Go Ask Your Daddy - Which Translation Is Best?

Only in the past 100 to 200 years or so have we had to deal with this issue. There are now so many translations it is often difficult to make a decision. You do need to find one that you will read. The KJV (King James Version) is a beautiful translation but today most people find the language somewhat difficult, so you probably are going to have a harder time picking that one up to read. Readability should not be your only criteria however. Accuracy is, in my mind, more important. Most accurate translations today are highly readable.

Bible translation "theory" falls into two basic camps, or methods.

Formal equivalency is the "word-for-word" translation of the original language. This process attempts to translate the precise wording of the original. The NASB (New American Standard Bible), ESV (English Standard Version), KJV, NKJV (New King James Version), RSV (Revised Standard Version), and NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) are translations that fall in this category. Most of these translations would be comfortable for someone at the 10th grade reading level or above.

Dynamic or functional equivalence attempts to capture the meaning of the original without focusing so much on the form of the grammar or the words. You might call them a "thought-for-thought" translation. As Dan Wallace says,

"It allows more room for interpretation and is easier to understand."

The NIV (New International Version), NCV (New Century Version), and NLT (New Living Translation), use this method of translation. TLB (The Living Bible) and "The Message" are often put in this category but are really a full "paraphrase" rather than a translation and should be avoided for any serious study of the Bible. You will find most of these translations falling around the 7th grade reading level.

For years I used the NIV, without much thought to the translation methodology. The NIV is a reasonable compromise as it falls into the more literal of the "thought-for-thought" translations, if that makes sense. After learning of the translation methodology however, I prefer to make my own interpretations, rather than relying on the translators, i.e. dynamic equivalence translations. Therefore, I prefer those translations that take less liberty with the original text. This is the Word of God and we should remain very careful in our handling of the text. I find that the ESV translation is best for me.

Lest you think I am being a bit too critical, take a look at this short video (1:55) from John Piper on getting a Bible with all the words.



I do find it helpful to have the NIV available for comparison's sake as it is often useful to compare a difficult passage across translations. However, the same company that publishes the NIV also publishes, or used to (I believe they have stopped publishing this version), the TNIV (Today's New International Version). The TNIV uses "gender-neutral" language not found in the original and is a totally unacceptable version.

No matter which version you ultimately choose the main point is to read it!

Bible Reading Plans

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” Psalm 119:9

“In truth you cannot read too much in Scriptures; and what you read you cannot read too carefully, and what you read carefully you cannot understand too well, and what you understand well you cannot teach too well, and what you teach well you cannot live too well... the devil... the world...and our flesh are raging and raving against us. Therefore, dear sirs and brothers, pastors and preachers, pray, read, study, be diligent... This evil, shameful time is not the season for being lazy, for sleeping and snoring" Martin Luther

It’s not too late to get started on the most important thing you can do this year, or any year. Read the Bible. Words breathed from God. (2 Timothy 3:16) What could be more important? It may be a little intimidating but it is well worth the effort.

There is no need to be legalistic about it. You don’t have to read through the Bible in an entire year. Just read some portion of it everyday. It may take you two or five or ten years to get through the whole thing. God will honor your reading whether you “stick to the plan” or not.

In my life it hasn’t been a lack of motivation, time or plan that has kept me from the Word but a lack of discipline, or to put it another way:

“Here then is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy.” R.C. Sproul

James MacDonald says here that it really isn’t as big a task as we think:

“What food is to our bodies, Scripture is to our souls…So open it, and begin to read. You should say, “Dude, it has hundreds of pages. Where should I start?” I hear that so often that I decided to check the Bibles I own. They average around 1,400 pages. So think of the Bible as two big books or four to five regular-sized books. Studies indicate that the Bible takes about 70 hours to read out loud…If you read it for 12 minutes per day, or one and a half hours per week, you would have no problem finishing the Bible in a year, and you’d be so incredibly blessed you would want to start all over again the next year. Reading the Bible is really not as intimidating as most people make it.”

I am currently reading Dug Down Deep by Josh Harris. He makes note at one point of A.J. Jacobs, an agnostic, in writing The Year of Living Biblically, buying a Bible and then reading through the entire Bible in four weeks. Surely, if someone who doesn’t even know if the Bible is true can read it through then so can we. There are no excuses. Get with it! I hope this compilation will provide some thoughts, ideas and motivation to help you read through that which is truly precious. (Psalm 19:10)

A list of plans - Last year, Justin Taylor compiled a great list of different Bible reading plans and he updated the list this year. He notes in another post that all of these plans can be accessed via the web, podcast, e-mail, mobile, print, RSS or iCal.

