What is the Best Bible Translation to Use?
(Understanding the Reason for Different Translations)
By Steven Bancarz
From Facebook post 9-26-17 (copied with permission).
Follow his Facebook page “Reasons for Jesus”: www.facebook.com/ReasonsforJesus/
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One of the most frequently asked questions in this group, is what is the best Bible translation to use? The truth is there are different types of translations for different applications. A "word for word" translation uses something called formal equivalency, trying to keep the same sentence structure (form) and verbiage while translating word for word from the original languages. This is best for Bible study and exegesis.
Thought for thought (dynamic equivalency) aims to capture the essence of the thought and sentence, which can resulting in the rearranging of words and filling in the gaps where context is left out. These types of translations often include the personal interpretations of the translators in a much higher degree than formal equivalency translations. These may be more suitable, in some cases, for personal devotions.
Without getting into the actual manuscripts used for translation, these are the two general methodologies used in translations. There are also "paraphrase" translations such as The Message which are so far removed from the language the Holy Spirit used as to be rendered useless (in my opinion) for devotion or study. We don't need to go that far. It's unnecessary and potentially dangerous.
Here is a graph going through the different types of translations. The farthest right we should be going is the NLT (which I have only heard good things about). The NASB is typically regarded to be the most accurate translation among apologists and teachers, though the ESV is up there as well and from what I have heard is a standard in seminary.
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I have tried reading the NASB and it just felt awkward and didn't flow right for me. The ESV is my personal favorite and is arguably the best English translation we have available (not only in terms of accuracy, but for all usages).
I would love every Christian to equip themselves with either an NASB or an ESV for study and exegesis, or a CSB (HCSB in the graph) for a more slightly more readable Bible for study IF an ESV is too hard to digest for you. ESV packs an absolute punch and is a wonderful read, something the translators call "essential equivalency". Bibles to be used for devotional purposes is really up to you, as long as you compare what they have to say with a more literal translation.
KJV is not a bad translation either, and I used to be a KJVonlyist for 6 months after I got saved until realizing all the arguments in favor of ONLY using the KJV have absolutely no grounding. We can use a KJV as well (I prefer KJV audio Bible for example), but the ESV and NASB are technically more accurate since they take into account earlier manuscripts that the KJV translators didn't have access to.
These 6000 papyri that the KJV translators didn't have access to date as early as 125AD, and give us insight into what scribal errors may have worked there way into far later manuscripts over the centuries.
One last point. We want to be using a committee translation, not a translation done by a single person. We want a school of Bible and language scholars working on a passage, not one person. This eliminates the potential for error and personal bias. When we have scores of people working on a translation (which we have for an NASB or ESV) as opposed to one person (Young's literal translation or the Message), we have a system of quality control in place that eliminates room for error.
So what's the best translation as far as accuracy to the original languages goes, without compromising readability? ESV. That is what I will say comfortably right now, and I am confident enough with this translation to reach out to Crossway and try to partner with them in some way as a ministry to make more of a corporate push to get God's people into a solid, word for word translation that is readable and accurate to the original languages, so that people can get rocked with the Word of God the way it was intended to be communicated.
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