What are your top 5 bible versions?

[jimmudcatgrant]

Just going to give an update for my current fave five:

1. NEB/REB: virtually the same. Basically the NEB was a brave dynamic translation from the 60s. It detracted from the norm by taking the meaning of a verse rather than simply translating formally. It also raised the bar by its use of English, if you check the Wikipedia page it explains how controversial it was at the time. I don't think that its the most accurate translation but its a beautiful read. Way better than the KJV despite its flaws. Its the NLT of its day, but better. The REB is a later revision to bring it in line.

2. HCSB: Like most modern translations its bland. But it takes risks and its a lot better than the other modern translations. Were it not for the ghastly font, this would be my every day read.

3. CEB: My go to translation, the only reason that its not no2 is because I don't like some of its verse renderings. Its lively, and reads better than the Message in the OT (which says a lot, as the message, for all its damnable heresies, read great in the OT). Its had a lot of work for readability. I think that all bibles should work towards the readability found in the CEB.

4. NET: A wonderful translation, it seems to always render verses accurately and readably, readability is my number one requirement for a good bible, it goes hand in hand with accuracy because it has to be read accurately. If you can't understand a verse it doesn't matter how formally a word or sentence is translated it may as well be gibberish - which the KJV is. The weakness of the KJV in its translation has led to SO many stupid beliefs that fall to bits when we read a translation like the NET or even NIV, which is why KJVO pastors hate modern translations, as they tumble their house of cards.

5. Darby: this is what the KJV should read like. Keeps what's good of the KJV and builds upon and literalizes the rest. Some of this is difficult to read - with good reason. This is an extremely literal translation, near word for word. This has joint fifth with the:
EBR: Doesn't bother copying anything from the KJV, this is a mans life work and is simply unparalled in literalism. I love the EBR and always will. Its poetic in places. Really brings forth the Greek and Hebrew.

There you go.

God bless guys.

Do you have e-Sword on your computer?  It is free, although some items have to be paid for and they accept donations.  Well, on the free side, I have downloaded the following versions:

EMTV - English Majority Text Version

ISV with footnotes

Darby

KJ3 by Green

KJV

LEB

MKJV

I have others as well, but it is interesting to compare these particular versions as they are so similar (except the ISV which I include to rep the moderns versions).

Plenty of bible dictionaries and commentaries are available free as well, and reference works. 

 

[thethinkingrebel]

Just going to give an update for my current fave five:

1. NEB/REB: virtually the same. Basically the NEB was a brave dynamic translation from the 60s. It detracted from the norm by taking the meaning of a verse rather than simply translating formally. It also raised the bar by its use of English, if you check the Wikipedia page it explains how controversial it was at the time. I don't think that its the most accurate translation but its a beautiful read. Way better than the KJV despite its flaws. Its the NLT of its day, but better. The REB is a later revision to bring it in line.

2. HCSB: Like most modern translations its bland. But it takes risks and its a lot better than the other modern translations. Were it not for the ghastly font, this would be my every day read.

3. CEB: My go to translation, the only reason that its not no2 is because I don't like some of its verse renderings. Its lively, and reads better than the Message in the OT (which says a lot, as the message, for all its damnable heresies, read great in the OT). Its had a lot of work for readability. I think that all bibles should work towards the readability found in the CEB.

4. NET: A wonderful translation, it seems to always render verses accurately and readably, readability is my number one requirement for a good bible, it goes hand in hand with accuracy because it has to be read accurately. If you can't understand a verse it doesn't matter how formally a word or sentence is translated it may as well be gibberish - which the KJV is. The weakness of the KJV in its translation has led to SO many stupid beliefs that fall to bits when we read a translation like the NET or even NIV, which is why KJVO pastors hate modern translations, as they tumble their house of cards.

5. Darby: this is what the KJV should read like. Keeps what's good of the KJV and builds upon and literalizes the rest. Some of this is difficult to read - with good reason. This is an extremely literal translation, near word for word. This has joint fifth with the:
EBR: Doesn't bother copying anything from the KJV, this is a mans life work and is simply unparalled in literalism. I love the EBR and always will. Its poetic in places. Really brings forth the Greek and Hebrew.

There you go.

God bless guys.

Do you have e-Sword on your computer?  It is free, although some items have to be paid for and they accept donations.  Well, on the free side, I have downloaded the following versions:

EMTV - English Majority Text Version

ISV with footnotes

Darby

KJ3 by Green

KJV

LEB

MKJV

I have others as well, but it is interesting to compare these particular versions as they are so similar (except the ISV which I include to rep the moderns versions).

Plenty of bible dictionaries and commentaries are available free as well, and reference works.

