Which Bible Version Is Best?

Understanding the different translations and finding your best fit with God's Word

My experience with different Bible translations is probably the same as that of many others. Starting with the King James Version (KJV), the most common version used in homes and churches during my childhood, I moved from one to another as I grew older. I finally found a spiritual home with the English Standard Version (ESV) for personal use as well as for preaching and teaching. But I still have an appreciation for other Bibles, and in this post I’ll walk through the different versions in a way that I hope will help you decide which version suits you best.

The KJV was the first Bible I read (except for Children’s Bibles), but my reaction to it as a teenager mainly had to do with pulling one from the pew rack to pass the time during sermons that went too long. I remember the fear I felt while reading the judgment scenes in the book of Revelation as well as my curiosity about the infamous passages in the Song of Solomon. Both books kept me awake during the preacher’s droning, although for wildly different reasons.

When my faith became genuine in college, I picked up the New American Standard Bible. First published in 1971 (it’s gone through several revisions since then), the NASB is a literal translation that makes it attractive to, especially, serious Bible students. I quickly grew to love it. At the same time, I found the version a little wooden and sometimes cumbersome to read. I didn’t understand at the time how literal translations often sacrifice readability for the sake of accurate translation of the languages in which the Bible was primarily written.

The Living Bible (TLB) also came out in 1971 and was in many ways the polar opposite of the NASB. Instead of a literal translation from the original languages, it was a paraphrase of the American Standard Version (ASV) of 1901. The creator of the TLB simply placed the earlier version into modern American idiom. While many people at the time criticized the version for playing fast and loose with God’s Word, it proved to be hugely popular—especially among younger people—and is still widely read today.

But the KJV, the NASB and TLB are only the tip of the iceberg. Today, there’s an alphabet soup of Bibles to choose from. The Revised Standard Version (RSV), is a revision of the same American Standard Version (ASV) that was the source of TLB. The Message (MSG), is a paraphrase version by pastor and author Eugene Peterson. The Amplified Bible (AB), includes a kind of running commentary along with the Bible itself. The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) is a version from my own Southern Baptist Convention. The New International Version (NIV) was until the last few years the most popular translation. The JB Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS) has a way of rendering key biblical verses in phrases that ring like a church bell. For example, here’s Romans 12:1-2:

With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

A lesser known version is Clarence Jordan’s “Cotton Patch Version,” a paraphrase, which goes so far as to place the story of Jesus in the state of Georgia during the pre-Civil Rights era. Jerusalem is Atlanta. Galilee is Gainesville. Valdosta is Bethlehem. Jordan doesn’t claim any kind of literal translation of the original languages (although he was an accomplished New Testament scholar); but pays attention instead to the racial, economic and power dynamics in that era of Georgia history, the same elements that were present in the New Testament world. The result of Jordan’s imaginative version is that the story of Jesus comes alive in unique and fascinating ways.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the choices. At the same time, the rich variety of Bibles is a banquet table of the soul for those who love the Bible, read it, study it, teach from it and preach from it. If you want to look more in detail at the different Bibles, the popular website biblegateway.com has 62 versions (in English alone) available for free downloads.

How do you decide which version is for you? With so many out there, and each having its own unique flavor, what are the criteria to use in order to find which one best fits your personality and spiritual journey? To answer that question, we need to dig into two key issues. The first has to do with approach and the second concerns theology.

The approach taken by different versions of the Bible

By “approach” I mean the overall philosophy adopted by the creators of the various versions as they translate the original languages of the Bible (primarily Hebrew in the Old Testament and Greek in the New Testament) into modern English. There are three such approaches. “Literal equivalence” works from the perspective of taking each word in the original language and rendering it into the equivalent in modern English. The NASB that I mentioned earlier is an example. “Dynamic equivalence,” the second approach, focuses not so much on the words of the original languages as the concepts behind them. Bibles that adopt this approach—they’re more commonly known as paraphrases—try to render the ancient concepts into modern concepts. The TLB is an example. The third approach is a hybrid that seeks to combine the best of literal equivalence with the best of dynamic equivalence. The New Living Translation (NLT) is an example.

I know that sounds complicated, but it’s easy to tell the difference when you look at how it works out in practice. Let’s take a look at the familiar Psalm 23 in order to see how the three different approaches work out in practice.

The best known version of Psalm 23 is, of course, found in the KJV, a literal translation of the original Hebrew:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The remarkable rhythms and sonorous phrases of the KJV have never been matched; indeed, this version is the grandaddy of all other versions. I often tell people that the enduring attraction of the KJV is that when you read it aloud it sounds like the Bible ought to sound. But behind the beauty and power of its language, the literal equivalence approach followed by its translators (by the way, the excellent book “God’s Secretaries” tells the story of the translation of the KJV from the secular perspective of how it molded the English language—it’s a fascinating story) is what places this version of Psalm 23 at the highest level of spiritual comfort and truth.

