English Standard Version -- for academic study in university and use in church sometimes -- recommended by professors.

New International Version -- use in church sometimes -- it's the one my pastor uses and I like to follow along. Mine is a Quest Study Bible.

The Voice -- use on the Internet -- it's easy to understand and has a unique dramatic way of presenting stories.

New King James Version -- read sometimes -- mine is a "Maxwell Leadership Bible" and I like it for its study notes.

In addition I also read various versions on http://www.biblegateway.com

I guess since it is recommended in my transdenominational university by many of the professors, I'd recommend the ESV.

I have about 8 Bibles - which surprised me when I gathered them all on my bookshelf a few years ago - all are different.

The one l like best now is the New Revised Standard Version - Harper Study Bible, expanded and updated (1991).  One thing I like is that each book is preceeded by an informative section that explains authorship, date & background, as well as characteristics and content of the book.  This gives me some brief historical context in which to understand what I read.  I also like the footnootes which explain some of the terminology & phrasing - this can certainly change interpretation of the scripture. 

I agree jae - biblegateway.com sure does offer a plethora of choices! 

NRSV

 Good News for the story telling aspect.

Hi Carolla,

I prefer to read the New Living Translation, it isn't perfect (no translation is) it is fresh enough that it jars as it reads and compels me to study deeper at places I may have breezed on by.

In study I never limit myself to one single translation.  I typically have three or four close at hand including a Greek New Testament (If my Hebrew was better I'd have one of those handy as well).  Translational differences can point to variations of understanding key words in the original languages and that in turn shapes the gist of what is being communicated.

My favourite is probably my NIV Study Bible simply because it has had the greatest longevity and it shows.

Grace and peace to you.

John

My preferred Bible is The New Revised Standard Version.  My version is a Harper Collins Study Bible.  It has great notes - an introduction to each book, and sometimes up to half a page of explanantory notes on a passage.

I expect it is much like yours, Corolla.

This Bible is special to me as I rescued it from a box of castaways at a book sale. Brought it home, did a few repairs, put a clear cover on it, and it is almost as good as new.

I also like the print size and maps that are included.

Sometimes read New English Bible or Good News Bible.

First is the NRSV, then Ralph Milton Story Bible.  I have lots of bibles that I've collected, the Good News, the Message, etc etc.  Heck, I have french ones and even one that is missing a pile of pages in Judges (straight from the editor).

I like to compare a few passages because for youth, kids, families, even sermons, a paraphrased story is important.  www.biblegateway.com is bookmarked - probably my most 'opened' bible lately.  Now that it includes NRSV, it is really handy.

When I just sit down and read, I love the Message Bible.  It reads more like a book, and the stories just seem to be more real. 

When I study, I read a variety of translations, including the New American Standard and the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

My preferred bible is The Inclusive Bible. Translated by a group of Jesuits committed to inclusive language on racist, sexist, gender grounds. They try, but there's still some errors in there. For instance, in this translation, Naomi describes Ruth as being worth more than 7 children to her, where, of course, from a contextual point of view, it was a girl being worth more than 7 boys that was the big deal. Also, it's only out in two editions - hardcover and trade paper, and both have an awfully small font, so it certainly isn't inclusive of visual acuity. Being a Catholic bible, also has the Apocrypha, which is often handy.

I also have an Oxford NSRV study bible, which sometimes comes in handy. And a shelf-full of other translations, most of which remain unopened on the shelf, as I'm more likely to use Bible Gateway to compare translations of a single passage.

I have four versions. The King James version I favour for its poetic language, but mostly I use the NRSV. For comparison I use my German Martin Luther bible, and often am surprised by the differences between it and the English translations.

I've been using the Common English Bible, published in 2011, a lot in recent months.  I use the NRSV as well.   (Maybe someone should start a thread on translations, versions or paraphrases we DON'T like or use.... that could prove interesting and enlightening too...)

some of them i've enjoyed

brilliant book taking a look at how our various mechanisms work and how reality seems to work and the problems that can happen when the two intermix and what to do aboot it

this is one of my household's bibles, with the names of all my previous roomies written inside.  another inspiring book against the forces of cynicism and pessimism.  the author is really friendly, too; he returns emails

   This book blew my mind.  It was great reading such a curious mind trying to work out various empirical behaviours of reality and come up with explanations of them (from this book i learned such things as how chaos can lead to order and how this guy was, waaay before Francis & Crick, on the road to grokking 'DNA')

  Probably my favourite book of all time, a quiet tale that takes place in a cemetery

  Full of games, puzzles, riddles, mathematical investigations, jazz, riffs with 'fictional creatures', philosophy, much, much spiritual food here for me.  Also so subtle that the author, Douglas Hofstadter, years later wrote a book, I am a Strange Loop, all aboot what this book was really 'aboot'.