A lifelong system - Here is a system from a Master’s College professor that emphasizes a lifelong learning of the Word. For those just beginning a regular reading of the Bible he makes a great point of moving through the text and not trying to figure everything out. At first, you should be reading for “gross anatomy” rather than “microbiology”. Try to get the “big picture” rather than trying to understand all the details and theology the first few times through.

A plan - Denny Burk, from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, offers his plan.

Another list of plans - Zondervan has some suggested plans ranging from the 90 day plan to the 3 year plan, as well as ideas for new Christians such as 30 days with Jesus. (Zondervan publishes the NIV and, previously, the TNIV. Please don’t take this link as an endorsement of the TNIV as it is not. The TNIV is an unacceptable translation. The NIV is acceptable for the most part but that is a discussion for another post.)

Another plan - Here is a “Read through the Bible Program for Shirkers and Slackers” from Andy Perry who says:

“At the same time, plans like those named above frequently cause discouragement as our New Year’s Bible reading resolutions give way to the unexpected X-factors of life which seem to encroach with a vengeance after a few weeks or months. I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to find a command in the Bible giving special importance to reading all 66 books of the Bible in a year’s time.”

Yet another list of plans - With options for customization, mobile reading, online reading and over 20 different plans, this site is a smorgasbord of options.

A sermon - I can’t find the plan on-line but the church we are visiting recently rolled out a reading plan for their congregation. Here is the sermon in which it was introduced.

Motivation - Bob Kauflin offers his ideas on reading plans here and shares his insight in reading through the Bible last year. His thoughts on why read are especially helpful:

1. If God made sure his words were recorded for us, why wouldn’t I want to read all of them numerous times?

2. Reading large portions of Scripture regularly slows me down so I can think about life from an eternal perspective. I was in tears today as I finished Revelation, realizing the purpose for which I was created and the sure future that lies ahead.

3. In my daily life, I am constantly bombarded with images, philosophies, thoughts, reasonings, and attractions from the world, my flesh, and the devil. I need large quantities of God’s thoughts, empowered by his Spirit, to resist them.

4. I trust my own thoughts too much.

5. Each time I read through the Bible, I’m humbled as I realize how little I actually know and understand God’s Word.

6. Reading a lot of the Bible helps me more easily see how it all fits together.

More motivation - Need more motivation? J.C. Ryle was a great teacher who is very straightforward in his thoughts:

“There is no royal road to a knowledge of the Bible. There must be patient, daily, systematic reading of the Book, or the Book will not be known.”

“Read the Bible daily. Make it part of every day’s business to read and meditate on some portion of God’s Word. Gather your manna fresh every morning. Choose your own seasons and hours. Do not scramble over and hurry your reading. Give your Bible the best, and not the worst, part of your time. But whatever plan you pursue, let it be a rule of your life to visit the throne of grace and the Bible every day.”

“Let us arm ourselves with a thorough knowledge of the Word of God. Let us read our Bibles more diligently than ever, and become familiar with every part of them. Let the Word dwell in us richly. Let us beware of anything which would make us give less time and less heart to the perusal of its sacred pages. The Bible is the sword of the Spirit – let it never be laid aside. The Bible is the true lantern for a dark and cloudy time – let us beware of traveling without its light.”

Even more motivation - And never forget that the Bible we hold in our hands is covered by the blood of martyrs for the faith:

“Tyndale (1494-1536) was a linguistic genius whose expertise in seven languages dazzled the scholarly world of this day. Educated at Oxford University and eventually ordained as a priest, he rather quickly came to see translating the Bible into English as his vocation in life.

Because the vernacular Bible was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, Tyndale did his work of translation while living on the Continent. He finished his translation of the New Testament in 1525, and copies reached England the following year, smuggled in bales of cloth and sacks of flour. Catholic bishops conducted public burnings of the books. Tyndale began work on the Old Testament but was lured out of hiding by a Catholic sympathizer. He was declared a heretic and met his end near Brussels by strangling and burning at the state in 1535.

For people who have multiple English Bibles on their shelves, it is important to be reminded that the vernacular Bible was begotten in blood. What we take for granted originally seemed impossible.” Quote from Leland Ryken’s book, Understanding English Bible Translation: The Case for an Essentially Literal Approach.

