Having a Hard Time Choosing a Bible Translation? 

I was in half price books last week and found a gem! A 1982 NKJV burgundy cowhide leather and leather lined, edge lined Bible. Paid $10 for it. Almost mint condition with zero writing in it and even the art gilding is still like new. The spine says collectors edition and also “old time gospel hour”. The presentation page reads “this is to certify that this hand-tooled first edition of the New King James Bible number….. has been registered in the name of …… this special collector’s edition was produced for the old time gospel hour in a limited number and made available to a few special friends”. Definitely a good find.

The point of any translation is to lead others to Christ and help mature us in His image once saved. Whether that is the KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, CSB, LSB, etc. what you relate to and helps you reach these goals is what is best for you. I feel, after being in fulltime ministry for 48+ years, we have reached the point of translation snobbery at times. No one should feel pressured to abandon the KJV, for example, if it works for them, and no one should feel forced to pressure others to accept it only. How many have been saved through using the KJV, or the NKJV, NASB, ESV, CSB, LSB, or any other legitimate translation from the original languages? The best Bible version for anyone is the one that works for them in presenting them mature in Christ (Col. 1:28).

Well my church uses the NIV and I personally have no problem with the NIV but I much prefer the NKJV for personal reading and study. Nice video Tim, I recently had an old friend ask me what Bible translations were out there that he might like, he was using the KJV and told me he was struggling with the wording. I recommended him the ESV. We are so spoiled for translations, we sure are blessed, some people don't even have a BIble, and some don't have the insane amount of choice that we enjoy.

Thank you, Tim. I totally agree - we have some great choices out there... NKJV or NKJV or even NKJV 🤣

My two favorites are the NLT and the NKJV!

A newer, but definitely an excellent Bible translation that many people may not have heard of is the Berean Standard Bible. I enjoy reading several different translations, but the BSB has rapidly become my definitive number one favorite translation.

Great video. I’m all over the place on translations. There are elements of each I love. NASB for punctuation, CSB the okayest… lol and NLT for street ministry. NKJV for beauty of language. 😅

My main is the BSB, but parallel it with NKJV and NLT.

English is my 3rd or 4 language. And NLT works for me. My church uses CSB, and I like CSB also. But NLT helps me understand the Scriptures without asking questions

Very informative video Tim. Thank you for sharing this information. 👌👍

Use a translation you read and understand

Excellent points, Tim. Well said.

Thank you Tim for the advice.

When in doubt buy them all and go with the NLT..

YaaaaaaY to short form videos 😊 I’ve missed these !!!

I pair the NRSV and ESV together as my primary translations. They represent two approaches to updating the RSV, one more academic and the other more traditional. I don't think that either one is fully satisfactory on its own, but together, they form the best modern Bible translation. But when I recommend a translation to someone else, I go with the CSB. It feels like a good middle ground between the NRSV and ESV, and it's easier to read than both (while still being sufficiently literal for most practical purposes). For teenagers, I suggest either the TEV or NLT.

I went with KJV and ESV because they both have many widely available formats in different price points, and also both have easily accessible audiobible apps so I can listen along. My church is using NIV now, so I may try that at some point, but I feel like adding more translations in will just distract from getting to know the word. I would rather stick to 1-2 primary translations.

Awesome advice, thank you!

As always your videos are so helpful, this one is no different.

Great video Tim!

Well put, Tim! 👍

Thank you, Brother Tim 🌹🌹🌾🌹🌹

I use CSB, ESV, and now a lot the LSB. The LSB is quickly becoming one I keep going back to and check others by it.

I needed this video.

After watching this, I now read the CSB and NIV. CSB really is a lot easier to read and understand.

I went through a few years of switching Bible translations looking for the best. I'm not sure there is a 'best'. Each one is best in different areas. Currently I use the CSB, paired with the DLNT. I regularly look and compare with a few others but found that for me it's better for my memory to have only a couple as my go to/main reading and memorizing bibles. Thanks for the great video post.

Very good Tim 👍, Thanks 😊

I've been dealing with this issue for the last couple of months, and I finally had to come down somewhere! I love the CSB and KJV, and so I decided to meet "in the middle." So I've decided to land on the NKJV!