The dynamic equivalence approach can be found in Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Psalm 23 in his version of the Bible, “The Message.”

God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.

You can see how this version of Psalm 23 looks behind the words of the original language to the concepts behind them then expresses those concepts in contemporary fashion. “You let me catch my breath” is how the Message renders the KJV, “He restoreth my soul.” And where the KJV has, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies,” the Message has “You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.” While not literal renderings of the original Hebrew, the Message’s approach of dynamic equivalence still captures the essence of at least some of the Psalm and makes it more accessible to modern life.

And here is Psalm 23 in the New Living Translation, a hybrid approach that seeks to combine literal equivalence with dynamic equivalence:

The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

The NLT tries to steer a middle course, making use of both literal equivalence and dynamic equivalence. For example, when it comes to the pivotal verse 5 which the KJV renders in the unforgettable line “thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” and the Message ruins with the forgettable line “You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing,” the NLT has “You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings,” expressing the image in a way that’s faithful to the original wording but without giving into the shallowness of modern cliches.

The theology behind different versions of the Bible

The second issue key issue when it comes to selecting a version of the Bible has to do with the theology behind the different versions. Every version has translators, and all translators work from a certain theological foundation. As a general observation, the more conservative Bible versions are the KJV, the NASB and the ESV. The more liberal versions would be the Message and the Living Bible—although that’s not a completely fair assessment because paraphrases like the Message and the Living Bible are by definition less clear in their doctrinal orientation. In the middle of the theological spectrum I’d put versions like the NIV and the NLT.

As an example of what I mean by the theology behind the different versions of the Bible, we can look at one specific word in the New Testament, and how different Bibles render the word into English. The word in Greek is hilasterion and, expressing a key truth about the impact of the cross and the meaning of Jesus’ crucifixion, can be found in several critical verses. I’ve pulled out the three of the four main occurences and highlighted the English word in each passage:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God pur forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:23-25 ESV)

He [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 ESV)

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loves us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10 ESV)

The word “propitiation” may be unfamiliar to some, but it defines in precise language what happened on the cross. God’s righteous wrath against our sin was satisfied in the sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf. In other words, “propitiation” communicates the truth that we are sinners who have offended a holy God by our sins, and only through the blood of Christ can our sins by forgiven. The reason “propitiation” is the correct rendering of hilasterion is found in the fourth occurence of the word in Hebrews 9:5:

Above it [the arc of the covenant] were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.

The mercy seat was the lid of the arc of covenant where once each year on the Day of Atonement the high priest would enter into the holy of holies and sprinkle the blood of a sacrificial bull and goat as offerings to God in order that he might forgive the peoples’ sin. That act out of the old covenant, according to the book of Hebrews, was the template for understanding Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross in the new covenant. In other words, the Jewish roots of hilasterion make “propitation” the only way to correctly render the word.

But the notion of a holy God who judges sin isn’t accepted by all Bible translators and their theologies have a way of altering the way words like hilasterion are rendered into English. For example, the RSV, a more liberal translation of the Bible, renders the word not as propitiation but as expiation, a softer word that focuses more on making amends than on satisfying the righteous anger of God. In what is clearly a theological decision, the translators of the RSV choose to look at the cross not through the lens of God wrath against sin but as Christ making amends for our mistakes. It’s a subtle but significant shift, communicating a different understanding of God, Jesus, sin and the cross.

The NIV, a version that seeks the theological middle ground, renders hilasterion in still a different fashion. In all four verses above, it has the generic “atoning sacrifice,” (Hebrews 9:5 is “atoning cover”) a phrase with little theological definition at all, in the hopes of not offending anyone. This is a practice that tends to run throughout the NIV, one reason many people no longer use it.

The NLT takes a different stance altogether, rendering the word differently in each verse. In Romans 3:25 it’s “the sacrifice for sin.” In 1 John 2:2 it’s “the sacrifice that atones for our sins.” In 1 John 4:10, the word is rendered as “a sacrifice to take away our sins.” And in Hebrews 9:25, “the place of atonement.” It’s as if the editors of the NLT couldn’t make up their mind.

So, which Bible version is best for you? My suggestion is that you find one that fits your basic theological stance and make that your go-to Bible. For me, that’s the ESV. I’ve found that it’s faithful to the original languages but also highly readable. I also agree with its conservative theological stance. It works well for personal devotion and for teaching and preaching. I also enjoy consulting many other versions as a way of helping me gain a broader outlook on biblical truth.

At the same time, I know many faithful, mature people who find other versions meaningful. Some of the younger adults in my church love the New Living Translation. Other people make their spiritual home in the Living Bible, the New American Standard Bible or even the King James Version. Whatever version you settle on, though, the essential thing to remember is how the Holy Spirit works through the Word in order to impart God’s truth into your life. May you find his Word and his Spirit enough to nurture your soul and mature you into the image of Jesus!