All Bible translations explained in 7 minutes 

The Message translation is wild ! "Bravo, Bravissimo" 💀

As a native Hebrew speaker, sometimes not even we are sure how to accurately translate some of the verses in the bible to a non speaker. I 100% understand the people who learn my language just for the sake of focusing on biblical Hebrew and reading the bible in its original form

Please can someone pray for me. 2 and a half years ago I had an operation on both my knees because the bone and cartilage broke off in both of them. I have been recovering from this but recently my left knee has become super swollen and painful and I think the cartilage has come loose. I believe in miracles in the name of the Jesus and I am grateful for any prayers.

If you cannot read ancient languages, then using NASB, NLT and NKJV is a strong combo. It allows you to compare translation methodologies for comprehension sake and gives you access to different manuscript traditions. Highly recommended.

NLT is underrated. I grew up with a southern mom who had me read KJV and NKJV. I feel like as i read NLT as an adult I'm catching stuff i didn't before and it's a legit story.

0:00 - Introduction to Bible Translations 0:53 - King James Version (KJV) 1:24 - New King James Version (NKJV) 1:56 - Evang- English Standard Version (ESV) 2:36 - New International Version (NIV) 3:11 - Christian Standard Bible (CSB) 3:41 - New American Standard Bible (NASB) 4:10 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 4:40 - New Living Translation (NLT) 5:03 - Good News Translation (GNT) 5:31 - The Message (..?) 6:25 - Conclusion I know the video is less than 7 minutes long but I was bored.

I love how you explain the utility of each translation!! Honestly very helpful for those who want to teach, learn, and understand the Word! Definitely will be taking your advice.

I just pray for all to hear God's word, and for his grace to descend on us all. Amen.

Grew up on NIV but it always felt lacking. Switched to NASB and it’s honestly super underrated by most people. Yes, sometimes it can be pretty dense, but it forces you to slow down and truly think about the words on the page and why they were written like that. My wife uses ESV so whenever we study together it’s cool to see the differences in translation and how they help us figure out the true meanings and purposes behind it all.

Always good to have multiple versions available during Bible studies.

great explanation! in the bible school i went to, all the students used different versions, and our teachers would call upon whoever had esv, nlt, nkjv etc. to get different perspectives on the same verse. i think it's always good to use multiple translations to get a better idea of the overall meaning of the verses.

Found this video on my recommended as a Jewish person. I am not fluent in Hebrew but I understand enough to be able to evaluate various translations of the Torah from Hebrew into English, so it's fascinating to see how other Christian or non-Jewish scholars/religious sects translate the Torah (and parts of the Christian Bible written in Greek etc.) into their vernaculars.

As a Catholic I didn't start reading my Bible up until around January of this year. I received it as a gift during Confirmation. They gave us the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) and I must say I didn't really read the Bible before since I couldn't find a Bible in modern English but now with my NABRE I'm finally experiencing it the way I always wanted.

As a Catholic, I didn't really grow up studying or reading the Bible (I know, this fits the "Catholics don't read the Bible" stereotype here) UNTIL I went to University. I two took Religious Studies courses on the Bible and I have used the NRSV "New Oxford Annotated Bible" 5th edition as a study source and I love it. It not only has exposed me to the historical context of the Bible but it has helped me understand passages of the Bible with potential explanations for the passages and gives me more context. And of course, this version has helped me spiritually along the way. I would encourage people to to approach the Bible not only spiritually but academically as well so people can appreciate the many books found within the Bible (especially the Old Testament!)

I’m a huge fan of the NASB especially since I’m studying Greek and Hebrew. Word for word translation allows me to really see what words are being used and when!

Learn Greek Hebrew and Aramaic it’s really that simple.

The NLT is awesome, helps to really explain verses to people who aren't Christian and give a more modern understanding to older ideas. I always felt confused growing up around the KJV, so reading the NLT version helped me so much to understand what I was reading while still remaining true to the original text.

You should talk about the OSB (Orthodox Study Bible) and the upcoming EOB (Eastern Orthodox Bible). The EOB is supposed to be the greatest English translation ever. They already have the NT compete, which you can purchase from Newrome Press

I just love this channel i love how hes kinda sarcastic kinda but really good information

This video was both ultra informative and yet at the same time both humorous and entertaining, well done! These videos are great for those exploring their Christian faith, and shows that though we take our faith and our Gospel seriously, we too can have fun! I also especially really loved the playful jabs you took at my beloved ESV Bible, as they are very much true! 😂

You forgot Douay Rheims; the joke could have been that the Bible is used by Catholic Trads who don’t bother to learn Latin

The graph helped me discern where my faith is. Thank you!