My plan - Finally, come back tomorrow for my personal plan for reading through the Bible, as well as what we, as a family, will be doing this year.

There you go, plenty of options for you. The Bible is so accessible to us today. Online, audio, visual, print, podcast, radio, or TV. Yet we remain so Biblically illiterate. May we all grow to know Him better as we commit to His Word.

A prayer - “O Father in heaven, I pray…that we would love your word. We must have our hearts attuned to what is truly precious, and the Scripture says your word is like "gold, much fine gold...and honey, like drippings from the honeycomb" (Psalm 19:10).

I pray that you would tune our hearts so that we might taste what is really sweet and treasure what is really valuable. And with that new tasting and treasuring, would you incline us and discipline us to take up the Bible and to read it, and meditate on it, and memorize it? Incline us to drink in its living water and to eat its heavenly bread, so that we are made strong in the inner man by knowing God at a level that we have yet known.

So Lord, work in our hearts to incline us to your word; and open it to us and grant us to embrace it. May we extend the benefits, beauty, and preciousness of this word to those around us who have very little contact with the Scriptures, the church, and the Christ that we love so much. Make us a blessing to the world, I pray, because of our encounter with you in your word.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.” John Piper

Bible Reading for January 26, 2009

Proverbs 26, Psalms 126-130

Psalm 127:3 - "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord , the fruit of the womb a reward."

They most certainly are.

Proverbs 11 - "Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly."

The fool is the sinner. All of us forget how awful sin really is.

Bible Reading for January 25, 2009

Proverbs 25, Psalms 121-125

Psalm 121:5 - "The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand."

What a great image, what a promise.

Proverbs 25:21-22 - "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you."

The heart of anyone, enemy or not, would be softened by kindness such as this.

Proverbs 25:28 - "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls."

Exposed and vulnerable to evil and temptations.

Bible Reading for January 24, 2009

Proverbs 24, Psalms 116-120

Psalm 117:2 - "For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord !"

Praise the Lord indeed.

Psalm 119:9-11 - "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word...I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. "

Stay in the Word and memorize it.

Proverbs 24:33-34 - "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man."

Be ever vigilant against laziness - physically and spiritually.

Bible Reading for January 23, 2009

Proverbs 23, Psalms 111-115

Psalm 112:5-8 - "It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid..."

Lord, help me to be such a man, in your strength alone.

Proverbs 23:29-35 - "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast. "They struck me," you will say, "but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.""

A powerful warning against drunkenness.

Bible Reading for January 22, 2009

Proverbs 22, Psalms 106-110

Psalm 106:20 - "They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass."

What have we exchanged it for? Comfort, peace, worldly success, prosperity?

Proverbs 22:13 - "The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!""

The lazy are always ready with an excuse. No excuses!

Bible Reading for January 21, 2009

Proverbs 21, Psalm 101-105

Psalm 103:11-13 - "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him."

The sins of believers shall be remembered no more!

Proverbs 21:2 - "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart."

We are all apt to think too highly of our own character but His judgement, of our heart, our motives, is sure.

Bible Reading for January 20, 2009

Proverbs 20, Psalms 96-100

Psalm 100:3 - "Know that the Lord , he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture."

We are not our own - we are His!

Proverbs 20:21 - "An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end."

Coming suddenly into money sometimes causes many problems.

Bible Reading for January 19, 2009

Proverbs 19, Psalms 91-95

Psalm 91:4-5 - "He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day..."

Nothing can harm us unless the Lord permits it.

Proverbs 19:11 - "Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense."

Be slow to anger.

Bible Reading for January 18, 2009

Proverbs 18, Psalms 86-90

Proverbs 18:13 - "If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame."

Listen!

Proverbs 18:19 - "A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle."

Family feuds are the most difficult to resolve. Take great care to avoid them.

Bible Reading for January 17, 2009

Proverbs 17, Psalms 81-85

Psalm 84:10 - "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."

Better is one day in your courts!

Proverbs 17:10 - "A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool."

A continually repeating theme in the Proverbs.

Proverbs 17:22 - "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

Be joyful, make merry!

Bible Reading for January 16, 2009

Proverbs 16, Psalms 76-80

Psalm 77:11 - "I will remember the deeds of the Lord ; yes, I will remember your wonders of old."

When we are in the struggle we cannot forget how He has blessed us in the past. Remember.

Proverbs 16:2 - "All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit."

