Have you ever wanted to build your knowledge of God and his people? Or maybe you have some questions you want to try finding the answers to for yourself? Chances are you’ve wondered what is the best version of the Bible to read. As it stands today, there are well over 50 different versions. For this list, I will narrow it down to 5 you can realistically choose from.
- NASB(New American Standard Bible)
- ESV(English Standard Version)
- NKJV(New King James Version)
- NLV(New Living Translation)
- KJV(King James Version)
To truly understand the differences between versions it’ll help to keep these terms in mind:
- Word for word
- Thought for thought in
- Paraphrasing
Word for Word: This is a literal 1-to-1 translation of the Bible into your language. On the surface level, it seems it’s always best to go word-for-word, however it is important to keep in mind that translating from one language to another isn’t always that simple. Especially when considering the Hebrew language which contains few words that have many meanings.
Thought for Thought: This categorization involves more perspective than word-for-word. It also contains more contemporary language, which in turn makes it easier to read.
Paraphrasing: Best described as rewording the scripture to make it easy to understand. In fact, the main purpose of the paraphrasing category is to make the very easy to read without worrying about word-for-word accuracy. From my personal experience, it’s best not to start with this version because it is the most likely to give you opinionated information. Establish yourself through other versions first for the best way to know which text holds true or not.
Example of Paraphrasing:
The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
John 1:1 (MSG) *Paraphrashing*
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1(KJV) * Word-for-word*
The image received from: chapter3min.org
NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Published in 1963, the NASB holds the title of most accurate Bible translation. A very strict word-for-word translation that can prove difficult to read but will reward you with accurate knowledge if you’re comfortable with it.
Trust in the Lord forever,
For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
Isaiah 26:4(NASB)
ESV (English Standard Version)
A translation of the Bible that is similar to the NASB. Published in 2001, it is written in relatively modern English. It also contains similarities to the popular KJV due to its gendered language and fluent text.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Isaiah 26:4(ESV)
KJV (King James Version)
One of, if not the most popular version of the Bible out there. A tried and true word-for-word translation, that contains some of the most memorable verses that we still hear today. KJV was published in 1611, hence the reason for all the thou’s and thee’s in the texts. Encompassing all of this means it is the most difficult version of the Bible to read on this list. It is important to also keep in mind that many study references for the Bible were made with the KJV in mind, which makes this a great Bible study option.
Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength
Isaiah 26:4 (KJV)
NKJV (New King James Version)
NKJV is an updated version of the KJV, written in 1975. What makes this translation special is that it still contains the poetic writing of the KJV while being far easier to read and comprehend. In addition, it is an amazing study version due to you being able to apply the same references from the KJV.
Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.
Isaiah 26:4 (NKJV)
NLT (New Living Translation)
The NLT was published in 1996. Among the others on this list, this thought-for-thought translation is the easiest to read. It is very suitable for children to read due to its easy-to-understand language. Even though it isn’t regarded as a very accurate translation, it still holds the truth and can be a great entry point for those that aren’t so advanced in the English language.
Trust in the Lord always,
for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.
Isaiah 24:6(NLV)
Decision
To sum it up, the best way to pick a version is to grab a piece of scripture from one of them and cross-reference it to the other 4 and see which one you’re most comfortable with reading. In fact, that is a great way to study the bible, in general, is to look at different versions of the same scripture to see if you can get a better understanding.
