Which translation of the Bible do you like best?

 

When a service person came to our house this week, he saw the books in my little office and asked, “Do you think you have enough Bibles?” Probably not! But that started us talking about which translations we prefer and why.

 

As you might have guessed by now, I love them all! (Well, almost! I had to decline a review copy of an edition that omitted “negative” parts!) Although I use only the most respected translations to prepare for my Bible study discussion group, I like to see for myself what synonyms various translators choose, especially in difficult to understand passages. Sometimes a paraphrased version can help to clarify as can texts from the Aramaic or other languages used in biblical times. And, of course, researching specific verses and topics on Bible Gateway helps to provide a clearer understanding of scriptures too.

 

Having grown up reading the King James Version every night – and often being perplexed by its beautifully poetic but archaic language, I’ve found that, the more I read contemporary versions, the more I return to the KJV and, hallelujah, “get it!”

 

Since my criteria are accuracy, readability, and, yes, poetic musicality, I regularly turn to KJV but also to the New Living Translation (NLT), Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), and Christian Standard Bible (CSB.) The New Revised Standard (NRSV) gets opened often too, and for accuracy, so does the New American Standard (NASB.)

 

The English Standard Version (ESV) is highly noted for accuracy, but its lack of musicality keeps it from being my favorite. The New International Version (NIV) is known for accessibility, but it, too, lacks the poetic quality that, as a poet myself, I prefer.

 

But what about you? Which translation of the Bible do you like best and why?

 

Your comments about your preference(s) are very, very welcomed in the Comments section below, but not put-downs about other people’s choices.

 

If you discover your favorite has not been reviewed on this blog, please let me know! You can find out by typing the name of the edition in the Search box in the upper right side of the page.

 

Regardless of your translation of choice, may the Lord bless your reading of God’s Word.

 

©2021, Mary Harwell Sayler, poet, author, and compiler of the Book of Bible Prayers and Kneeling on the Promises of God

 

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Amplified Holy Bible XL Edition

 

The Amplified Study Bible (large print) , which I reviewed a couple of years ago, sits on my desk for regular reference in preparing for a Bible talk or group discussion. But sometimes I just want a reader’s edition to read from my comfy chair.

The thing is, my eyes object to the smaller fonts in most of the reader-editions I’ve bought or been given over the years, so my quest of late has been to find my favorite translations using fonts between 11 and 14 points. That’s exactly what I found in the Amplified Holy Bible XL Edition, but more important, the AMP is one of my “go-to” Bibles for accuracy.

Another is the New American Standard Bible I mention because both NASB and AMP have been produced by the Lockman Foundation, whose website explains: “The Lockman Foundation is a nonprofit, nondenominational ministry dedicated to the translation, publication, and distribution of the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Amplified Bible (AMP), La Biblia de las Américas (LBLA), Nueva Biblia de las Américas (NBLA), and other biblical resources.”

The Foreword of the AMP XL says: “The Amplified Bible has been produced with the conviction that the words of Scripture as originally penned in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek were inspired by God. Since they are the eternal Word of God, the Holy Scriptures speak with fresh power to each generation, to give wisdom that leads to salvation, that people may serve Christ to the glory of God.”

To clarify the goal of the Lockman Foundation even more, “The Fourfold Aim” in the front matter of the AMP XL states:

1. These publications shall be true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

2. They shall be grammatically correct.

3. They shall be understandable to the people.

4. They shall give the Lord Jesus Christ His proper place, the place which the Word gives Him; therefore, no translation work will ever be personalized.

Besides preferring the capitalization of pronouns referring to God, I appreciate the synonyms and definitions that amplify, without changing, the meaning of the text. This particular edition, however, appeals to me because of its 12.5 font, quality leathersoft binding, and unique size that’s almost 8” square and opens flat on my lap as I sit in my comfy chair and read, read, read.

©2021,Mary Harwell Sayler

 

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ESV Journaling Bible

 

Many of us who long to get closer to God are apt to jot down our thoughts, questions, prayers, poems, or insights as we read the Bible. Almost any wide-margin Bible gives us room to do that as our written words interact with the written Word of God.

 

If we want to read the Bible straight through, as we would any book or family saga, we might choose a conversational translation or a paraphrase, but for journaling, an excellent choice is a word-for-word translation as our words respond to what God has to say.