Thank you so much for these videos. I am also Presbyterian and drifted away in my teen years, drafting back now. I definitely appreciate the easy-to-digest breakdowns. Seriously.

This was amazing! Thank you for your clear comparisons of each translation. It seems like a simple thing but I rarely compare translations even though I read a few different ones. Having each verse written in the same font, side by side helps a lot! :)

Your channel is seriously underrated. You make boring topic so entertaining. As a Christian I’m learning a lot from your channel

I enjoyed watching this video! Short & to the point, I love it. God bless 🙏🏽🎚️

I wasn't expecting much from this post, but it's actually superb. Well done!

Oh man, I'm so grateful for this video as I've been trying to find a translation that's easy to understand for me, personally. Thanks to this video I came across the New Living Translation and I feel like it's perfect for me👌

We need part 2! I'd love to hear about all the other translations.

Think of all this brilliant information we’d miss out on without RU-vid. Thanks for all your work! It’s very very appreciated

i really like the meme format and how you explain things it's clear and not with useless fillings (so far as i see it )

Brilliant way of explaining differences in Bible translations to a Zoomer audience (myself included). Felt difficult to process all the different translations in my internet-destroyed brain, putting them on a compass like this, while it may remove some nuance, really helps. Thanks!

THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!!! I’ve been trying to figure out what translations were different and how, and which one is best for me. I currently have an ESV study bible, An ESV Reformation study bible, an NIV, and a KJV. Aside from those I also have the “Action bible” which puts the Bible in comic book form for people who can’t sit and read books like an adult (me) lol. But now I’m reading my ESV

Your prayers make a difference! Thank you for interceding for others.

NLT helped me get through the bible for the first time in my 35 years on this planet. Going through it again now with a NKJV. Not sure if I'll pick up any other versions after this, but being able to read and understand what I'm actually reading is so much nicer than the days of attempting to crawl through the KJV. Also the Lord has already spoken to me quite a bit through the NLT and opened my eyes to a lot of things that wasn't really touched on in churches (like how important repentance actually is and what that even means!)

I've also heard "Elect Standard Version" for the ESV because so many reformed folks use it lol.

This video is crucial because it addresses a key point regarding Christianity-the multitude of translations. Great video!

Not a bible reader like most of the other commenters, but I'd always wondered about the different bible versions and what motivated their styles. Thanks OP.

My main reading Bible is the CSB, but a lot of my memorized verses are from the NIV (1984), and I also like to read the NKJV and NASB (the former mainly for the OT, the latter mainly for the NT). English speakers have a special privilege of so many different translations, and even if you are knowledgeable of the original languages, you will have a more dynamic grasp of the text when you see how different scholars have rendered it in English.

the NLT is also lovely for someone who just wants to read the whole bible, beginning to end, but never really accomplishes that (because they get stuck, find it too difficult, etc). as a matter of fact, the portuguese version of the NLT (called "nova versão transformadora", new transforming version) was the one that helped me do just that. if you want to study the text in-depth, it's obviously not the right translation, but it really flows and makes for a light read (without "messaging" the text).

I’m a huge NRSV fan. Words have meaning, even if they don’t follow modern English semantic patterns. NRSV + Bible Gateway for commentary on Ancient Hebrew is my favorite way to study to study the Bible. Unless I someday rigorously study Ancient Hebrew, I feel like I’m missing out on key, important connotations (I’ve dived deep into the ancient Hebrew in Ecclesiastes, completely transforms the mood and message of the book). In any case, each of these serve a purpose, and in my opinion, a wise Bible reader spends time with each. Great video.

ESV is still and will always be the best in my eyes. I love how true it is to the text, and how poetic it sounds, while still making sense to the modern ear.

I like the way the NLT phrases certain passages, its good for reading out loud and family Bible study. I've used many different translations for personal study and devotional over the years but I find myself going back to ESV and NET for study and NKJV for devotional, praying through scripture and inspiration for writing.

