Having earlier laid out a way of test driving a Bible translation here in a number of key areas, I thought it might be a useful follow up to mention what I consider to be the best translations available in English at the moment. I say translations (plural) because a number of translations are very good indeed while none are perfect.
It is a good idea if you can to have one main Bible that you use for daily reading and general use, while having two or three other translations that you can compare against one another if you are doing more in-depth Bible study.
On the Scottish Bible Society website shop, there are no less than 19 different translations mentioned and they range from the Authorised Version (King James Version) at one end of the scale through to Eugene Peterson's contemporary paraphrase The Message at the other end of the scale. I'm not going to comment on all of them because I haven't used all of them and to be frank there are some that are not worth commenting on.
It seems to me that any English Bible translation must essentially be judged on four criteria:
a. The underlying Hebrew and Greek texts used
b. The theological bias (and whether it is good or bad) of the translators
c. The accuracy of the translation
d. The effectiveness in communicating with the reader
The third and fourth criteria may be in tension with one another with more so-called "literal" translations (formal equivalence translations) tending to score higher for accuracy to the original text, while more dynamic translations (functional equivalence translations) tending to score higher for effective communication with the English reader. The optimum point lies somewhere between the two extremes which can either create very literal gobbledygook or "Biblish" at one end of the spectrum or clearly communicated half-truths or distortions of the meaning at the other end.
So here are my top ten choices in alphabetical order (not in order of preference).
1. AV/KJV - Authorised / King James Version
This is the classic English Bible first translated in 1611 (current editions are the 1769 Oxford revision). For over 200 years this was the Bible in English. Unsurpassed for beauty of translation in many passages, and with many phrases that have become part of everyday English, this is still worth having for reference purposes, especially if you read a lot of literature that was based on the KJV (e.g. Puritan or 19th century texts). However, the KJV is based on the Textus Receptus, a late Byzantine type of text probably further removed from the original autographs than most modern Bibles. In addition, the Jacobean English that gives much of the KJV's beauty can be difficult to understand and/or misleading for modern readers.
Nowadays, the KJV is probably best avoided as your main Bible unless you have grown up with it and used it all your life. It would make a good fifth or sixth choice if doing serious study as it is very literal and accurate (though accurate to a late NT Greek text).
2. ESV - English Standard Version
The ESV on the other hand is an up and coming translation very popular in Reformed and evangelical churches where preaching and Bible study tend to be at the heart of church life.
It is a conservative revision of the RSV. It is literal in approach (though not to such an extent as some other versions) and very accurate and it has removed the liberal bias in the RSV from the text. (So for example "virgin" is restored to Isaiah 7:14.)
However, it does favour archaic turns of phrase in places, perhaps in an effort to sound more "like the Bible" (ie the KJV). Critics have accused the ESV (with some justification) of communicating in Biblish rather than in natural modern English.
Even so, the ESV is among the best conservative formal equivalence translations and is becoming widely used. Whether it ends up the "standard" English version is less certain. It would be a good choice as a main Bible for personal or church use, provided the congregation is fairly well-educated and comfortable with technical Bible words such as "propitiation" or "justification" (otherwise the preacher may spend a lot of time "translating" the ESV into easier English).
3. GNB - Good News Bible
The Good News Bible was the Bible used at the church I went to for many years. It is a simple functional equivalence translation, designed to be understood by people of all different education levels. The second edition from the 1990s onwards is generally more accurate and less quirky than the original version.
The Good News Bible does show a liberal bias in places which may make some evangelicals wary of it. If this is an issue, I would recommend switching to the NLT mentioned below. However, the NLT is not yet available in an anglicised version for UK readers.
4. NASB - New American Standard Bible
I like the NASB. It is a very accurate translation indeed, to the point of being stilted and wooden according to some critics. This means that the NASB can be difficult to understand in places for this very reason. It tends to translate Hebrew or Koine Greek idioms word-for-word for example, which do not always mean anything to English readers. This is why a dynamic equivalent translation is useful alongside something as literal as the NASB.
There are also a few other minor quibbles with it. It is written only in American English, which is annoying as a British reader. Also, it uses capitals for pronouns relating to the Godhead, which is a personal stylistic issue that I don't like either. And it tends to take a more traditional line in translation that might not be in line with up-to-date biblical scholarship. For example NASB has "only begotten" in John 3:16, whereas modern scholars tell us the word means "unique"/"one of a kind".
The NASB's very strength is also the reason I would not recommend it as a primary Bible for church or personal use. However, if you can afford two Bibles, I would suggest the NASB would be a good second choice for study and comparison purposes as it takes you as close to the Greek and Hebrew as any English version in wide use today.
5. NIV - New International Version
The NIV is the best selling English version and the version used in worship and Bible study at my own church.
I find the NIV is an excellent balance between accuracy, readability and clarity. It is still the best choice, I believe, as a person's main everyday Bible. The drawbacks are few but there are times where the NIV is overly interpretive and not literal enough. For this reason, though I recommend using the NIV as your main Bible as it is a brilliant "all-rounder" you should supplement it with something more literal such as the NASB or ESV.
