in same chapter). Positively, they improved Acts 3:21, but left John 20:23 and 20:27, 1 Peter 3:21 unchanged, which needed to be changed (of course, ESV is wrong on John 20:23, too).
The LCMS does not endorse a particular Bible translation. Concordia Publishing House (CPH), the publishing arm of the LCMS uses the ESV for all new materials.
We use ESV in the LCMS church I attend although I sometimes read KJV or NRSV at home.
Arabic: Bible translations into Arabic. Aramaic: Bible translations into Aramaic, Targum, Peshitta. Armenian: Bible translations into Armenian. Assamese: Bible translations into the languages of India. Auca, Waodani, Huaorani: Bible translations into Native American languages.
Corsican: The translation of the Bible into the Corsican language is the work of Christian Dubois (2005).
Translation has to do with taking one language and carrying the meaning of that word to another language.
phrase for phrase -the attempt to catch the spirit of the original meaning in readable English that makes sense on our cultural terms