There are many translations of the Bible available. There are versions especially for Catholics. There are some newer versions that use gender inclusive wording. Here are the most popular versions:
King James (1611)
Reading Level: Grade 12
This, the most famous of English versions, is named after King James I of England who initiated the work. It is basically a revision of previous translations: Tyndale's, Coverdale’s, the Great Bible and the Geneva Bible. Over fifty scholars worked on the project, which started in 1607. It was finished in 1611.
It is sometimes called the Authorized Version because it was authorized by King James I and is known for its gracious style, majestic language, and poetic rhythms. “No other book has had such a tremendous influence on English literature.” (Comfort, pp. 48-49)
However, the KJV translators had access to only a few ancient manuscripts. Since their day many older manuscripts have been discovered, resulting in a more reliable Greek and Hebrew text. In addition, many words in the KJV are now obscure.
Revised Standard Version (1952)
“The organization that held the copyright to the American Standard Version ... authorized a new revision in 1937.” The New Testament was published in 1946; and the entire Bible with the the Old Testament, in 1952.
The principles of the revision were specified in the preface to the Revised Standard Version:
“The Revised Standard Version is not a new translation in the language of today. It is not a paraphrase which aims at striking idioms. It is a revision which seeks to preserve all that is best in the English Bible as it has been known and used throughout the years.”
Amplified Bible (1965)
Reading Level: Grade 11
The Amplified Bible is a translation that, by using synonyms and definitions, both explains and expands the meaning of words in the text by placing amplification in parentheses and brackets after key words or phrases.This unique system of translation allows the reader to more completely grasp the meaning of the words as they were understood in the original languages ... what the Hebrew and Greek listener instinctively understood (as a matter of course). (Lockman Foundation)
New American Standard Version (1971)
Reading Level: Grade 11
“The Lockman Foundation, a nonprofit Christian corporation committed to evangelism ... organized a team of thirty-two scholars to prepare a new revision [of the American Standard Version of 1901]. These scholars ... strove to produce a literal translation ... in the belief that such a translation 'brings the contemporary reader as close as possible to the actual wording and grammatical structure of the original writers.'” [from the preface].
Good News Translation (1976)
Reading Level: Grade 6
Formerly called the Good News Bible or Today’s English Version (1966) was first published as a full Bible in 1976 by the American Bible Society as a “common language” Bible. It is a clear and simple modern translation that is faithful to the original Hebrew, Koine Greek and Aramaic texts.
New International Version (1978)
Reading Level: Grade 7.8
“The New International Version is a completely new rendering of the original languages done by an international group of more than a hundred scholars. These scholars worked many years and in several committees to produce an excellent thought-for-thought translation in contemporary English for private and public use. ...”
“The translators of the New International Version sought to make a version that was midway between a literal rendering (as in the New American Standard Bible) and a free paraphrase (as in The Living Bible). Their goal was to convey in English the thought of the original writers. ...” (Comfort, pp. 79-81).
New King James (1982)
Reading Level: Grade 8.5
The New King James Version is a revision of the King James Version. It retains the elegant literary style of the KJV, but is easier to read.
The Message (1993)
Reading Level: Grade 8.5
The Message is a free, highly colloquial and interpretive translation/paraphrase of the New Testament by Eugene H. Peterson. “This version of the New Testament in a contemporary idiom keeps the language of the Message current and fresh and understandable in the same language in which we do our shopping, talk with our friends, worry about world affairs, and teach our children their table manners. The goal is not to render a word-for-word conversion of Greek into English, but rather to convert the tone, the rhythm, the events, the ideas, into the way we actually think and speak” (from the Introduction).
English Standard Version (2001)
Reading Level: Grade 8
The new English Standard Version translation is founded on the belief that the words of the Bible are the very words of God. Setting itself apart from other translations by sacrificing neither accuracy nor readability, the ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks to duplicate the original texts while taking into account the differences between modern English and the original languages.The translations comittee was chaired by J.I. Packer and their goals were: word-for-word precision and accuracy, literary excellence and readability, and depth of meaning.