 

Consider, for example, a message from a friend. Would you prefer to receive word from the bearer of news or would you rather hear directly from your friends themselves before responding? The translators of the English Standard Version of the Bible (ESV) aimed in that direction.

 

In the Preface of the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible, which Crossway kindly sent me to review, the “Translation Philosophy” states:

 

“The ESV is an ‘essentially literal’ translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on ‘word-for-word' correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.”

 

When we hear directly from our friends, we can catch their voice inflections, listen to what they actually have to say, and respond appropriately.

 

Not only does the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible give you that opportunity, this edition comes in a variety of patterns. Inside those cloth-over-board covers, the cream-colored Smyth-sewn pages have lines awaiting a word from you.

 

©2021, Mary Harwell Sayler

 

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ESV Panorama New Testament

 

The ESV Panorama New Testament, published by Crossway who kindly sent me a copy to review, presents the NT in a unique, panoramic view.

With extra-large pages (10.2 x 12.6") inside a hardback cover, this edition uses a well-spaced 8.5-point font, so each book of the New Testament requires as few pages as possible.

Shorter books take only one or two pages, which means a whole book often spreads before you, making it easy to see favorite verses you underline or key words you circle. 

To encourage that process, the edition has thick, cream-colored pages Smyth-sewn into a grey cloth-over-board cover that lays flat on a desk or table.

The idea is to engage readers fully with God’s Word. For instance, the layout of the Panorama New Testament enables Bible students, pastors, teachers, writers, and devotional readers to follow a particular theme or topic in each book or readily locate scriptures to memorize.

This reader edition contains no footnotes or other aids generally found in hefty study Bibles, but the large pages and wide margins provide plenty of space to make your own notes. And, unlike study Bibles that might be a few inches thick, this one is only 0.7-inch, which seems far less formidable for those of us who like to read an entire book of the Bible at one sitting.

 

©2021, Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, Bible reviewer

 

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The Gift of Easter

On that first Easter Sunday, Jesus the Christ – Jesus our Savior – overcame death. He left the tomb, somewhat like a newborn chick opening a shell, newly clothed in light and life.

Those metaphors can help children catch a glimpse of the meaning of Christ’s resurrection, but soon the Easter eggs will be gone and new clothes outgrown, while The Word of God remains forever.

God gave His Word to us in Jesus, His Son, Who fulfilled every prophecy and promise in the Bible. May these and other Bibles or Bible storybooks bring God’s Word to young people this Easter.

Adventure Bible for Early Readers

Adventure Bible Storybook

Just Like Jesus Bible Storybook

NIV Teen Study Bible

The Rhyme Bible Storybook

The Sweetest Story Bible

 

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2021, the Book of Bible Prayers and Kneeling on the Promises of God 

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The Bible Books of ME

Actually, all of the “Wisdom Books” in the Bible focus on attempts to understand cause-and-effect and/or seemingly random acts that make no sense to us. As we strive to be rational and find profitable ways to live, two “Me” books stand out in particular: Job and Ecclesiastes.

The “Wisdom Books” of the Bible include both of these books, and yet, as we read them, neither Job nor Solomon seems too wise. Why? Both apparently relate to the world as revolving around themselves.

Consider Job. After suffering tremendous losses of family and possessions, he initially had the right attitude:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked shall I return.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord,” Job 1:21

The second blow, however, affected Job himself, covering him with horrifying sores from head to toe and leaving him so miserable, he couldn’t speak for days. Understandably, he sat in such intense shock, his friends gathered around him, then remained, day and night, for a whole week of silence. When Job finally began to speak, however, he cursed the day he was born!

King Solomon had too much going for him to rue his own birth, and yet he felt so dissatisfied, he began the wisdom book of Ecclesiastes, chapter one, verse two, by saying:

“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!”

or

“Futile! Futile! Everything is futile!”

or

“Useless! Useless! Everything is useless.”

or

“Pointless! Pointless! Everything is pointless!”

Well, you get the point. The wisest man on earth saw nothing people gained, no matter how good they were, how hard they worked, or how successful they became. Pretty depressing! Yet most of us have felt the same at some point in our wrestling match with pointlessness.

So, what’s the answer? How did Job and Solomon wise up? How can we? In all cases, the solution is the same:

Turn ME upside down to WE.

