My NRSV Harper study bible has served me well.  I like the tendency toward inclusive language the NRSV translation uses, and the study notes are helpful, though not my only source for interpretation/historical info.

I'm used to the NIV text through use in churches, but I don't own one.  Other translations I use biblegateway.com.

A and T asked, "Which bible do you recommend buying?"

The one you will read.

My personal preference is for the King James Version. I also like the New King James Version and the English Satandard Version. To me, other versions seem watered down.

If you are new to reading the Bible, you could try the New International Version or the New Living Translation.  They are not a word for word translation like the KJV but are not bad as far as translations go.

Which ever translation you go with, you might benifit from using a study Bible. Most translations come in a study Bible and have lots of "extra features". I really like the Life Application Study Bible.  Most of the major translations come in this study Bible.

consumingfire's commendation: King James Life Application Study Bible or the New King James Life Application Study Bible.

Happy reading as you journey through God's word.

For accuracy of transaltion, the best option is the New Revised Standard Version, or NRSV.

For enjoyment of reading, I recommend The Message, which is really a paraphrase more than a translation.

King James Version, or KJV, has some beautiful poetry in ancient English, with lots of thees and thous.  So if you like that kind of thing, then it is a good choice.  It is not, unfortunately, a very accurate translation.

The Qur'an!!!  :P

Nah, I'd have to agree with the suggestions for a NRSV version.

Although I don't think it would be a bad idea to buy the religious texts of other faiths as well, if for nothing more than reference.  You might find that all muslims aren't terrorists afterall, and that jews are acutally good people.  (Not saying your current thoughts are contrary, just that it helps to know one's brother in humanity).

As-Salaamu Alaikum

-Omni

Get an aramic Old Testament and a Greek New Testament so you can read them in their original languages.

cf, I was brought up with the King James Version as well. It's nice because it's harder to read than the Amplified but I find it to be biased. The Amplified is probably much worse though.

Oh, and while your at it...learn aramaic and greek.  ^^

As-Salaamu Alaikum

-Omni

Hugh Cooper's Essentials of Bassoon Technique. Oh sorry; wrong Bible? Well then I suppose the Annotated Oxford NRSV would be my choice...cms

Why not check out these two websites:

http://www.searchgodsword.org/

and

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Pick out a verse in the bible that you would like to understand and then try it out in all the different translations that these websites have to offer. I'm sure one of them will speak to you loudly.

No wonder you hate God!

The "English Satan dard".  My goodness CF what on earth is a "dard".

I'll bet the devil made you spell like that. He is pretty sneaky and trys to get as many plugs in in a day as he can.

Paul    <>

             /  \

I concur with RevMatt -- I turn to the NRSV for a literal translation from the original language, and to The Message to enjoy the reading more fully.

And yeah -- do some reading online for awhile until you find one you love!

Shalom!

WHOA!!!! That's what i get for recommending another Bible other than the King James Version.  That was one big brain fart.

English STANDARD Version.

One Bible I am very passionate about is the Poverty and Justice Bible - the translation is the CEV (Contemporary English Version) and has every reference to poverty and justice highlighted - which is more than 2,000 verses of scripture - http://povertyandjusticebible.org/

Another Bible you might think about is The Green Bible - http://greenletterbible.com/ - which focuses on God's Creation.  This Bible is NRSV (New Revised Standard Version)

Other than that I spend time flipping through various translations - The NIV (New International Version), the NRSV, The Jewish Complete Bible, etc.  Most Bibles have their flaws - I myself am not a big fan of the NRSV - it takes way too many liberties with the text and that bothers me.

Hi Aaron_and_Tonya,

My advice is to wait on that.  Unless you plan on doing reading of your own.  When you do join the church you can make inquiries to see which translation they read.  Then you can make your purchase accordingly.

It is sometimes easier to follow along if the translations are on the same page so to speak.

What a translation different from the translation that is read in your church will do is highlight some of the translation issues.

Study Bibles include copious notes which can help you to get a better feel for some of the context which surrounds particular scriptures.

Some Bibles are meant to be read and some are written for the purpose of reading the scripture aloud.

As others have already pointed out there are a number of translation issues with all English translations of scripture.  The King James with its majestic poetry completely demolishes the translation of 1 Corinthians 13.

My advice would be for you and your boyfriend to head down to the nearest Bible bookshop and spend an hour or so picking translations off of the shelves and giving them a read.  Try to read the same passages out of each translation to get a better feel.

I don't know of any published translations that are seriously deficient when it comes to the actual translation.  Some are a little loose in sections.

I alternate between the NIV and the NLT.