I really enjoy having a couple of versions in parallel open on a tablet for most occasions. Sometimes it's the ESV (which we use at our church) alongside the NKJV (which I prefer for it's accuracy and historic basis). At other times I like to compare an English version to the original Greek, so I'll have the Majority or Critical Text open next to a modern translation like the CSB so I can get a feel for how and why certain passages were translated in a particular way or to see if there's a justifiable reason a passage was included or left out of some translations. When I'm in a Bible study or witnessing I prefer to carry a physical Bible so I'm not tempted to be comparing things and to stay engaged with those who are present and reading along.

Great video Tim. My fave for many years has always been the NKJV. I am currently enjoying the Nasb95 as well. Others I enjoy are the KJV, RSV, CSB and ESV.

I admit to having a preference for the TR based bibles. I do, however, use multiple translations. I used to find difficulties with extended reading. I bought a CSB, and it opened up my ability to truly get into reading scripture. It is now easier to pick up and read any version I choose. To me, the CSB was like a key that unlocked the door to the scripture. Sorry for possibly running on to long.

I like the new office! I preach from the CSB because of my cultural context. But I personally like a little more of a word for word translation. So, I go with the ESV for myself and my own Bible study and reading.

Outstanding duscussion Mr. Frisch. In an arena filled with arguments, ideology and unsupported assertions, you remain a voice of common sense. Be well sir.

I like: * Formal equivalence/literal/word-for-word: ESV, LEB (the LEB is only available online via Logos as far as I'm aware). * Functional equivalence/dynamic/thought-for-thought: NLT. * Mediating versions: CSB, NIV.

Thanks for the video! This is a funny struggle I have. I used the ESV for my beginning years in the faith. Its phrases are very engrained and familiar. I also really like the NIV based on the principles you mentioned but haven't made a full switch because it's so different. I've memorized so much in the ESV.

I use the nasb95 myself. It’s my bible language. But my pastor asked me to teach Sunday school. He uses the nkjv so I’m going to use the nkjv because we must honor our senior pastor and I want to be consistent. We have a few new believers and don’t want them confused. But I’m still using my NASB 95 at home for study. I’m going to Bible college and seminary and all my notes and study are with my NASB 95

Thanks for your post, Tim. I read several translations daily. That said, my primary translations for study are the NKJV and the CSB.

I think it’s weird that people feel that they have this need to “land” on a particular translation. Read different ones. There’s something off about people’s obsession with finding the right one.

I grew up on the NKJV and in my mid 20's my baptism Bible that I received at 16 fell apart. I started looking for a new translation. Due to translation principle I finally settled on the NAS95. So many passages sounded odd to my NKJV ear. Yet, overtime, I have come to absolutely love it.

I use the CSB as my main bible because it has a great balance of readability and accuracy. I use NASB and ESV for their accuracy in my study. I use NET for its readability and translation notes.

I enjoy reading and memorizing the KJV. I like studying a combination of NASB (1995) and the Amplified. If reading to younger or a more diverse group with varying educational levels I like NKJ. I have just started to enjoy the LSB, but it hasn't replaced any of my main translations...yet.

I've commented on a few videos and said that for myself personally, the LSB has become my favorite Bible translation, but during my studies at any time I use any one of these translations with it, the NASB 77, 95, and 2020 versions to see how they differ or are similar, the ESV, BSB, NET, NKJV, MEV, HCSB, I do also use the NIV both the 84 edition which I prefer, and the 2011 edition, as well as the NRSV, though these three are much less used in my studies. I do use the ASV often, the KJV, Rotherham's Emphasized Bible is one of my favorites, I also use YLT, but more as a reference and comparison for certain verses. At any given time I will use anyone of these versions but always with my LSB, for instance LSB with HCSB, or with the Rotherham version or NET(this comparison, LSB with NET has been my most frequent these past weeks) I would be interested in purchasing the LSV if they get some nicer print edition styles, but I have no interest in purchasing or using very often the CSB or NRSVue except maybe to see a verse here and there

Whilst my local church still uses the KJV publicly (as that’s what most members have been using all their life), I am blessed very much in my own study and personal reading using 4 translations. ESV > CSB > NIV > NLT. It is a good spectrum from “literal” to “readability”. I get much more from these than “wrestling” with the KJV. Allan

I've started reading versions other than the KJV and it has revitalised my Christian life and desire towards God. A big point for me, is less about the textual basis for the New Testament and more about the textual basis for the Old Testament. There are demonstrable errors in our Old Testaments which are based upon the Hebrew Masoretic. We need scholars to create a critical text of the Old Testament, using the Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch, Dead Sea Scrolls etc.