Eventually that’s what Job, Solomon, and other wise people concluded: 

Our lives will seem vain or wasted until we place ourselves in God’s hands. 

No longer will we focus our lives on ME, but WE - God and I, God and us.

As we accept and believe that the Lord is too vast and holy for us to fully understand, our part is to trust God, Who Is All Good, and turn to Him in faith, knowing He will ultimately works things out for our good.

Praise God!

And may our wisdom abide and abound in God, Who is All-Wise.

 

©2021, MarySayler with thanks to Bible Gateway for supplying us with the wonderful richness of God’s Word online

 

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The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide

Published by Bethany House, who kindly sent me a copy for an honest review, The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide by Tara-Leigh Cobble just didn’t speak to me at first! As the posts on this blog show, I’m really into the Bible and have been since early childhood. So I don’t identify with those who view God’s Word as inaccessible or hard to understand. My way has been to look up difficult passages in various translations and, in recent years, to search Bible Gateway where I find English versions I’d never heard of or don’t have on my shelves.

But that’s me.

Tara-Leigh Cobble also has a passion for God’s Word – just not a similar experience, but rather than giving up, she took another approach to understanding the Bible – one involving relevant questions with which most of us can relate and will do well to ask.

In her opening letter, for example, she approaches the Bible with these vital questions:

• What does God say or do in this passage?
• What does this reveal about what God loves?
• What does this reveal about what God hates?
• What does this reveal about what motivates God to do what He does?
• In all of that, what attributes of God are displayed?

As she goes on to explain:

“The questions we ask of the Bible impact the wisdom we glean from it. Reading the Bible is not a means of self-help or an attempt to earn God’s favor. It’s an opportunity to behold the beauty of God and be drawn in by Him.”

After focusing on her favorite passages, the author “decided to read through Scripture chronologically, not front to back. I wanted to see the overall story line or metanarrative,” finding “Some of the questions I had in Leviticus weren’t answered until Hebrews. But all good relationships require patience, and they develop over time. It’s worth holding some things with an open hand and waiting until God reveals more of Himself.”

Amen!

Ironically, my dissimilar approach led me to the same conclusion! So I’d already purchased a chronological Bible before I saw the opening line in “How to Use This Book”:

“This book is arranged according to a one-year chronological plan, but you don’t have to buy a chronological Bible. In fact, I encourage you not to because it’s probably laid out differently than the plan we are doing.”

With each day’s reading clearly shown at the top of the page, the author suggests we first read the passage(s) in our preferred translation then return to The Bible Recap for a summary and a commentary on any confusing parts. At the end of each of those introductions is “Today’s God Shot,” which gives a glimpse of an aspect of God relevant to the reading. For instance, at the end of the section “Genesis 1-3,” that sidebar says:

“God is our Creator and the Lord over everything, but despite His lordship and His perfection, He’s merciful toward the sinners He’s in relationship with.”

At the end of the section for “Exodus 13-15,” we read this “God Shot,” which says:

“There is no love without wrath. If you truly love something, you’ll hate whatever threatens it. Out of God’s great love for Israel, He fights for them. And when God makes war, He wins. He has solutions we can’t even conceive of – who would even think to pray for a path through the sea? …He knows better than we do. He loves better than we do. He helps eradicate the things that distract our heart from Him to help us remember that He’s where the joy is!”

Joy – delight, elation, and even ecstasy – reside in knowing and loving God, which is the primary theme and purpose of this book. For example, as The Bible Recap reaches the New Testament, we’re encouraged to read “Matthew 5-7” followed by this commentary:

"In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the upside-down kingdom of God. He opens with eight blessings, and many scholars believe they’re cumulative – the first blessing is the foundation of the rest of the sermon….

“When we realize our spiritual poverty, we mourn it which produces meekness in us as we engage the world. Meekness gives way to a desire for God to increase our righteousness. It becomes easier to show mercy to others, because we know what it’s like to struggle. God continues to purify us as we engage with Him. We become people who don’t run from conflict, but who enter into the chaos and create peace. Peacemakers, not peacekeepers….”

Amen! Through the Bible, The Bible Recap, and the leading of the Holy Spirit, may God help us to know Him better, incorporate His Word more fully into our lives, and make peace as the Lord empowers us in Jesus’ Name.

 

©2021, Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, Bible Reviewer

 

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