The choice depends on whether your top priority is accuracy or readablility.  The most readable are paraphrase translations, on 2 of which I will comment.  one of the worst of these for accuracy is "The Message,"  despite the fact that Eugene Peterson is a gifted poet and writer and is an excellent communicator.  The paraphrases in the New Living Translation are much more accurate, but still flawed often enough that I recommend it only if a more literal translation is used for comparison.  That said, this translation is usually voted the most readable  in my Bible studies when members assess various translations for clarity.  Both the NIV and the NRSV are quite accurate,  but the NIV pays no heed to the inclusive language issue. 

For me, the more important issue is the quality of helpful notes at the bottom of each page.  In my view, translations stressing practical application tend to labor the obvious to the point where they are seldom helpful to the serious student.  More scholarly Bible's are therefore preferable.  Of these,  the revised Harper Collins Bible (NRSV) has the most helpful notes and is therefore the Bible most recommended by professors. 

Another approach to the choice is to cnsider hot button texts that tend to get mistranslated for "political" reasons.  Here are 3 of these to consider in assessing translations:

(1) Read Romans 16:7 to see if your translation clearly ancknowledges the Greek text's implication that Junia is an outstanding female apostle.  Some translations either fudge this point or change her name to "Junias," a male name that has no ancient examples!

(2) Read Matthew 7:7 and see whether your translation implies continuous actions: i. e. "Keep on asking, and you shall receive; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you."  Some translations wrongly just read, "Ask, seek, and knock,"  thus creating thei impression that one effort should suffice.  The Greek imperatives imply the need to persevere.

(3) The context of Mark 3:21 is the  complaint that Jesus allows no lunch breaks during His teaching.  The Greek literally reads: "When His family heard about this, they went out to physically restrain HIm; for they (i. e. His family) were saying, "He is out of His mind."   Some translations wrongly credit "others" (not Jesus' family) as claiming that he is crazy.  Still other translations  try to soften the family's intent by translating, "They went out to  take charge of Him."  Bu the key verb means "seize!"  This background sheds light on Mark 3:31-35, where Jesus' family interrupts Him, and He insists that His audience represents His true family.  The issue here is whether Jesus is reacting His family's hostility and the rudeness of their interruption by making "distancing" comments about His natural family.   There are several Gospel examples of hostility between Jesus and His family, especially His brothers. 

Don

@ innana - "Pronoia" looks pretty interesting!  I like the premise :-) 

Thanks for all the responses.  So many from which to choose .... 

One interesting version on my shelf is "A Poet's Bible - Rediscovering the Voices of the Original Text" by David Rosenberg, 1991.  It's one I came across in a sale bin somewhere - intrigued by the concept and drawn in by the low cost, I succumbed to purchase.   It features selected books and chapters, with each book preceeded by some explanatory text.  Then the chapters are re-written in poetic fashion (without verse designations) ... interesting to read and contemplate, to compare and contrast, to explore alternate or deeper understanding of the written words.  

@ uccprogressive - great suggestion to select a text & compare ... I'm not sufficiently scholarly in Bible matters to have a sense of what might be good to choose, so I appreciate your suggestions. 

I had a very old French bible too Birthstone - it came down through my mother's family & had all the births & deaths recorded in it too!  A while ago I sent it off to my French speaking cousin who still lives in the town where my mother was born - it seemed the best place for it be - especially since I don't even read French!  My cousin was very appreciative of the meaningful family gift. 

For the gospels I prefer "The Five Gospels" for both study and readability.  I love the way Mark is translated - bad grammar and all.  

For the rest of the Bible I generally use the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). I have a large print copy that I take with me if I am called upon to lead worship or to read in church.

I have probably another five or six (or more) translations that I sometimes refer to because they are handier to reach for, or for comparison. If I'm trying to find a verse or chapter that I memorized as a child I will use the KJV. For a different approach, I use the Jerusalem Bible. For readability, the New English Bible. For ease in looking something up, The Good News Bible.

I don't take a Bible to church, or use a pew Bible, because I prefer to listen to the reader. I do attend a study/discussion group for an hour before church in which we consider the passages that will be used in worship - they are still fresh in my mind when read in church. We use a variety of translations in study - often people will follow along in a different translation than the reader and we will discuss the differences in the words used and their emphasis. ie Is it "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" or "In Christ, God was reconciling ..." (recently discussed in another thread).

The Mother Goose version. She provides a more motherly version of God than is found in the traditional versions of the Bible.

Generally I use the NIV for personal and church. It's usually my "preaching text." I find it usually has the most "literal" translation from the original languages. Sometimes I use NRSV. I like the fact that it makes a serious attempt to be gender inclusive where appropriate (ie, "brothers and sisters" rather than simply "brothers.") I've recently developed a fondness for The Message. I find it gives a very fresh feel especially to Paul's letters; I don't like it so much for the Old Testament.

seeler, when I was at Emmanuel College, Gerald Sheppard was professor of Old Testament. I remember him saying very clearly that he felt pew Bibles were not a helpful thing. His reasoning was that in worship Scripture was always meant to be heard rather than simply read along with as someone else was reading.

Steven,

I was delighted to learn that you were a student of Gerry Sheppard.  Gerry was a dear friend from my year at Fuller Seminary before I transferred to another seminary.  After years apart in grad school, we renewed acquaintances at the Society of Biblical Literature.  He confided in me about his depression and I deeply regret not staying in regular contact with him, while I was teaching college in Western New York.   He was a very good guy with a great sense of humor, and his untimely death still haunts me.  

