Which English Translations of the Bible are you Favorites, and Why? (page 2)

LV101

Are JWs advised to only use the silver sword (latest) version? I was familiar with the '84 version and preferred to other translations I ordered a decade ago. As someone else mentioned perhaps it's the familiarity.

Disillusioned JW

LV101 the JW.org website of the WT contains an online version of the 1984 NWT as well as other Bibles, besides the latest version of the NWT. However, I haven't been to a Kingdom Hall in years (except for memorial services of 2 JW elderly family members of mine who died), thus I don't know the official policy but I suspect the newest version is the primary NWT used in JW current meetings.

smiddy3

maybe I should read up on the many versions of the Atheists Bible,that would be the only bible that would interest me now.

Though I still do have a copy of the NWT of the Bible 1984 that I sometimes use to refute a JW belief or two.

Vidqun

You should try the New English Translation (NET) and English Standard Version (ESV), both with comprehensive footnotes. If you prefer a literal (Formal Equivalent) translation, the Interlinears are an option. Old Testament: Kohlenberger and Green. New Testament: E.g., NRSV. Logos Electronic Library System has quite a few Interlinears and Back Translations, including the LXX.

vienne

Mom left me with many Bible translations. I like the Jerusalem Bible, the original version. And I like the three volume "The Bible from 26 Translations."

oppostate

I like the Berean Study Bible a lot over at Biblehub.com because it's quite readable but similar to the ESV and the NASB.

LV101

Disillusioned JW - Interesting topic/comments and thanks for info. Good to know it's online as I think I threw my couple of '84 (very studied what basic scriptures they used) ones out many yrs. ago. I'm going to ask a JW if they use this version. I do have latest version (eBay purchase and JW gave me one) but after reading negative comments never bothered to check it out. They're all packed or placed away somewhere.

Appreciate all the comments.

Disillusioned JW

The edition I have of the American Revised Version Bible (ARV) and one of my editions of the (English) Revised Version Bible (RV) are both rare editions which I bought on eBay. They were each published in 1898, "Printed for the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge" and published (or distributed) by their respective New York, U.S.A. branch. They both have copious scriptural marginal references. The RV edition has a genuine leather cover. Both Bibles include alternate readings and alternate renderings.

The other RV Bible I have is part of the "The Parallel Bible" published in 1890. It is a rare edition (and has a genuine leather cover) which has the Authorized Version (AV/KJV) and RV in parallel columns. It is "Printed for the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge" and distributed from the Oxford Warehouse in London and the Cambridge Warehouse in London. It includes alternate readings and alternate renderings for both the AV/KJV and the RV. It includes "Helps to The Study of the Bible, comprising summaries of the several books with copious explanatory notes and tables illustrative of scripture history ...", a "Subject-Index to the Holy Scriptures", a "Concordance to the Holy Scriptures", and color maps. I bought it on eBay.

One edition I have of the ASV is a very hard to find wide-margin edition (with copious scripture cross-references) published by Thomas Nelson which includes the Apocrypha of the RV. Another edition I have of the ASV is "Nelson's Teachers' Edition". It has a bonded leather cover (and is thumb notch indexed). It includes copious scripture cross-references and "The Concise BIBLE DICTIONARY with numerous illustrations based upon The Illustrated Bible Treasury written by leading scholars in America and Great Britain together with a new concordance to the American Revised Version (Standard Edition), with over ten thousand references to the Authorized Version of 1611, combined with a subject-index and pronouncing dictionary of scripture proper names and A New Indexed Bible Atlas". That Bible Dictionary section is copyright 1900 by Thomas Nelson & Sons and its illustrations include photographs. I also have a newer printing of the "Teachers' Edition" by Nelson.

Though I am now an atheist I consider the above mentioned Bibles to be treasures of mine. I love the craftsmanship of four of the above mentioned Bibles.

The editions I have of the NRSV with the Apocrypha are of "The New Oxford Annotated Bible" - with Apocrypha (and I also have one for the RSV with the Apocrypha: Expanded Edition). I also have "The Oxford Study Bible - Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha: A Complete Guide to the World of the Bible". The NASB-Updated edition I have is the "Life Application Study Bible". I also have the "Today's Parallel Bible" consisting of the NIV, NASB-Updated, KJV (the latter of which is based upon the Cambridge Paragraph Bible of 1873), and NLT.

I have the "Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible" (a Catholic Bible with annotations) and it includes full color illustrations.

I have "The Open Bible - New King James Version" and a Holman UltraThin Reference Edition of the NKJV.

I also have the "Zondervan NIV Study Bible - 2008 Update", the Student Bible - NIV, the "Couples' Devotional Bible" - TNIV, "The New Testament In Modern Speech: An idiomatic translation into everyday English from the text of the Resultant Greek Testament" - "Fifth Edition", "The S. S. Teacher's Edition: THE HOLY BIBLE ... Authorized King James Version (which includes "The Oxford Cyclopedia Concordance ..") published by Oxford At The University Press and it has a leather cover, several editions of the NWT (ones published prior to 2013), and several other Bibles (including two Jewish translations of the Hebrew Scriptures).

I also have various Concordances, some of which include Study Helps.

dropoffyourkeylee

Speaking of Concordances, I have an 'Englishman's Greek Concordance' purchased some years ago. It shows all the places where a Greek word is used, irrespective of any particular translation. It dates to the 1800's, and I'm sure there are better computer-based ways now to do the same thing, but I still like it. It does require at least enough grasp of the Greek letters to read the words and find them in Greek-alphabetic order. I have a similar concordance for Hebrew, but I haven't found it as useful.

punkofnice

It's been years since I looked at a Bible apart from the family Bible that was handed down to me. It is of course a KJV.

I recently had a goosey gander at the Tanakh. Only a brief one.

Which English Translations of the Bible are you Favorites, and Why?

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