I have a KJV / AMP combo for study and reference. My NKJV is my everyday and church bible.

Question: do other nations with other languages have our English obsession with different translations in their languages? I have French and Spanish Bibles, but I just don't see bunches of different translations there. Anyone out there know? I fell in love with the Good News Bible as a teenager in the sixties and still read it regularly, though the ESV and RSV are my favorites for daily reads and I carry a vintage Cambridge NASB NT.

I've never found it a problem that I don't land on 1 translation. I like to read various translations. I tend to like HCSB

I really like the LSB. I just wish they would come out with a study bible with lots of notes.

Three words: Multiple Bible versions!

I'm in the Byzantine priority camp when it comes to textual basis. While the NKJV is a Textus Receptus translation, it has detailed notes regarding both the Critical and Majority Text variations. I'm also reading Adam Boyd's new Text-Critical English New Testament released in 2022 and I really like it. It has detailed footnotes comparing 11 editions of the Greek NT. It's a lot more detailed than the NKJV translator notes. My preferred Critical Text translations are the NASB95 and LSB.

Late to the party here; sorry. I'm going to be speaking as a teacher of English and grammar for 38 years now. First, the KJV is an okay translation, but only if you are fluent in Elizabethan and Jacobean English, which I am. Some renderings are quite questionable in light of modern scholaship (and remember, Paul reminds us to grow in faith and not get stuck in your earliest perspective!) Next, piling on Wescott and Hort for deviating from the TR is the worst form of ad hominem argumentation: I simply do not care about their private opinions or "associations with the occult;" all I care about is the correctness of their text, which I think is quite good (remember, in copying texts by hand the error almost always goes in the direction of adding material and not deleting it; nobody wants to "delete Scripture," but adding explanations that clarify the text for readers that later get incorporated into the text itself doesn't bother me much). The ASV was created to quash various "translations" that fooled around with the English Revised Bible to make the wording more "American," and not always honestly. The NASB, RSV, and ESV are the descendents of the ASV. I like the ASV, but its consistent use of "Jehovah" to render the Tetragrammaton seems to briefly kick me out of the text everytime (sorry, Witnesses). The first Bible that really got to me on the heart level was the RSV, and I used it for years and years. So when the ESV came out, I eagerly snapped it up, and what I found was that the RSV was an older English that was striving to be more contemporary while remaining traditional; I admired this. On the other hand, The ESV seemed to be a modern translation that was trying to hide under an artificial veneer of "traditional wording," wich I found to be devious. I did not like that approach. I was attached to the NASB for a while - the most "accurate" translation (what does that mean, exactly?), and the one that did the best job with Greek tenses. I also never really "got" Paul until the NASB; I hear his voice and think his thoughts when I read it - but that is more suited to study than to a Bible that you carry around with you. That would be the NIV, which I also stuck with for years and years. It did what it was supposed to; to deliver the ancient text into "Koine Greek English" - the everyday English that almost everybody uses on a daily basis. (P.S. - I don't care a rap about gendered or non-gendered language; I am not a complementarian. The more inclusive the better, though; Jesus wanted everybody in, while the Pharisees wanted almost everybody out, except themselves). So, not to wear you out - what are the translations that I use the most? The KJV when I want to roll gorgeous poetry around on my tongue; and the NKJV mostly for the textual footnotes so that I can see at a glance variant readings in the tradition. But again speaking as an English teacher, who will insist on prose that communicates meaning in the most direct way to the English reader, the best all-around modern translation (for these times) is the CSB! I picked your two favorites, because they are mine, too.

As of right now, the KJV, ESV, and NKJV are my top translations. I've been going back and forth between the KJV and ESV for my personal reading and devotions

On the spectrum between historical and modern sounding English where would you place the 2020 edition of The New American Standard?

