I am a new person here in ProphecyLink and I feel so blessed to be a part of this community of believers! I have started to read the bible from front to back and have gained so much knowledge so far. I just have this deep yearning to know God even more each time I read it. I just have a question about what types of bible translations are best? I have difficulty in reading the King James Version, even though it is recommended, and I have tried so many times. I am now reading from a study bible with the New Living Translation version. Any ideas??

i would say that King james version is best. Though your right its hard to read. A good dictionary comes in handy.

Im reading the new living translation now ,and well it leaves out alot of key words that take out the goodness of it. But sence i started reading it from front to back im going to finish it. Changeing over from translation to translation before you finish might leave you puzzled. Besides there are key words that pop up later on.

Hi,

It is not now, nor has it ever been a question of which Bible version is the best.

The one and only question has always been "Which one is the True Word of God!!!!!"

For there can only be One which is the Word of God, For God's Word never changes. And every one of those so called Bible versions reads different.

There can only be ONE English Bible which is the Word of God, all the rest are counterfits put out by Satan, to trick you into leaving the Word of God.

It is not for me, or anyone else, to tell you which one you should choose, for that is between you and God alone. It is for you to go before God and have God show you which one is His True Word. Then stay with that one.

The truth is that you do not need any bible at all in order to have salvation, you only need to hear the Gospel Message, of how Jesus died for us, and how he rose again on the third day, to sit next to the Father in heaven, to believe in your heart, is all you need.

But those counterfit bibles can, and will tend to lead you into the wrong direction. It is better to have no bible, than it is to have a counterfit.

Laydebug1 wrote:


Hi Laydebug1,

Welcome to ProphecyLink.

You are going in the right direction in reading a version of the bible from cover to cover. We all look forward to your posts.

I just wanted to share my testimony of why I read the KJV only. I was reading the KJV but then started to read the NKJV (new king james version). I told the LORD I liked that bible and it was easier to read and understand. One day while reading the NKJV the LORD wanted me to read the exact same passage in the KJV. To my surprise the NKJV changed the words and that verse in the KJV and NKJV was different. Sure some of the words were the same, but the entire meaning of that passage was different. I can't remember what it was but I told Jack about it and I do not know if he kept that email. What the LORD told me was that the bible translators in the other bibles (the popular bibles like NKJV, new living translation) changed words in the bible to make it fit the meaning they think the passage means. This is why the KJV is THE Bible. The KJV is more or less word for word, where the other bible leans towards what the authors think it should mean. Well that is my experience. I think Jack has something about the bible on his webpage. You might want to check it out.

sayin,i believe that is very true what you said
yours in christ mark

I remember there was a bible that had four different bibles in it. There would be a page with four bible scriptures for you to compare between all of them. I saw it at Logos book store (a christian book shop). Just something I thought would be helpful.

sayin wrote:


Hi Say, and all,

Yes there are several on the market, they are called "Parallel Bibles"

I have had one for many years called "The New Layman's Parallel Bible" published by "Zondervan". Mine is layed out in 4 columns across two facing pages. Each column holds the text for one Bible version, so that as you read one verse, you can follow that same verse to see how it was written in every one of those versions.

Mine, starting from the left to the right has KJV, NIV, Living Bible, Revised Standard Version.

I just this weekend showed it to my son. I flipped it open randomly, never looking to see even what book it opened to. As he read and studied it, he said "Wow, Boy did they ever change the meaning of that verse in the others."

I agree with everything that has been said about the KJV, and at first everyone finds it hard to read, but that's because we try to read it through man's eyes. When you read it next time, ask the Holy Spirit it read it to you! To give you the understanding, and knowledge that it contains, and I guarantee you'll be able to understand it. It may take some time, but you'll see God speaking through every passage. I actually read it most of the time from Ray's site, www.biblekingjames.org , because you can easily find where you are at, and when you don't know a word or want to know the meaning of something, I can just open a new window and look it up in the dictionary or what not. Yours in Christ, Stephanie.

Storzok wrote:



I was thinking about this thread and decided to try and find a verse that I liked that I have highlighted in the NIV back home. I decided to try and find it in my KJV Bible to see what the difference was (I didnt know the reference) I was looking through the Gospels and I asked Jesus to help me find it. I kept looking in my Bible and couldn't find it like that. At some point I noticed that Storzok had made new posts so I checked them out. Seeing www.biblekingjames.org on Storzok's post I eventually got to the website and eventually clicked on John and did a Find on Mozilla and was going to type "death to life" but there isn't a reference to that, but when i pressed the space after the death it goes right to the verse I was looking for:

John 5:
[24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

It seems that every time God answers my prayers He does it in an unexpected way and I love how He does that! Praise be to God!

I hope this blesses some of you because it has blessed me for sure.

