Choosing the Right Bible to Read: Introduction Part 2

      Have you ever just sat down and thought about how many versions of the bible there are? There are just so many different bible versions that sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming and might actually make you scared to read God's word! I mean there are versions in English, Spanish, French, Italian so on, but there are also older versions and newer versions, and don't even get me started on all the different study bibles like a women's study bible or a history geared study bible. That is a lot! 

    So imagine someone who is new to the bible and wants to get started on reading God's word and studying God's word. They walk into any book store, let's take Strand in NYC for example, and they walk into the religion section and BAMMMM.... there are about a million different kinds of bibles. If you don't know what to do you are going to feel discouraged and you'll put off reading God's word for another day. 

     Well, I am here to tell you that everything is going to be A-O.K.! Because I went through the exact same feelings that you probably are too but fortunately I go to a Catholic college where the professors do require a certain translation so I wasn't too lost. But, if you are lost I don't blame you at all. I am going to tell you some common translations, and show the first two verses of genesis so  that you can see the differences. So let's get into the  most common bible translations:

1.) American Standard Version (ASV)- Some people call this the Standard American Version, or the Revised Version, it is the revision of the King James Version (KJV). This version is one of the more moderate versions of the bible. It is not one of the easiest as it does have older modern English feel to the text. 

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2 And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

2.) The Common English Bible (CEB)- This is a translation of the scriptures which is geared to try and make the reading more comfortable. It replaces biblical terminology with natural wording.

1 When God began to create the heavens and the earth— 

2 the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God's wind swept over the waters—

3.) Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible (RHE)- This translation is where basically all the English Catholic Bibles are based on. It includes seven of the Deutero-Cannonical Books (AKA Apocrypha). 

1 In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. 

2 And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters. 

4.) English Standard Version (ESV)- This is the version of the study bible that I am using right now. This is a newer translations that provides word for word accuracy with literary excellence, beauty and the readability is GREAT. This is one version that  I would definitely recommend that you read if you are a beginner. 

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 

2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 

5.) Gods World Translation (GW)- This version translates the meaning of the text into clear every day language. 

1 In the beginning God created heaven and earth. 

2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water. 

6.) King James Version (KJV)- This is one of the very first translations of the bible which was authorized by the protestant church and commissioned by King James the first. This is among one of the harder popular versions to read and understand.

1 In the beginning God created* the heaven and the earth. 

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

7.) The New American Standard Version (NASV)- This is written in a formal style, but by far more readable than the KJV. This is a highly respected version and the most literal English translation out there. 

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2 Theearth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of thedeep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

8.) The New International Version (NIV)- This is the version that a bunch of my college professors like to use. It is a balance between word for word and thought for thought. This is an accurate and by far the most smooth to read.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 

9.) New King James Version (NKJV)- This is the modern language update of the KJV. It retains a lot of it's tradition and structure from the KJV.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

10.) The New Living Translation (NLT)- Using modern English, this version focuses more on the clarity rather than the word for word. This is to make the bible easy to read while remaining faithful to the original text.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 

So these are the 10 more common versions of the bible to read. Choose your bible wisely! You should read the bible for the purpose of knowledge and understanding. You need to be able to read, understand and think about God's word in order to read successfully. Have a blessed day! :)