Louis, I would like your views on recent translations of the Bible in view of the King James Bible. I struggle with the King James version, It’s harder for me to understand. I prefer the New International Version because it is in a language i’m more familier with. I know their are many translations, and i’m not interested in an opinion of each of them individually. I defend that I can study what God says to me in the NIV, and all scripture is God breathed, and I trust that what I read is true. I would like your reason for using the King James for all the scriptures you quote. One more time I would like to give you praise for the work you do for the Lord. ~ Bill Suffel
The King James Version of the Bible is among the reliably translated versions of the Bible available today. The American Standard Version (ASV) and the New King James Version (NKJV) are newer than the KJV and also among the most reliable as well as easily understood translations available today. Every translation of the Bible has its weaknesses (the KJV is no exception) and most of the translations also have their strengths, too (as does the KJV). More reference works and original language resources are keyed to, quote or otherwise explain passages in the KJV than any other translation of the Bible in English; so, from a Bible student’s perspective, there is much to be said for studying from the KJV.
For decades, and for the foreseeable future, more people are acquainted with and will continue to be acquainted with the KJV than any other translation. This is largely so because of the longtime availability of this translation (in part due to its wide acceptance over the centuries by scholars and other students of the Word) and because so many people now living began reading the KJV when they first picked up a Bible. Especially quotations from and citations of the KJV in articles within Gospel Gazette Online, or in sermons and in religious articles, do not appear without explanation of the passages under review; so, understanding those quotations and citations does not hinder comprehension. Some of the articles that appear in GGO cite other translations (and original language reference works, too) when it specially helps the reader better understand the message.
There has been no archaeological discovery since the translation of the KJV, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, that changes the content or meaning of passages in the KJV. The parade of modern translations, and there are many newer translations and different ways of packaging older translations, has more to do with salesmanship and marketing than it has to do with scholarship or even readability. For instance, the ASV and NKJV appear in contemporary English, and even the KJV’s language has been updated from time to time since it was first translated.
Translating methods and the theological biases of the translators have a lot to do with the reliability or lack thereof of the resulting translation of the Bible. If a translating committee attempts to convey from one language to another (English in our case) as closely as possible what the former reads, the translation will prove very useful. The ASV particularly demonstrates this, as it is a literal translation, as much as a word-for-word translation as possible. If a translating committee’s theology dismisses confidence in divine, verbal inspiration or does not view the Bible as the final, absolute authority in religion, the translation will fail to adequately convey the mind of God. The NIV is not particularly strong in this regard, but the ASV, on the other hand, can largely be translated from English back into the Greek, which attests to the faithfulness with which it was translated from the Greek to English in the first place.
It is much better to better understand a reliable translation, even if it takes a little effort and earnest study, than to more easily understand a translation of the Bible that may be a little careless in the translating process. However, one can rather opt for a translation of the Bible that is both reliably translated and easily understood (e.g., ASV, NKJV).
Not all translations are created equal, and there is a difference between the originally God-breathed Word of God and the translations from the original languages of the Bible into other languages (such as English). Bible translations are God-breathed and are the Word of God only to the extent that they are reliably translated.
