by Bruno Somerset

Created on: August 16, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Choosing the right Bible for you is no longer a simple task, but it can be made easier with a little work before you buy. The first and often most difficult choice is which translation is best for you. There are stalwarts out there who still insist that The King James Version is the only true translation, even if many of the words haven't been in use for nearly 200 years. If you are one of these people your choice is easy, at least as far as translation. For everyone else, let's take a look at the plethora of translations available.

When translating the Bible from the original languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic) there are two basic methods: word-for-word or thought-for-thought. In reality, all versions use some combination of this process, because many Greek and Hebrew words don't have an exact English equivalent and the word order doesn't match up exactly either. A true word-for-word translation would be virtually unreadable. And while thought-for-thought translations better convey the original meaning, even they translate Greek and Hebrew words exactly wherever possible. A third method is the paraphrase, but these versions allow for current slang and idioms and are outdated almost as soon as they are printed.

The ultimate goal is making the Bible relevant and understandable to us today without everyone having to learn Greek or Hebrew. My recommendation is to stay to the thought-for-thought side without slipping all the way to a paraphrase. Another consideration is the reading level required for each version. The translations on the word-for-word end of the spectrum will require a higher reading level (12th grade for the King James Version, for example) while the thought-for-thought versions will require a lower reading level (4th grade for the New Century Version). Below is a list of widely available versions, the translations type, and reading level:

King James Version (KJV): Word-for-word, 12th grade.

New American Standard Bible (NASB): Word-for-word, 11th grade.

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV): Balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought, 10th Grade.

New King James Version (NKJV): More verse-for-verse than word-for-word, 9th Grade.

English Standard Version (ESV): Word-for-word, 8th Grade.

New International Version (NIV): Balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought, 7th Grade.

New Living Translation (NLT): Thought-for-thought, 6th Grade.

Contemporary English Version (CEV): Thought-for-thought, 5th Grade.

New Century Version (CNV):

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