I know that this is a very short video, and not meant to be comprehensive, but there is another very important aspect to the difference in bible translations other than how literal or how Christian it is. That is: which text the translators are translating from. The King James and New King James are translated from the Textus Receptus (a relatively newer set of manuscripts) and translations like the ESV and NASB are translated from critical texts like the Neslte-Aland texts for the New Testament, which tend toward being older manuscripts. That is a pretty important distinction, and I don't know how you'd put that in your graph. Anyway, I love my Legacy Standard Bible, my ESV and my KNJV because they teach me about my Lord who loves me.

This is a good overview of Protestant bibles. Make a part 2 where you mention the Douay Rheims and the Septuagint vs. Masoretic distinction.

I appreciate the fact that you made a straight forward video explanation of the bible translations. Every video I've seen up until now feature people rambling on without explaining anything or getting to the point. We need more people like you who can get to the point. Thank you for posting this video.

Your videos are well done with a good sense of humour!

Thankyou for this video! This is the unbiased, easy-to-understand video explanation I was looking for. Now I can make a better and more informed decision on which bible(s) I want invest in rather than just using a borrrowed one.

The NASB is also useful for historical studies, like putting the Old Testament in context within history.

I'm a huge fan of the NET as well. It's a pretty literal translation, but makes "hard calls" where the greek is vague. It's very helpful to have as a second translation beside an ESV or NIV.

Gotta love the cartoon figures in Good News Bible. They made me fall in love with the Bible as a kid and though I no longer read GNB, it laid a good foundation for me. God bless the people who made that translation!

ohh my god, the message verses in the end, made my day.... Thanksssss man

I'm part of a mission organization called the Navigators. They actually print and distribute the message so I would like to add context. The message is not meant to be a literal translation or used in as your main Bible, it's literally just a commentary. Please don't use it as your main Bible or judge it as one. Yeah, it was just a guy writing down what he thought sounded good, but he did it well and it does have some use.

I use my NASB for bible studies and church. I have an NRSV that my religious studies professors like us to use, mostly for those annotations. I mostly used it in my intro to Hebrew Bible/Old Testament course. I occasionally use it in my Josephus class, but usually the professor would send pdfs of a Jewish Annotated New Testament that he co-wrote the annotations of. Definitely interesting how different a Christian Bible is from a secularly written bible. The text is mostly the same, the main difference is the annotations go from being theological to historical with secular bibles having stuff regarding sourcing, dating, cross references with other ancient texts, and lots of source criticism. (I have a religious studies minor in college).

WOW! As a believer and bible studier, this is a great summarization! How thoughtful, accurate, and useful. 👏👏👏

Straight forward breakdown with enough nuance to be interesting without distracting for help me make a informed choice.

I've been studying biblical literature/languages at uni and have come to the conclusion that the diversity in modern English translations is actually really good for English speakers in general. There was nothing more humbling than being asked to translate and provide commentary on Philippians 2 in my biblical Greek 3 class, and it wasn't until I had learned the basics of grammar and syntax enough to interact with translation that I got to see the tip of the iceberg in terms of the vast challenges that arise when trying to translate even a single paragraph of Scripture. For my personal context (and I have seen this to be true with fellow peers in biblit), those who have taken the time/had the chance to learn Hebrew/Aramaic/Koine/etc. can find the literal translations to be most useful because their studies allow them to be aware of the nuances that they should be aware of when handling literal "wooden" translations. Those who have further studied hermeneutics and biblit cognates can find the literal + secular combination to be the best (hence why the NRSV gets its academic stereotyped use) because they have taken the time to learn the backgrounds to contextualize the secular elements appropriately. I do have a soft spot for the KJV for how it beautifully handles Hebrew poetry, and the ESV is a good translation that tries to balance the literal concept with Christian theological emphasis (hence why the evangelical stereotype arises). At any rate, this comment is far too long and needs to end, so TL;DR the diversity of English translations is a positive

"Fail the test and you're out, out in a hail of firestones. Drinking from a canteen filled with hot desert air." That unironically goes hard.

WOW! This was awesome. Thanks for making it.

