What is your favorite Bible Translation? (page 5)

Black Sheep

It doesn't matter what translation I am am reading, I just read what I want it to say!

Whoops, hang on a minute, that's what my father does.

Cheers

Chris

bernadette

I like the Message Bible. All JW's should read this verse (copied from Biblegateway)

Galatians 3

Trust in Christ, Not the Law

1 You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.

2-4 Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!

Terry

2-4 Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!

That has a very sincere feeling to it; the wording and the weight of it. A lot of translations feel like a cross between fortune cookies and acrostics.

In other words, it feels like a person's mind talking directly to another's.

truthsearcher

It depends on what purpose. I love the poetic feel of the KJV but much prefer the NKJV for updated language. I understand that it is fairly literal, although I am not a "KJV only" person. I read the NWT of Psalm 23 to my children, and I have to say, no offense intended, we thought it was the funniest things ever written! As a lover of poetry, which the Psalms are, it just didn't have a poetic feel at all. for example "with oil you have greased my head"

Just can't imagine that line in a song...

mouthy

"with oil you have greased my head"

You want to see Paul Blizzard demonstrate the scripture in his testimony He says it is like pull into the Hall lift your head off they grease your brains.. put your head back on READY TO GO DOOR To DOOR It is so funny. No wonder you laughed....truthsearcher

PrimateDave

Thank you Narkissos. I am no scholar. I have often been impressed with your posts and your objectivity. And you are correct once again: the author cannot conclusively prove that all instances of elohim should be translated as "gods". I believe, however, that he was attempting to introduce the possibility that the verbs have themselves been tampered with, suggesting that perhaps in many instances the character indicating plurality had been dropped. He said, "But the actual verb plural-form (which in Hebrew is the tiny vav -- "u" -- tacked on the end, as we add "s" in English to form the plural of nouns), although mostly missing, is a number of times to be found..." Please don't think I am harping on the point. It is for me a matter of intellectual curiosity. It certainly wouldn't hurt my feelings to be wrong.

While my first language is English, I have been speaking (and I would say still learning) Spanish for nearly twenty years. I live in the Spanish Carribean (not Jamaica ;) and use Spanish on a daily basis. So, I too am well aware of the difficulties found in translation, though I have never done so professionally. Even in related languages like French, Spanish, and English, it can sometimes be awkward to make a perfect translation; how much more difficult it has to be to come up with an adequate translation of works in ancient dead languages! Modern Bible translation committees are for the most part to be commended for the level of effort that they apply to a monumental task. And, yes, they have to consider their customer's expectations.

One additional point about the JPS Tanakh: the translators are honest enough to admit when the original meaning of a passage in the received text is vague, making an accurate translation difficult if not impossible. On top of that the English text is structured well, making it very readable and understandable. Naturally, it uses the terms "Lord" and "God" instead of Jehovah or Yahweh, but the Hebrew text with vowel points is right there along side of the English translation.

Dave

What is your favorite Bible Translation?