NIV because I've been reading it since the late 70's and the NLT because I studied under one of the scholars responsible for translating the book of Job.

Grace and peace to you.

John

For Hebrew Scripture reading - The Jewish Publication Society's translation of "The Tanakh".

For Gospels ... well... I'd go with New Revised Standard (or, for an idiomatic rendition, the Scholar's Version)

The Epistles... NRSV.

Christ's peace - r

Hi Aaron_and_Tonya:

I like Martin Luther's interpretation of the NT from the original Greek into German the best. He seems to have done a more thorough job than the English translators.

One would have to be able to read it in German, though. To my knowledge, the Martin Luther Version was never translated into English.

Aaron_and_Tonya asked: "Which bible do you recommend buying?"

EZ Answer: One that doesn't show the dust too much.

Aaron_and_Tonya asked: "Which bible do you recommend buying?"

EZ Answer: Something that accessorizes well with your shoes and/or belt.  May need a black leather and a red letter edition.

Aaron_and_Tonya asked: "Which bible do you recommend buying?"

EZ Answer: Get one of those gigantic coffee table Bibles.  Bring that to church with you and see how many friends you make.

Aaron_and_Tonya asked: "Which bible do you recommend buying?"

EZ Answer: I dare you to go into your local Christian bookstore and try the five finger special. Pure adrenaline rush.

EZ: How about water-proof? And maybe gilded?

My Luther Bible has a few water stains (tears of sadness, tears of joy), but my King James Version is more water-proof, bound in fully enlosed leather, and printed on high quality rice paper, with gold edged pages. Almost indestructible!

Hey Aaron & Tonya!

Great question! I didn't know what kind to read when I first made the choice...I agree with revjohn, it's easier to follow the translation the church uses, but I do recommend having a few...the Amplified is great for studing, the Message for an simplified quick read as in a devotional, generally churches I have visited lately read from NIV or New Living Translation. I know there is a cross reference Bible that has two or more translations in it.

I would also, for study purposes, recommend visiting biblegateway.com, you select the text and you can select the various translations...it's very informative to read many trnslatns as you will get the full understanding of the text when you do.

All the best! Enjoy your reading!

And don't forget to mark your bible - questions, thoughts.underline. A used bible, i think, is a read bible. NRSV

So we decided to go for the KJ version :D We're very excited and very grateful for all of the help and laughs.

Thanks!

Excellent choice. If you need any help, I'm just a wondermail away.

Will it be a King James study Bible perchance?

Sweet avatar by the way. Dr Pepper is by far the superior beverage (well, tied with coffee).

Then turn immediately in the pilfered Bible to Exodus 20:15.

Good advice, IMHO. Plus both sites have some excellent commentary and resources. If I may be so bold to add one more...

http://www.blueletterbible.org

I must say, Witch, I'm flaberghasted. A post in reference to me without a single slam.

I do believe there is hope for you yet!  <>

                                                               /    \

I have a green bible. It's cool, NRSV, non intimidating and stylish. Also I'm in the environment group on campus and there's a couple of people who I think might like it.

No matter what bible you read you should try to be a bit open, there are lots of different ways to interpret something vague and to translate something into English.

Righteous! Thanks for the offer! We may (and probably will) take you up on it sooner or later!

Also, completely agree with the whole Dr. Pepper being the awesome!

...however we decided to have faces suddenly. Why, I'm not sure...

I'm not sure why it would surprise you. I've always said that it would be patently dishonest of me to be tough on someone when I disagree with them, and not supportive when I do. In this case I found your post to be helpful, free of any apparent arrogance or ill will (that didn't come out right. I don't mean to intimate that all your other posts have arrogance and ill will. Sometimes this language is very innefficient), and in addition, it was pretty much what I would have said.

So, I have no reason to disagree, and every reason to support the content of your post.

I try to abide by the same criteria I expect from other people. Sometimes I fail. But to expect from others what I am unwilling to expect from myself would be hypocritical of me, and I abhor that in myself.

"English Satandard Version." has just got to be the most unfortunate typos I have ever seen.

Then again, like others have said, if it feels good buy it.

If you are active in a church, I recommend you have 3 or more versions, or reference bible gateway.  That way, when you have a dialogue with someone, or are doing a lectionary, you can move between the versions.

My struggle with the message is that though it is a great reading bible ...dang it is male-based in language.

Oxford and Harper study- both rnsv and the green bible looks good - the five gospels is also a good translation - NIV and King James have real problems in translation - the kj while great poetry has mistakes - NIV has theological problems in how some things are translated.

