Which Bible Translation?

[spiritseeker]

Which bible translation is the best for a progressive/liberal Christian? I have many bibles but I like the simplicity of The Living Bible and The Message.

 

I have heard that the Quest study bible is very good.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts.

[JosephM]

My personal view is that to a progressive one particular translation is not all that more important than another. It is a matter of personal preference. It might be beneficial to check multiple translations and even to look into the original Greek or Hebrew for oneself for a deeper understanding of what the writer might have been trying to convey. Even looking into the books of other religions has in my view, some benefit to the progressive. Yet even the Bible itself says...

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." 1 John 2:27

 

To me this is just more confirmation that the real teacher or Word of God abides in you. Looking elsewhere to me is a detour that eventually leads back to within oneself.

 

Joseph

[ada]

Which bible translation is the best for a progressive/liberal Christian? I have many bibles but I like the simplicity of The Living Bible and The Message.

 

I have heard that the Quest study bible is very good.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

Which one?

 

"All of them" is my answer

 

I have a wide variety of Bible translations so that I can cross-reference everything I am reading. I don't find any one particular translation to be enough. I like to see how it's been translated through all of them. It's also important to have resources to be able to go back into the original languages and work out the way something has ended up translated as it has.

 

I always try to learn the root of everything for myself.

[Mike]

Generally I suppose I'll read from the NIV if I'm looking something up. My favorite still has to be the KJV simply for its prose. I'm still looking for a complete modern English version that does for the language what the KJV did for it then, and have been to date disappointed in my findings. However, though they are not complete bible translations, I'm a big fan of Robert Alter's 'The Five Books of Moses' (which is a very fresh and insightful translation with commentary). He also has a translation and commentary on the Psalms. David Rosenburg also recently published 'A Literary Bible: An Original Translation' which artfully translates many chosen selections of the Hebrew Bible. I don't own it but I've flipped through and was impressed.

 

Peace to you,

Mike

[rivanna]

I’ve always heard that the two most progressive versions are the New Revised Standard Version and the New International Version. My preference is the NRSV. I recently bought one in paperback that has subject headings for each chapter, which is helpful; and does not include the apocrypha. It’s good to be aware of those narratives, but reading them once was enough for me.

Also like the KJV for the more poetic parts, especially the psalms.

Eugene Peterson’s The Message impressed me with its freshness and energy, but somehow the language seemed a bit too forceful.

Many PC’s have recommended the Harper Collins study bible.

 

I think whichever translation works for you personally, is the best.

[irreverance]

I generally prefer to use the New American Bible. IMO, the study notes are comparable to, if not better than, the Harper Collins Study Bible. And, whereas the Harper Collins (which I also like) runs $30+, the NAB is about $15.

[AllInTheNameOfProgress]

If I were purchasing a new Bible, I would get a study Bible with a concordance. I would look at some of the study notes to see if they admit there is disagreement about interpretation. For example, I wouldn't buy the Bible unless it noted that there are two paralell creation stories, that part of Mark was tacked on from later discoveries of manuscripts, and that the term translated as "virgin" meant "young woman". I like the NRSV, and I have a study NIV that is a bit more conservative but provides some balance.