Loved the video. Thank for providing a concise summary. We are missing a few seminal translations though: the Catholic version of the Bible

I'm a Catholic, and while I do read Douay-Rheims (Particularly the 1899 American Edition that's on Bible Gateway) and the Vulgate (Particularly both the Clementine Vulgate and the Nova Vulgata), my favorite Bible translation is the New American Bible - Revised Edition (NABRE), which is of course, derived from the New American Bible (NAB). I know that both translations have their problems (Especially with some of the NAB and NABRE's footnotes), but I like both translations because in some ways, they are Bible translation that are both literal and accurate to the texts of the original, and that the NABRE is the translation that's used in the Lectionaries of both the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) and the CBCP (Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines), as I'm a Filipino. My close second favorite translation is the 2019 New Catholic Bible (Not to be confused with the CTS-New Catholic Bible, which is just the Jerusalem Bible with the Grail Psalter and some footnotes and cross references), because it is almost similar to the NABRE in terms of the content and the methods used to make the translation. Its footnotes are also more pastoral and theological than the rather scholarly footnotes of the NABRE, so it's also nice to read them as well. Fun fact: Both the NABRE and the NCB translations can be accessed on Bible Gateway!

I’m a Douay Rhiems guy myself ngl. I like its language. Also Exodus 3:14 is I AM WHO AM so its so majestic

As a writer, I've been trying to translate the Bible for gamers. Examples include: "In the Beginning, God pressed the Create New World button." "And thus the Israelites spent forty years in the desert, grinding XP so that they could take out the Cannanite Alliance and reach 100 million power" "And on the third day, Jesus' delayed "True Ressurection" spell took effect, just as he had intended". "David was infatuated with Bathseba, and when he rolled a Nat 1 on the wisdom save, he formulated a plan to have her for his own." "Ezekiel used his strange power to gaze into the astral realm and see the true forms of the angels." It's more for comedy than to be serious, but the point is going to be made.

I didn't grow up going to church or reading the bible, only celebrating Christian holidays, and recently decided to start reading the bible. I've started with the NASB because I wanted a literal translation, I didn't know it was more common for those already set in their faith.

You didn’t mention one of the worst translations from the Message Bible: “How well God must like you - you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.” (Psalms 1:1)

Man, your content is so unique there is nothing really like it out there! It has a combination of religious teaching and youthful, gen z terminology and art I've always wanted to learn about different religions but most religious scholars have a dull delivery style, not really suitable for a teen like me who is used to the simple and colorful internet culture

Very good video, I’m newer to studying my Bible (not my faith), and I’ve been going through the New Testament. I grew up using kjv and i prefer for reasons like you said “the beautiful language”. Now as I reach the end of the New Testament, I find myself going and cross referencing words and different translations to fully understand what it means if it isn’t initially clear. I’m probably going to go through the New Testament with a few other versions to see if I can pick any different messages I hadn’t originally heard. I also see people saying “learn Hebrew”, but the issue with that is, the New Testament was written in Greek, not Hebrew. So I would either (and most likely) need to study both, or learn the original language with a class that will help me understand (slang) they used back then.

Very helpful, thank you! ❤

NASB = based underrated (as long as it’s 1995 or older). ASV is its wise grandfather. ESV = Evangelical Standard Version NIV & NLT = Easy to read, easy to misunderstand

I usually find myself using NKJV or NASB when I'm sharing verses with others. I'm allergic to paraphrasing because there's so much nuance lost in certain word choices, and they both have good poetic "punch" that makes them hit harder while still being in plain English. NRSV is what we used in college. It is definitely the most accurate, but I also find it doesn't have the same emotional "oomph" as my two faves, so I usually don't quote it.

Man I learn so much from these videos.

your channel is going to mess up my youtube recommendations 😅 i’m not even christian just i think this stuff is interesting

I know you arent catholic, but it would be very helpful if you could do a video on catholic bible translations and/or orthodox ones, and if you want you can talk about why you disagree wjth those bibles too

Just have to put in a good word for my buddy, Eugene... I unapologetically love the Message- obviously it's not my main Bible but it's been a good friend to me for several years. It's like when I'm struggling with a certain passage and I ask my friend or mentor what their take on it is. And yeah, some of the phrasing is goofy but that's part of the charm! There's a childlike-ness about it that draws me into the Father's heart.

I don't know why you sort of discredited your videos. This is a really good video. I'd add some nuance at some points but in terms of 7 minutes to get across a lot of information to a very large audience this is great. It's also really had to do. Most people can't do this. Great job.

Earned a sub with this vid 😂 good stuff.

>doesn’t mention the true word of God, Douay-Rheims Bible, sucessor of St. Jerome’s Vulgate, Divinely Inspired, first translation of the good book (1582) Ok, ok, it’s not like I’m mad or anything. It’s ok.