Meh.  I've yet to find a Bible that isn't.  I just change all that crap automatically as I read :)

Actually used the Message as my source for our Christmas Lesson and Carols this year.  Interestingly, not one person objected.

Aaron and Tonya, because people only value what they pay for and read what they buy, you should each buy your own personal Bible, the best quality constuction you can afford, one that you can thoroughly familiarize yourselves with and keep for the rest of your lives.  My Bible is the Lockman Foundation's New American Standard Bible. It is Leather-Bound, thumb-indexed, and gold stamped with my spiritual name, "Theophilus." Read your Bible as you would read a novel, i.e., start at the very beginning, the cover, and progress until the very end. Take no short cuts. Read every word, including all genealogies, cross scripture  references, and view every map. This will take approximately three months of dedicated reading. Never go beyond something that you don't understand. It is not necessary to take a Bible Study Class as that is like being taught by  the Five Blind Men describing the Elephant. The elements of the scriptures may all be there, but it is the arrangement of the elements, the order in which they are presented that matters most. One may have the numbers of the combination to the safe, but if they are not executed in order, the contents cannot be retrieved. Besides, the truth is you have but one Teacher - your Father who is in Heaven. Here is the wording on the Bookmark I composed on Microsoft Word, printed out, and laminated. Before I allow anything to enter my mind, I read the Bookmark, even if I my reading is interrupted for a brief moment:

"My dear Lord God! Please strengthen and increase my

powers of concentration to shut out all distractions so that I

may greatly expand the limits of my consciousness and

intelligence to easily understand and remember the deepest

meanings of all that is written upon the pages of this book."

Steve Savage "King of the Beasts"

http://sskotb.blogspot.com/

This thread riminded me of something.  I may have imagined it. I saw a bible once that in the back of it, it listed all kinds of feelings and it gave you verses in the bible that you could read to help you.  If it does exsist I would like to get one.

How about these for a start.

Bible Scriptures

to Comfort

Grieving People

Psalms 31:9           O' Lord have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are red from weeping;
                                   my health is broken from sorrow.

(Our tears  clean toxins out of our bodies and do healing work,
and after the death of my son I did seem to get a lof of different illness-grief can show up  inside and outside of your body!)

Psalms 147:3         He heals the broken heartened, binding up their wounds.

Matthew 5:4            Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

                                 It took me quite a while to really believe that I was being comforted-now looking back I can see the hand of God  on me,
but back then I felt like the scriptures were mocking me.

John 14:27            I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give 
                                 is not fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.

John 14:18           No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm-I will come to you.

Psalm 46:1           God is our refuge and  strength, a very present help in times of trouble.

Psalms 30:5b      Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

This also was a hard one to believe, it was several years after James died before I really saw that this was true and came to pass.

John 16:33            I have told you these things so that you will have peace of heart and mind, Here on earth you will
    have many trials and sorrows, but cheer up, for I have overcome the world,

Proverbs 3:6        Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

No one can really give you the  answer to why your loved one died while others live. They are not God, and neither are we.

1 Thessalonians 4:13    Brothers we don't want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep: or to grieve
     like the rest of men who have no hope.

2Thessalonians 2:16+17   May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us
    and given us everlasting  comfort and hope which we don't deserve, comfort your hearts with all
     comfort, and help you in every good thing you say and do.

 Isaiah 49:13b         For the Lord hath comforted His people, and will have mercy on His afflicted. 

Jeremiah 31:13  I will turn their  mourning into gladness. I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.   

2 Corinthians1:3-4   What a wonderful God we have-He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy,
    and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials.And why does He
    And why does He doe this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement,
    we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us.

In the beginning I didn't care about comforting other people very much, what I  only could see is the death of my son. IT was the first and last thing I thought about .Actually nothing seemed to really help at first. I just wanted this nightmare to go away. But now I can see how the course of my life has brought me to the place that I am now, and that God's sovereign hand was on my life. And for me it is very rewarding to be able to encourage
others  and give them hope for tomorrow-I promise it will happen to you. You will have joy in the morning again.

Ecclesiastes3:1-4     To every thing there is a season, a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born,
 a time to die, a time  to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal,
 a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance   

Psalm 25:16-18  Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged. bring me out of my distresses. Look upon my afflictions and my trouble, and forgive my sins.

Psalm 23:4  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil .for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.

John 14:1-3  Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. in My Father's house are many mansions

I do not recommend reading the bible from the beginning and all of it in the way of reading a novel for it is not a novel in the sense of beginning toward a conclusion- it is a series of essays- read genesis the prophets the psalms and some books like Job and Jonah ( the later needs guidance as it is pure myth)  and in the NT don't bother with hebrews or revelation unless you do them in a bible study.