The NIV has recently been updated from the previous 1984 version. The 2011 NIV is very similar to the TNIV which is not longer being circulated (see TNIV below for more information on this point).
6. NKJV - New King James Version
A thorough revision and update of the KJV done by American scholars in 1982. The revision is so extensive that the NKJV is almost better classed as a new translation.
If it were not for the textual basis of the New Testament (the NKJV uses the Textus Receptus the same as the KJV), the NKJV would be among the the top choices among formal equivalent translations. Indeed it probably is up there anyway. The Old Testament translation is among the best of any Bible.
NKJV also has the best set of textual notes of any Bible. All editions allow readers to see where the different textual traditions differ in the Greek text. If you could get a version of the NKJV with the NU variants in the text, it would be ideal.
Basically the NKJV gives you the KJV without the thees, thys and dosts.
7. NLT - New Living Translation
Some have mistakenly called the NLT a mere revision of the Living Bible which is an out and out paraphrase. But that's unfair. The NLT is a new and very good translation. The only thing it shares really with the earlier work is the "Living" part of its name.
The NLT is a thorough-going dynamic equivalence translation, similar in style to the Good News Bible. Yet, the NLT is a far better translation in my view because it is written from a conservative theological viewpoint and was produced by a team of translators who are a virtual who's who of Old and New Testament scholars.
In my view, the NLT is not literal enough to be used as a main preaching, teaching or study bible, except perhaps in congregations with many people who either don't have a church background or where perhaps many of the congregation have a poor level of reading ability.
It would be a good third or fourth translation to have for comparison. It is easy to read, which is very useful if you are reading large sections of narrative in particular. Unfortunately there is no British English edition yet in existence.
8. NRSV - New Revised Standard Version
The NRSV is an excellent modern translation using the formal equivalence method of translation and using the most up to date Hebrew and Greek texts. What mars it somewhat is its liberal theological bias that is shown in many places and also its consistent use of "gender neutral" language. Although I don't mind this in places where it reads things like "brothers and sisters" where the underlying text would be used for both males and females, I don't care for it when words in the singular are pluralised so as to avoid the generic "he". It also seems to be absurd to change things like "Son of Man" to "Mortal"(!).
Because of its problems, I would not choose the NRSV as my main Bible, but it is a very good second or third version to read in conjunction with more conservative versions. On many many occasions it translates verses very well.
9. REB - Revised English Bible
The REB reminds me very much of the NRSV and in many respects it is a similar translation aimed at a similar readership. Both Bibles are produced by and largely used by mainline liberal denominations, but whereas the NRSV is a revised and update of the RSV and was essentially an American translation, the REB is a major revision of the New English Bible (1970) and is a British translation.
The REB is very well written and often stylish and it does not go overboard with the gender neutral stuff. However, it still shows a liberal bias in places.
I find it useful as an alternative type of translation and coming from a different translational heritage to many of the other versions. At times it gives fresh insight into a passage. At other times, it is less successful. It is, however, a much better translation than the old NEB.
10. TNIV - Today's New International Version
The truth is that the TNIV is very similar indeed to its parent translation the NIV. The main difference is that the TNIV adopts gender neutral language throughout - both pluralising to avoid the generic "he" pronoun and using phrases like "brothers and sisters" to translate adelphoi.
As far as the changes from the NIV are concerned, they are a mixed bag. Many of the changes are for the better and in some respects the TNIV is slightly more literal than the NIV. However, some are not as good in my view as the original NIV.
The TNIV has proved very controversial because of its gender neutral language and though a good translation it is probably not worth using, not least because it is no longer being produced as the new NIV has now come out to replace it.
Recommendations
It is impossible to give recommendations that will be right for everyone. There is wisdom in a "horses for courses" approach.
As I said at the beginning, it is good to have a number of translations if possible so that they can be compared. Often this will give greater insight into the meaning of the original Hebrew or Greek.
I suggest a combination of at least any four of the following groups:
1. NASB / ESV / NKJV - I think it essential to have a good literal translation produced by a team of conservative/evangelical scholars. This is one of mainstays of serious Bible study for English readers.
2. NIV / TNIV - The NIV group of translations strike perhaps the best balance between formal and function equivalence, being both clear in communication and largely accurate in translation. I would say one of these is essential and would probably be the best Bible to choose if you only have one, or one main one.
3. NRSV / REB - Either the NRSV or REB would make a good third Bible to use for serious study. Although they are liberal in parts, they offer insight into how others might interpret the biblical texts and in many instances they can provide a useful counterweight to the more conservative translations. The REB in particular may well contrast with other translations as it comes from a different translation parentage. If one wanted to avoid any liberal translation at all, I would suggest skipping these two and having two from the first group instead.
4. GNB / NLT - Either of these dynamic equivalent translations would make a good fourth Bible. They can be useful if reading large sections of the Bible at a sitting such as Old Testament narrative and they will be easy to understand though at times offering more an interpretation than a mere translation of a passage. Between them, the NLT is much more conservative in theology. Its only drawback is that it does not have an anglicized version as yet. The same could be said of the NASB and NKJV for that matter.