I'm atheist but I enjoy watching your videos for they are both informative and entertaining. Keep up the good work, sir. 🤝🍷🗿

Lol, the "No, not you" at the end made me smile 😁. I'd love to see all of the denominations come together and go through page by page and translate into something that is agreed to be 100% accurate to the translation whilst also adding nothing that makes it unclear or open to unravelling/contradiction. Would take a lot of work and a lot of time to ensure all arguments and contradictions were ironed out but there has to be a single translation that makes it both accurate and easy/pleasant to read 😊

Oxford Annotated NRSV with Apocrypha and the New Jewish Publication Society Tanakh These really are the best translations. Reading the apocrypha is very valuable for understanding early Christianity and second Temple judaism. The annotations provide all kinds of scholarship from biblical archeology and loterary analysis of the biblical texts (including notes on difficult words to translate to English or errors made by scribes in the ancient or medieval periods.) Obviously the Tanakh excludes the apocrypha and the New Testament and has the books ordered in the Jewish fashion with the first five books (the Torah / Pentateuch) seperated out. Christians really would benefit from reading the Bible the way scholars do and at least understanding the way Jews order and understand the Old Testament (the Tanakh).

My personal favorite is the rsv2ce. Even though I'm not catholic, I still use the deuterocanonical books to strengthen doctrines already in the bible.

I’m partial to the NASB. I like knowing my translation is literal, even if it means it’s harder to understand. Also, much like the KJV and NKJV, if it adds words for clarity, it italicizes them, unlike its most similar translation the ESV.

I grew up in a non-denominational church that uses NIV study bibles primarily. NLT and The Amplified Bible are used to help bring more out of the text at times, and it's greatly appreciated.

I grew up with KJV and although I became a Christian at age 10, I didn't fully fall in love with bible reading until I got the NLT with Life Application Notes. I do still compare translations on Bile Gateway for a fresh look at a familiar passage or if I am a bit confused. 21st Century, English speaking Christians are so blessed with the many resources we have!

The NASB is good for people trying to learn Greek or Hebrew, or have learnt some but not enough to fluently read in the original languages. Being very literal it is easy to compare the translation with the original. I like the message for getting overviews of longer books, it’s easy to read though naturally and get an overview of the whole message and how sections of the book break down, but it is not good for looking at individual small sections or single verses.

The ESV stereotype was so ON POINT 😭😂😂 it looks like you just took a picture of my Bible

Interesting to learn from, even if I personally am not Christian! You’ve got a knack for livening up the mundane and I am all here for it.

A video detailing historical manuscripts would be even more revealing Like the Greek Septuagint Old Testament which dates to the 3rd century BC (used by Orthodox) vs the Masoretic Old Testament from the 10th century AD (used by roman-catholics and protestants).

For Spanish speakers, try the "Biblia de Jerusalén". Best scholarly translation (from the original Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek) with tons of footnotes for the Catholic Bible!

For personal study, I love the NLT for easy to understand accurate meaning-for-meaning translations focused on preserving the actual meaning of the text. For group study, I recommend the ESV for a literal word-for-word translation of the text.

The Message bible had me and my husband CRACKING it up! 😂 Its insane how different it is!

What about the Orthodox and Catholic English translations like OSB and the Douay-Rheims Bible

Not a single mention of the *actual* best Bible translation: the Douay-Rheims

Ever heard of the NIrV? New International Reader's Version. I had two different prints of it when I was a kid. One was peppered with devotionals for kids and had a "colored chalk on pavement" cover, and the other had a selection of full-page illustrations in it that were 40% drawn by kids, 60% drawn by a professional artist. (As in, the adult drew most of the illustration, and kids' scribbles made up some of the humans and animals in the picture.)

I have a NIV and am finding it quite nice. Definitely helps with reading comprehension

I'm surprised you did not mention the Douey Rheims Bible, that one is super old and used by Catholics. It directly translates from the Latin vulgate

NLT is excellent for a beginning Christian. I started off on that one before moving to NASB and then eventually ESV.

I use ESV in church and Bible study, because I love how packed my study Bible is with notes and room for annotations. However I read the NKJV in private reading.

This is classic Redeemed Zoomer. Good information presented in a way that actually explains it and just memey enough to be funny without going overboard and being distracting or annoying.

Psalm 11 in "The Message" be like: *HEAT OF THE DESERT* *DUST SETTLES ON MY FACE* *WITHOUT A COMPASS* *THE SOLDIER KNOWS NO DISGRACE*