His death (I think in 2003?) was a shock to everyone who knew him. His classes were always very popular, and he was truly a wonderful professor and teacher with, as you say, a great sense of humour who could make even the driest of topics fascinating. I would have been in his Intro to Old Testament classes in the fall & winter semesters of 1990-1991. (As you can see, I'm a lot older than I look!)

It hasn't been mentioned her so let me add that I have got a tremendous amount of insight and understanding from 'The Pre-Nicene New Testament' by Robert Price.

To the New Testament we're familiar with, Price adds 27 additional books from the first 300 years of Christianity, including some of the Dead Sea and Nag Hammadi scrolls material. There's a reconstructed Gospel of Marcion and the Gospel according to the Hebrews.

Price’s text is widely regarded as a work of painstaking integrity, solid scholarlship and general accuracy …and it's a fascinating read.

It stirs all sorts of exciting ideas and insights… I think every preacher should have a copy of it as an important comparitive source… and lay people would do well to read it too.

Robert  Price's comments on each book  outline its historical and cultural setting. He summarises a mountain of scholarly research and indicates that most of what we "know" about Jesus comes less from oral history than from the inspiration of Christian oracles. This makes it somewhat unpopular with conservative literalists and fundamentalists who have vested inetersts in knowing it all already.

Does anyone have a copy of The Green Bible? If so do you like it and find it meaningful? I am thinking of buying a copy for my kindle. Thanks.

Yes, Mike, Price's additional books are well worth reading, and there are a few that Price did not include in his The Pre-Nicene Testament, like The Gospel of Judas, published by National Geographic six or so years ago.

And there is the Nestorian Gospel, the Coptic Gospel, the Bible of the Gothic Bishop Ulfila, and other obscure gospels that are still sitting around somewhere. Not to forget the Thalia by the Alexandrian Christian teacher Arianus, parts of which were incorporated into Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Ode to Joy)

Thanks for this. I just spent the morning googling " the Great Declaration by Simon Magus", "the Toledot Jeshu", " The Gospel of Marcion",  " The Thunder, Perfect Mind".  I will definitely look for this book!

Hi Carolla,

By far, the best bible you can get is The Listeners Bible, read by Max McLean. Available at audible.com for one credit. The version is NIV.

Max will very dramatically read you the bible in about 75 hours. I have listened to him read it probably over 30 times. Most people with good intentions of reading through the bible stall out fairly early. Max can drag you through the boring parts. There are a few that last about 45 minutes that I still ask God why it is even there. It is a great way to get the overview of what the bible is really about.

The most popular new audio bible is the Word of Promise, available as a great app. NKJV. Lots of big name actors, music and sound effects. I use this one now a lot.

I've got the Green Bible.  It is interesting, but not earth-shattering (haha - one would hope).  It has some useful stuff for bible studies and different themes.  I wouldn't say it is one of the more valuable things on my shelf. 

Great point Saul_now-Paul - Bibles don't just come in print versions!   We used to love listening to audio books on car trips with our kids, but I've never really even thought about the Bible being available in audio format.   Do you have to listen right through, or is there a way to select books, chapters, verses? 

Thanks for the feedback Birthstone... what would you say are the more valuable things on your shelf?

I mostly use my old RSV. It was a confirmation gift so about 34 or so years old. We also have an NIV that my wife got somewhere. In the last year or two, I've tended to supplement those with the Bible app on my BB or our tab. Like BIblegateway, it offers a wide selection of versions to choose from, includng the ESV, NIV, RSV, KJV and various others. Based on various recommendations here and elsewhere over the years, I'd likely go with NRSV if I was buying a new one (and I well might).

Mendalla

I have been using the Message Bible most of the time for reading in worship because of its fresh feel and edgy language.  I will probably use the NRSV for June 30 as the Message Bible does a poor job on the reading for that Sunday.  My NIV is pretty dog-eared and my RSV Oxford edition is one of my go to Bibles when investigating a particular text.

I found James Moffit translation very interesting...

The Word of Promise is better if you want to be able to select chapters and verses. It has a good search feature and you can read along. It is free to use with only John in audio, but more expensive to get the whole bible than the Max McLean one. The car is a great place to listen. I like to get up early and listen for 30 to 45 min with my coffee before everybody else gets up.

I discovered that the Bible app does have The Message and tried reading some of it. The more prose-y parts are quite readable. Where it fell down for me was on the more poetic parts (e.g. Genesis 1, Ecclesiastes 3). They seemed to have been rendered into prose and not well at that. The "A time for every purpose" passage in Ecclesiastes 3, in particular, just didn't flow for me the way I expect it to.

Seems to me like something you'd use for private reading or in a small group but I found it too ... something (colloquial maybe?) for my taste. For instance, there was a "hadn't" in a spot that I desperately wanted to read as "had not". Definitely not for me.

Mendalla

The Good News Bible :)