Or get a good study Bible.

I'd like to see your proof on that.

TentMaker wrote: "I'd like to see your proof on that."

EZ Answer: The proof would be literary proof glean from historical-literary analysis.  Probably not the kind of proof you're intimating.

Panentheism,

Your profile states that you are a theologian. Perhaps you can explain something that has perplexed me for many years.

The New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the "Synoptic Gospels" in that they say pretty much the same thing. Indeed, etymologically, the word "Synoptic" is derived from the Greek, meaning "same view." In a sense, these Gospels bear witness of one another. This is also true of the Old Testament. For example, 1 Chronicles is a reiteration of 2 Samuels. They are "Synoptic" in the sense that they speak of the exact same historical, biblical occurence. Often we hear that the Bible is "The Word of God." What is written is written because "Thy Word is Truth."

Elsewhere on this thread, I mentioned that I undertook the daunting task of reading the Lockman Foundation  New American Standard Bible, Reference Edition, in its entirety.

It took from November 29, 1977 until April 18, 1978 to read every single word and to diagram every genealogy listed in my Bible. Each time I picked up the Bible to read, I said this prayer:

"My dear Lord God! Please strengthen and increase my powers of concentration to shut out all distractions so that I may greatly expand the limits of my consciousness and intelligence to easily understand and remember the deepest meanings of all that is written upon the pages of this book."

Despite the fact that it is well known that I remember everything I read, I was after complete understanding, not just content. I would not continue reading unless I was absolutely certain that I understood exactly what it was I read.

After having read 604 pages, I came across a startling discovery in 1 Chronicles, Chapter 21 verse 1.

Leaping out from the page at me were these words:

"Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel."

This is the very first mention of the word "Satan" in the Bible. I made a notation of this and continued my reading. Suddenly, it struck me that I had read these words before in 2 Samuel 24:1. Look at this and compare these two readings which are

"Now again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, "Go number Israel and Judah."

Since "Thy Word is Truth" and scripture cannot be broken, what does this mean?

If a=b and b=c, then a=c. This is a mathematical truth.

Who stood up aginst Israel to incite David in 1 Chronicles 21:1?

Answer: "Satan"

Whose anger burned against Israel to incite David in 2 Samuel 24:1?

Answer: "The Lord"

Therefore: "Satan is the Anger of the Lord."

Steve Savage "King of the Beasts"

http"//sskotb.blogspot.com/

Whoa, Pan, I'm waiting for your answer.

Mark was written first. Luke & Matthew were then written using Mark and a collection of Jesus's sayings called Q. This is called the two source hypothesis.

That's why I think Mark is the most important part of the bible. Of course I'm biased cause I'm a Mark.

As you can see EZed is more than your average squirrel - it depends on your tools of reading.  Steve savage has particular tools that make common view into a more literal reading.  It is a nice insight to see when Satan ( in translation) enters but that leaves out the whole literary use of the concept and that requires   interpretation to find its meaning.  Yes each book does build on the previous narrative but as Midrash points out there is a 'new' understanding that comes out of the historical context - it is an interpretation not a faithful literal restating of the past insights.

This is clear in ( as Mark points out)  in the synoptic gospels - meaning common source - which are different from John which has different sources.

Matthew and Luke have two sources and rework them differently given their context - Luke the most gentile church context and Matthew still a Jewish/Christian context but after the split  of Christians from the emerging Rabbinic tradition..

The two sources for them are Mark and Q.

In the background, that is earlier, for Mark are Thomas and Q and it is speculation but he may have known them but we usually don't go that far.  But Thomas helps us understand the early Jesus community teachings and how Mark made use of both the Jesus tradition and the Christ tradition to form his theological story.  ( in other words all the writers are editors and have an agenda in their use of the material)

Some suggest there was a signs gospel that John used.

Q is the recreation of the scholars and we have no written record but good evidence from the texts of such a source.  You can buy the hidden gospel of Q written by good scholars - my teacher Burton Mack and my other teacher James Robinson have done such works.

Just curious, Crazy Heart, did you get the answer for which you were waiting?

I am not able to access Tent Maker's profile.  (?)

Steve Savage "King of the Beasts"

http://sskotb.blogspot.com/

Sorry, Pan goes over my head and the answer is not clear to me.

I can't access his profile (tentMaker) either.

Has he been banned? If he has, why?

What I would recommend is that you sample different versions of the Bible to discover which one is right for you.

A good place to do this is at http://www.biblegateway.com