No but I have MySword for android. It has all those versions and more all for free!

You can also get AndBible and you version. I have almost every bible I can think of on my phone hahaha

I did have bibleworks ?8? On my PC but it was a torrent download. I would rather get ?9? Which is the new version but my laptop is broke and I don't really fancy stealing anyway. Some Bible apps for windows are way too expensive. I'm hoping of starting a distance learning course with spurgeons college soon and I'm going to need all the material I can get my hands on!

 

[jimmudcatgrant]

No but I have MySword for android. It has all those versions and more all for free!

You can also get AndBible and you version. I have almost every bible I can think of on my phone hahaha

I did have bibleworks ?8? On my PC but it was a torrent download. I would rather get ?9? Which is the new version but my laptop is broke and I don't really fancy stealing anyway. Some Bible apps for windows are way too expensive. I'm hoping of starting a distance learning course with spurgeons college soon and I'm going to need all the material I can get my hands on!,

I have you version on my android phone, but nothing else.  I only use it when I can't use my computer, or at church to compare versions.  I still like to carry my bible, either HCSB, KJV, NKJV, NASB or ESV to church. 

Isn't bibleworks now tied into wordsearch so that you can get additional modules on the wordsearch site?  I have Wordsearch 9 and am thinking about ungrading to 10.  I just got Quickverse 10, which uses the same format now as wordsearch.  I already had quickverse 2011, and the quickverse and wordsearch programs was able to use the step programs and transfer them.  Quickverse 2011 had good programs, but it wasn't very user friendly.

It's amazing how much free stuff is out there now. No one has an excuse not to study the bible given all the tools out there.

 

[wheatpenny]

I use WORDSearch 10. I've been using it since v.7. I originally got it because it includes the complete content of the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, but I really like the interface and now I wouldn't think of using anything else.  I have all the major Bible versions in it (like the NKJV, HCSB, NLT, NASB, etc) and about 9 or 10 study Bibles, etc.

 

[jimmudcatgrant]

I use WORDSearch 10. I've been using it since v.7. I originally got it because it includes the complete content of the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, but I really like the interface and now I wouldn't think of using anything else.  I have all the major Bible versions in it (like the NKJV, HCSB, NLT, NASB, etc) and about 9 or 10 study Bibles, etc.

Yeah, I have all those versions and more since I already had them on qv 2011, it gave them to me in ws 9.  I want to get  wordsearch 10 for the verse explorer and the morph explorer.  Version 9 is great though.  Quickverse 10 doesn't have either one, and it also doesn't have the carousel option, which is great also.  the IVS option is great as well.

 

[Izdaari]

Just going to give an update for my current fave five:

1. NEB/REB: virtually the same. Basically the NEB was a brave dynamic translation from the 60s. It detracted from the norm by taking the meaning of a verse rather than simply translating formally. It also raised the bar by its use of English, if you check the Wikipedia page it explains how controversial it was at the time. I don't think that its the most accurate translation but its a beautiful read. Way better than the KJV despite its flaws. Its the NLT of its day, but better. The REB is a later revision to bring it in line.

2. HCSB: Like most modern translations its bland. But it takes risks and its a lot better than the other modern translations. Were it not for the ghastly font, this would be my every day read.

3. CEB: My go to translation, the only reason that its not no2 is because I don't like some of its verse renderings. Its lively, and reads better than the Message in the OT (which says a lot, as the message, for all its damnable heresies, read great in the OT). Its had a lot of work for readability. I think that all bibles should work towards the readability found in the CEB.

4. NET: A wonderful translation, it seems to always render verses accurately and readably, readability is my number one requirement for a good bible, it goes hand in hand with accuracy because it has to be read accurately. If you can't understand a verse it doesn't matter how formally a word or sentence is translated it may as well be gibberish - which the KJV is. The weakness of the KJV in its translation has led to SO many stupid beliefs that fall to bits when we read a translation like the NET or even NIV, which is why KJVO pastors hate modern translations, as they tumble their house of cards.

5. Darby: this is what the KJV should read like. Keeps what's good of the KJV and builds upon and literalizes the rest. Some of this is difficult to read - with good reason. This is an extremely literal translation, near word for word. This has joint fifth with the:
EBR: Doesn't bother copying anything from the KJV, this is a mans life work and is simply unparalled in literalism. I love the EBR and always will. Its poetic in places. Really brings forth the Greek and Hebrew.

There you go.

God bless guys.

I second what you say on the NEB/REB and the NET. They're also among my favorites. A special strength of the NET is its very extensive translation notes. I like the NEB for devotional reading. It flows better than the REB and I prefer its single-column layout.