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Which Bible

Most people think it doesn't matter what Bible you have and read is not important because they are basically all the same and what is important is to have a modern language Bible that they can understand.

New Christian? Best Solution.

Before going on about Bible versions, here is the best solution without getting into all the controversy. I believe the KJV is the most accurate version so far. First, the KJV was written before all the cults and denominational differences and by very devout Christian Men who were experts in the Bible languages of the time the Bible was first written. You can trust it as being the most accurate Bible. But if you still feel the need for modern English, get a parallel translation Bible. They have two to four versions side by side to make it easy to compare. A common one has the KJV (King James Version), NKJV (New King James Version), NIV (New International Version), and NLT (New Living Translation). When you find differences, trust the KJV, and you WILL find differences, lots of them. Then make it your goal to learn to use only the KJV by getting to know the most common words that are not familiar to you and to use a dictionary and other references when you study the Bible. At the time of this writing, you can get a hard cover from Christianbook.com for $34.99.

All Bibles are not the same

There are over 450 translations or versions of the Bible and they are not all the same. They can't be because most are copyrighted and so must be "substantially different" than all other versions. It is true that something can be translated from another language in different ways because there are usually a number of words that mean the same thing in English such as big and large and then many related words such as huge, gargantuan, enormous, and so on. But when it comes to the Bible, you want the most accurate translation that is guided by the Holy Spirit and not just a "scholar's" best guess. Unfortunately, the majority of newer translations are created for one of two reasons, 1) for money -- the publisher and author's get a portion of all sales of copyrighted Bibles, and 2) to revise the Bible to fit a personal set of beliefs.

Unfortunately, most versions are not even revised by born again Christians for noble reasons. Some have their names used in the reviser's list just because they are well known in the "religious" circles when they actually contributed very little and sometimes nothing at all to the revision process.

Every WORD is Important

Often you need to understand the concepts in the Bible but also often, the words themselves are important to fully understand the passage so the most accurate word translated from the old manuscripts are important.

Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. ⁶Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Modern English vs. Elizabethan English

A new Christian without any prior or current church affiliation or knowledge usually wants a "Modern English" version Bible because the "old English" is too hard to understand. Some that attend church say, "The pastor is always explaining what the old English means so why don't they just use a modern English Bible in the first place?"

"The King James Version is hard to understand because of all the thee's and thou's." If that was all there was to it, then that is simple. Both mean you.

It is true that the KJV has many words whose primary meanings have changed, are no longer normally used, and whose spellings have changed. It is easy to learn the meanings of the commonly used KJV words that have changed and a dictionary will provide the answers for the rest. With experience, reading the KJV will become second nature.

Isn't there a new translation that has already updated accurately all the archaic words? Not yet. Some claim the New King James Version has done that but it isn't the King James Version updated as many claim. To fully understand the Bible, you can't even replace the personal pronouns ye, you, thee, thou, thy, thine, etc. with you and your. Ye and you mean more than one person, thee, and thou mean only one person. Modern English has lost that distinction and you is used for both singular and plural. For example there are verses where it isn't clear whether God is speaking about the person his talking to or the whole nation of Israel.

God Will Preserve His Words Forever

God is all powerful. He created the universe and everything in it. He is in control of this world and guides it where he wants it to go and knows everything that will happen. God loves us and wants us to know him. Yet he allows us freedom of choice, the freedom to chose to be good or evil. He inspired the words he wanted the original authors of the Bible to write so that it was exactly what he wanted it to say. Does it make sense that he could not preserve an accurate translation of his words? Would he allow what he wanted us to know to be lost? Satan has influenced many people to corrupt the Bible by changing it in subtle and not so subtle ways just like he has influenced people to create many cults that have done the same. All through the history in the Bible there have been evil nations and evil people and time and again even his chosen nation, Israel, turned from him but always God saved a remnant that were faithful to him. In the same way, God has allowed corrupt translations but has through the ages preserved his Words. Nothing has been lost of what God wants us to know in the Bible even though Satan has been working diligently to create confusion in the world. God has told us in his preserved Word that he would preserve it but of course that very verse has been corrupted in the corrupt versions of the Bible. Here is what the KJV says.

Psalms 12:7-8 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. ⁷Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.(KJV)

Below is an example of a version that has changed the meaning. This example is from the English Standard Version. The change is subtle at first glance, it just changes "them" to "us" in verse 7 but it completely changes the meaning from God preserving his words forever to preserving the people. It doesn't even make sense anymore. The subject of the whole passage is words: the words of man compared with God's words so to change from his words to people in the middle of the passage doesn't make sense. In addition, a furnace made of earth is one made from soil (clay is soil) which will not burn, was common then and the hottest furnaces today still have to be made from clay bricks because they insulate and standup to the heat. To change it to a furnace on the ground is just plain silly and ridiculous. But that is the nature of corrupted versions of the Bible.

Psalms 12:7-8 The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. ⁷You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.(ESV)

Originals

Some writers and pastors often refer to the "originals" when talking about the Bible and how accurate one is compared to another. The fact is, there are no "originals" that exist today. All manuscripts are copies. No one alive today has seen an "original." There are many reasons, however, to accept copies as accurate copies of the originals, not the least of which is that God promised to preserve his word.

Source of Copies

There are two main classes of manuscripts of the Bible: Alexandrian and Byzantine. Alexandria is in Egypt. All through the Bible, Egypt is used as an example of the world and evil. The main two manuscripts that are complete and most used are the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. The Sinaiticus was found in a garbage can at a monastery. Why was it thrown away? The Vaticanus was found in the Vatican (Catholic) Library and had been unused for around 1000 years. Why?

The arguments are which are most trustworthy, the oldest unused, best preserved, and least common, from an area known for its corruption, or the one from the areas where Christianity was spreading and new churches were being established with the most copies that agreed with each other the most and were used by the early churches that had not yet been corrupted.

Over Zealous Views

Unfortunately, there are people on both sides of the arguments about Bible versions that go overboard in their claims. Both sides attack the other's viewpoints and ignore each other's valid arguments. God has allowed his words to be corrupted by the influence of Satan but God can even use the versions that have changed his words to get people saved and to teach them generally what he wants people to know. When you get down to accurate doctrines, you need the most accurate Bible. You won't lose your salvation if you use another version or even lose your rewards in heaven for what you do for Christ here on earth so the controversy needs to be put in perspective. God tells us he wants us to study his word and that study helps us to grow as Christians. You will learn the most by using the most accurate Bible and will also need to use other resources to help you understand such as a good Bible dictionary and a concordance. We are more fortunate today with computers than before because we have the internet and we have Bible software that has the tools built in. You can still use the printed versions of the tools, too. Just be careful when reading articles on the internet because you will find web pages from every viewpoint available and it is easy to become confused and frustrated trying to sift through all the different views, some of which are quite radical.