353 Bible 24 – Recommended Bible Translations (Which Bible Is Best?)

This is now our last episode in this 24 part class on How We Got the Bible.  Today after a quick review and an appeal to learn the biblical languages, I’ll recommend a number of Bible translations.  Although I’m hesitant to do this, so many have written in asking for it that I would be negligent to avoid making some recommendations in this last episode.  Additionally, we’ll cover a list of 7 verses you can use to check translations accuracy (see below).

—— Verses to Check for Translation Accuracy ——

• Genesis 4.8 Cain says “Let’s go into the field” (SP, LXX, Syriac, Vulgate)
• Isaiah 53.11 “he shall see light” not “he shall see it” (DSS, LXX)
• 1 Samuel 14.41 does it say “Urim?” (LXX)
• Psalm 145.13 is it 2 sentences or just 1? (DSS, LXX, Syriac)
• Honesty about Mark 16.9-20 and John 7.53-8.11
• Revelation 22.19 “tree of life” not “book of life”
• Matthew 2.2 “pay homage” not “worship”

—— Recommended Translations ——

• Jewish Publication Society Tanakh (JPS): dynamic equivalence from Jewish perspective
• English Standard Version (ESV): formal equivalence from evangelical perspective
• New English Translation (NET): dynamic equivalence from evangelical perspective
• New American Bible (NAB): dynamic equivalence from Roman Catholic perspective
• New Revised Standard Version (NRSV): formal equivalence from a mainline/liberal perspective

—— Biased Translations to Avoid ——

• Message Bible (MSG): extreme dynamic equivalence
• Passion Translation (PT): extreme dynamic equivalence
• New Living Translation (NLT): dynamic equivalence

—— Outdated Translations ——

• 1769 King James Version (KJV): formal equivalence
• 1982 New King James Version (NKJV): formal equivalence
• 1995 New American Standard Bible (NASB): formal equivalence
• any versions not taking into account the Dead Sea Scrolls (see verses above to check)

—— Links ——

• Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible
• See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed)
• If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here.
• Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library