Posted on 08/04/2004 3:11:04 PM PDT by walden
CHRISTIANITY TODAY MAGAZINE
has had some excellent articles comparing translations. I think Charisma Magazine has had one. I don't have links but they might be searchable at their sites.
Personally, I think the New Living Translation is excellent. I prefer the NIV and MESSAGE versions myself--but if the MESSAGE were not available, I'd probably use the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION.
The original Living was, to my mind, rather unfairly critisized as being 'just a paraphrase.' As though every 'worthy' translation was devoid of paraphrase. Paraphrase is absolutely necessary in many cases in translating from one language, culture, etc. to another. In any case, I think the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION is a good balance between paraphrase and literal translation practices.
I'm not a scholar but I have typically had a lot of translations that I've used--including the Amplified. And, I use the Bible Gateway translations liberally. I was reared on KJV but find it's language--while beautiful and what my memory work was done in--I find it's language almost totally dysfunctional in working with unchurched, and particularly unread modern era people. All the more so if their second language is English.
The whole KJV thing is another hideous phenomenon in Christianity, to my mind. It's as though people didn't have enough to be narrow, rigid, pharisaical on, they had to set up as an idol some ink on pages with KING JAMES ENGLISH as though God has always spoken that way along with Moses, Adam and Eve et al. GRRRR. SILLINESS TO EXCESS. And at the expense of sending souls to hell because they cannot and will not plow through the mystifying KJV English. Sorry--got off on a tangent rant.
I'll shut up. I trust your new Bible will draw you closer to our Lord. Read it in confidence. When in doubt or instudy--consult several translations for a more robust understanding of a passage.
Actually, given all the scholarship (including discoveries the last 10-30 years) that went into the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION--IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED MUCH MORE ACCURATE than the KJV.
Old versions of the NIV are OK, but the current version has been made 'politically correct' at the cost of accuracy.
Gender-neutral NIV revision announced; Bible society drops translation accord
Jan 28, 2002
By Art Toalston
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A Jan. 28 news release announcing a "Today's New International Version" of the Bible reports that the TNIV entails a "7 percent change" from the widely used New International Version, or NIV, published by the International Bible Society and Zondervan.
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=12625
If you want a modern translation, I recomment a literal -- i.e., word-for-word -- translation -- NKJV, ESV, NASV, NRSV, etc., not a thought-for-thought paraphrase like NLT or NIV.
Oh, certainly. I was thinking about the "old" NIV since it is still referred to that way even by the IBS (I regard TNIV as an entirely different translation from my POV and frankly, I don't like it with the reasons you said).
As others on this thread have mentioned, the NLT, while reasonably good at what it set out to do (allowing the translators a bit more leeway in communicating underlying ideas) it is still a paraphrase. Any paraphrase translation tends to amplify the underlying perspectives of the translators, and thus is probably *not* a good translation to be used alone. Actually all translations suffer from this 'translator's perspective' problem (there are some really glaring examples in the KJV, f'rinstance) so the best way to study Holy Scripture in English is to use two trustworthy translations together.
A number of good suggestions have been made by others on this thread, but I'll throw in my 2 cents' worth anyway. If you're comfortable with the NLT, you might consider using the NASB as your other translation. The reason I suggest this is because the NASB follows just the opposite translation philosophy. They try to be as literal as possible, even to the point of listing multiple alternate translations for individual words. The contrast between these two translations should allow you to grasp more of the full meaning of the text much more easily than either one alone. Just be certain to get yourself a copy with all of the side column (or center column)notes and footnotes; and choose a copy that's in a LARGE typeface - at least if you are *ahem* over 40 and don't want to squint a lot at the footnotes.
Other good nonparaphrased translations are the ESV and NKJV...the NIV is okay, but there are portions of it which tend to slide over a bit toward a paraphrase, without really crossing the line...much.
In any case, the bottom line is that, given that one can't work in the original languages (and *I* certainly can't) the practice of using at least two different translations provides a much better understanding of the text than would be possible with either one alone.
whoops! and as was pointed out by PAR35, avoid the TNIV (a PC mutilation of the NIV) like the plague - the NRSV likewise!
When I mentioned the NIV, I meant the NIV, not it's later, illegitimate cousin.
I've heard negative comments about the RSV (Revised Standard Version), but the one you really have to watch out for is the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version).
The NRSV is a political correctness nightmare. It has been "degendered," and in any number of places that has totally changed the meaning. Also, it rewrites scriptures which arguably show men as having a place over women. Thus, for example (and this is a hypothetical, not reference to an actual passage), where the original would say something like "all of the men who were leaders of the Israelites told them they had to obey the LORD," it would be rewritten as "the leaders told the Israelites they had to obey the LORD." Similarly, gender terms like "king" or "shepherd" are changed to things like "ruler" and "those who watched the sheep."
My everyday Bible is an RSV. Not that I prefer it, but it is the same one I was given in religion class in 6th grade so I've always had it (it's literally falling apart at the spine, so I now put it in one of those zip-up Bible covers.)
My church uses the NRSV in services, so I follow along in my RSV. (My church is fairly evangelical, but they are stuck in the PCUSA and I think the denomination requires churches to use the NRSV). So as I have followed along in my RSV when the Scriptures are being read from the lectern in the NRSV, the changes are very obvious.
The one that always sticks in my mind is how the NRSV has rewritten the Massacre of the Innocents. The RSV makes clear that Herod killed all the male children, which obviously is what happened and makes sense since he was worried about a king to challenge him. The NRSV rewrites the passage to state that all the children were killed (male and female).
Moses spoke English?
Elizabethan English.
Musta made communicating hard. No wonder the Israelites seemd to never follow his instructions.
That might explain it. Here was Moses and God speaking in King James English and all the Israelites speaking in the original Hebrew. Its no wonder they wandered around in circles for 40 years.
Have not been talking about any so called higher criticism hogwash at all.
And, the NIV, NLT AND MESSAGE versions do not use flawed research findings either.
The KJV IS *NOT* FLAWLESS.
IT IS VERY ARCHAIC.
Perhaps the NKJV is acceptable but it's just not my favorite.
Bias and idolatry of ink on page is no substitute for sound judgment. And it's of little functional help in choosing the best translation for modern language users.
BTW, HINT: Moses, Abraham, Adam, Eve, Ezekiel, God, Jesus, St Paul, John the beloved
all
did
NOT
speak in
KJV ENGLISH!
sigh.
KJV, NASB and NIV are all decent versions.
Greek New Testament and Hebrew Old Testament if you really want to get authentic.
Bottom line is this. Simply pray to God for His guidance when studying Scripture after confessing any known and unknown sins to Him through faith in Christ for forgiveness. Upon your return to Him on His terms, he is faithful and just to return to us.
Try readings of a book in one sitting for context, topical studies between verses and books, and word studies where your interest may be struck through Him.
Each of us have different gifts. Each of us have a different pastor-teacher to follow. There are different plans for each of us, but always through faith in Him.
The more your mind thinks and behaves along Bible doctrine, the better equipped we all are for any problem that arises in life. Many of the most profound problems, for myself, have been those where I simply acted through faith in Him with little to no actual preparation for the problem and many times even any knowledge that the situation was problematic.
Funny how a faith filled life works that way sometimes. Seems the more we work at being faithful, rather than simply reliant upon His grace, the less prepared we really are under stress.
NASB is pretty good as a word by word translation, NIV as a verse by verse translation and KJV for reading the book in a whole sitting. Specific doctrinal studies will probably touch on all three, but also are amplified in Greek and Hebrew studies, from my perspective. Thank You Lord.
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