In Christ,
Phil

These are the everyday miracles that God grants us...some wish to see something major, but I enjoy the little things like how God uses each and everyone of us in ways we don't expect to bring other closer to him! Yours in Christ, Stephanie.

Just a note about how hard it is to read the KJV.

Storzok said:

That is indeed the best way to read the Bible, to ask the Holy Spirit to show you the truth of what you are reading in the Bible.

To be noted is that the KJV is easier for children to read than virtually every other version. And here is the documentation of that.

From "New Age Versions" Chapter 11, page 195-196.

King James for Kids,
Trend Ten
------------------------------
In the last days . . . men shall be HEADY, HIGHMINDED 2Timothy 3:4

At the intersection of Bible Boulevard, Madi$on Avenue and Wall $treet, there are many crooked turns of the truth. Advertising campaighs create a cloud of confusion, calling the KJV "obscure, confusing and sometimes incomprehensible," while they crown the NIV's clarity and ease of reading" and the NASB's "contemporary English." Christians are coerced by full color ads written to color the plain facts by advertising, not English majors.

The Flesch-Kincaid research company's Grade Level Indicator betrays the strictly black and white nature of the issue showing the new version's true colors. The KJV ranks easier in 23 out of 26 comparisons. (Their formjula is: (.39 x average number of words per sentence) + (11.8 x avberage number of syllables per word) - (15.59) = grade level. The first chapter of the first and last books of both the Old and New Testaments were compared. (All complete sentences, whether terminating in a period, colon, or semi-colon, and all incomplete phrases ending in a period, were calculated as 'sentences'.)



To extend the inquiry, one each of the trree book-types (Gospel, Pauline epistle, General epistle) were surveyed. The resulting data confirms the readability of the KJV.



Why is the KJV easier to read? The KJV uses one or two syllable words while new versions substitute complex multi-syllable words and phrases. Their "heady, high-minded" vocabulary hides the hope of salvation from simple saints and sinners.



End of quote from book.

There was comment by st_joel of using the dictionary to understand some of the words. Note that all those words are in the dictionarys today, they are NOT Old and Ancient words which went out of use in the English Language, but are still in use today. In further note, all those "Thee" and "Thou" had already gone out of normal usage in the English Language long before 1611 when the KJV was written. They were put in by the Translators because they show worship to the Lord God. And for those who read the KJV, we have noted that there are very few places in the KJV Bible where those words are used.

May the Holy Lord God lead you into all of His Truths.

In Reference to all those "Thee" and "Thou" in the Bible.


From Dictionary

Thee = A pronoun, the objective case of thou: with the verb in the first person [u]singular [u/] [thee speaks harshly] thee is the objective case form , thyor thine the possessive, and thyself the intensive and reflexive.

Thou = a pronoun, nominative & objective case:
you or ye; Plural positive. Your or yours the nominative second person singular of the personal pronoun


The word "you" can be plural,
"Ye" is plural

"thee" or "thou" is single.
"Thy" or "thine" is single showing possession.
"Your" or "yours" is a second person singular.
"Thyself" is single

You is a pronoun, the person OR persons to whom one is speaking, or writing
Your is a possessive pronominal adjective = belonging to, or done by you.


To be noted: the use of "thee", "thou", "thy", "thine", "thyself", "Your", "yours" are all singular words which can have only ONE person being spoken to, never more than one. The references in the bible where these words are used makes it crystal clear that the passage is speaking to Only one person at that time, and is not addressing a group of people.


Ge 6:18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

Ge 13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Speaking to one person, not to more than one. To use the word "you" in place of "thee" could be understood as God speaking to, and making His covenant with More than one person, such as all of Noah's family in Gen. 6:18, as he makes His promise. But the Word "thee" shows that God is Only making His covenant with the one person of Noah, and by this word "thee" the promise is shown to be made to Noah Only.


And for Gen. 6:18, The covenant was being established with ONLY Abram. Again while the word "you" could have been used, the use of the word "thee" insures that we cannot mistakenly believe that the covenant was made with more than one person.

So even by these two verses out of many, it can be seen that the word used in the KJV bible, by it's translators, has a definite and specific meaning, which when changed, can have a change in the entire meaning of the verse, or of what is being said to whom..

And so it is, that when someone tells you that it does not make a difference, remember the above, and remember also that lawyers today are paid to put Exactly the Right Words in the Exact and correct order for the sentence and paragraphs to say what is intended to be said. For each and every word has a specific meaning, and while some other words can come close, there is no other word which will have that exact same meaning. And when the lawyer makes up the document, if even one word in not right, or is placed in the wrong place, then you can loose everything. Remember this also when someone tells you that changing the words in the bible does not have any effect on what the bible is saying.