I think I may have a translation problem. For years I’ve used the ESV ( my go to), GNT, NIV. Then within the past 2-3 years the NKJV has become a regular translation. While watch other channels the CSB was introduced. I have never used it or read it. The church down the street uses that as their translation. I purchased a copy and I have started a one year reading plan with the CSB, which I am only a couple months into. Could the CSB get put into rotation? Is 5 translations to much? I use the other 4 very frequently, daily.

I use the NKJV because of the study notes it contains including the variants of the different manuscripts. But I use the NLT and NET because they are easier to read.

Ive been looking at the NKJV, ESV, and the NIV. Yes, it is a difficult decision, but at least it’s narrowed down (for me as well…). I need to look at the specifics, but I would also greatly appreciate any input here.

I have a KJV, ESV and a NLT on the way. I have a KJV because i was told at first to use King James and being a baby Christian I used it and i still use it at church since my church is KJV Only But my primary translations I will use are ESV and NLT. I like a word for word translation and a thought for thought/Paraphrase to help me understand more. The NLT bible I believe is from Tyndale and it has an amazing app for bible studies and you scan the pages and it brings up info. I excited to get and use it today! What translations do you all use?

Hi Tim, I have the KJV and the NASB MacArthur Study Bible I am not sure which is the one to have as a main translation any help surely would be appreciated.

I'm debating between either lsb or bsb. I love them both.....my top is kjv/nkjv. Ste struggle is real. Lol Your thoughts?

Hi Tim. I love your content as well as your demeanor. I wonder if you have any thoughts on the 1973 (or '77) NASB and how it compares to the 1995. I have both of the former, but I haven't seen anyone do a comparison of them vs the 1995. It's always 1995 vs 2020. I don't want to buy a '95 or 2020 if my '73/'77 are basically the same. Thank you!

I've heard that since the book of Job is one of the oldest, the original writing is of a different style and more difficult to translate. Any thoughts as to what translation has the best historical translation of the book of Job?

❤❤❤

Right now I’m using an NLT paired with my ESV Study Bible, but I might try out the NASB2020. In your opinion is that a sort of medium between those 2?

I like the KJV, NKJV, ESV, and ISR translation (Institute for Scriptural Research) Sacred Name edition 2009. Though I can read Hebrew and am trying to learn Greek. I will say there is information in Hebrew and Greek that just doesn't translate well into English.

Do you think 2 Cor. 12:10 "*in* behalf of Christ" is a typo in NASB2020?

ESV and LEB. Perfect match.

I used to read from the KJV, until I got more familiar with the suffix “im” in Hebrew. The KJV translates the cherubim as “cherubims” and that’s just not correct. And as I was typing this, my phone put a red line under “cherubims” telling me that I spelled it wrong.

For me it was a tough choice between the KJV/NKV and the ESV.

If you followed recensions, text-types, process, and now CBGM AKA GIGO, just wait until 2030 for the complete ECM. Then from an ancient garbage dump in Upper Egypt we find a new scrap. Methinks, I'll just stick with the AV. Peace.

Brother Tim, do you feel like some of these new translations are just cash grabs? They all have access to the same manuscripts now, so is this just a case of changing enough words so they don't get sued by another publisher, or what's the deal?

Just pick these 2: Holy Land Illustrated Bible (CSB) Evidence Bible (NKJV)

It's gotta be either the NKJV or KJV. The others use a NT text that sometimes leaves out 12 verses out of a chapter with only .02% of all NT manuscripts supporting that reading!

ESV, CSB and NKJV

Problem with transalpine

I wish more translations would uppercase the pronouns of Deity .

What book do you recommend that doesn't use the Vaticanus and Septuagint writings in their book, since they are not authorized writings?

Rsvce and Rsv2ce camp here

From a fish perspective

I would never use the NKJV/KJV due to its Textual basis & inaccuracy. If I was to use just one which is a good medium between accuracy and understandability it's only the CSB. I personally use for study the NASB 77, LSB a tweaking of the NASB 95. For daily reading the CSB. For study the brilliant NET Full Noted edition, it's very accurate. Of course if you can read Gk/ Heb you have a great advantage!

If you speak English and you chose anything other than KJV, you're using the Manley P. Hall version - that's not a Bible