We compare ourselves to others and think, "I'm not as bad as he is. I haven't done anything like that." God looks at our heart. He knows our motives. We are unclean despite what we do on the outside compared to others.

Proverbs 16:16 - "How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver."

Wisdom of the Word is better, so much better, than worldly wealth.

Proverbs 16:31 - "Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life."

Ahem...daughters? Are you reading along with me here?

Bible Reading for January 15, 2009

Proverbs 14, Psalms 71-75

Psalm 72:6-7 - "May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!"

An uplifting Psalm about the coming King.

Proverbs 15:16 - "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it."

Amen! Be content.

Bible Reading for January 14,2009

Proverbs 14, Psalms 66-70

Psalm 69:4 - "More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause..."

If this is true of David, how much more so for the Son of David as applied in John 15:25? It is just incredible how the Word of God fits together.

Bible Reading for January 13,2009

Proverbs 13, Psalms 61-65

Psalm 62: 7-10 - "On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah"

Trust God's sovereignty!

Psalm 63:1 - "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

Absolutely beautiful imagery. Do we really have that desire?

Proverbs 13:4 - "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied."

Once again, the continuing theme of laziness, in this case, explicitly spiritual.

Proverbs 13:12 - "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

Matthew Henry has an interesting commentary regarding this, to wit, "Nothing is more grievous than the disappointment of a raised expectation...and the more high the expectation was raised the more cutting is the frustration of it. It is therefore our wisdom not to promise ourselves any great matters from the creature, not to feed ourselves with any vain hopes from this world, lest we lay up matter for our own vexation; and what we do hope for let us prepare to be disappointed in, that, if it should prove so, it may prove the easier."

Proverbs 13:20 - "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."

Our associations shape our character.

Please join me. Post your comments on your reading for the day. As Tim Challies says, "Do not feel that you can only say anything if you are going to say something that will wow us all." Just share what you think or even just the chapter(s) you read.

Bible Reading for January 12, 2009

Proverbs 12, Psalms 56-60.

Psalm 56:11 - "in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Am I fearful of others or trusting in God?

Psalm 57:4-6 - "My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts-- the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah"

What beautiful imagery, what a beautiful description of the character of God!

Proverbs 12:11 - "Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense."

Laziness is a continuing theme of Proverbs.

Proverbs 12:16 - "The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult."

We are so apt to exacerbate the smallest issues.

Proverbs 12:22 - "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord , but those who act faithfully are his delight."

The world sees lying as not worthy of condemnation, God shows us He thinks of it differently.

Bible Reading for January 11, 2009

Proverbs 11, Psalms 51-55.

Psalm 51:4 - "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight..."

Our sin is not just against another person but, ultimately, it is against God.

Psalm 53:3 - "...there is none who does good, not even one."

Are you a good person? How would the Bible answer that question?

Bible Reading for January 10, 2009

Proverbs 10, Psalms 46-50.

These readings seem especially appropriate for the times we find ourselves in.

Psalm 46 - "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling."

A stunningly beautiful poetic Psalm. I have found that this Psalm was the catalyst for Martin Luther's great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". Earthquakes, spoken of here, are fearful things. What we consider most stable suddenly becomes unstable. When our "stability" is shaken we have nothing to fear because of the transcendent stability of God. God's protection will not be shaken or eroded. As John MacArthur says, "Don't panic. Recognize His sovereignty."

Psalm 49 - Sounding very much like a Proverb, this could be called the "you can't take it with you" Psalm. Once again as John MacArthur says, "Mankind has a propensity to trust in our own material goods which is the epitome of stupidity". (Proverbs 23: 4-5)

Psalm 49:15 - "But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. (NKJV)"

What an absolutely incredible promise!

Proverbs 10:4 - "He becometh poor that dealeth [with] a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich."

Slothfulness can lead to earthly poverty. More importantly, however, is that it will inevitably lead to spiritual poverty.

Proverbs 10:19 - "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips [is] wise."

"It is good to say little, because in the multitude of words there wanteth not sin, or sin doth not cease." (Matthew Henry) "Wisdom is to restrain the tongue, since much speech risks sin." (John MacArthur)

Proverbs 10:22 - "The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it."

It is the blessing of the Lord that makes us rich. Our material possessions are not an indicator of true "richness".

Bible Reading for January 9, 2009

Proverbs 9, Psalms 41-45.

These readings are very timely for me today.

Proverbs 9:8 - "...reprove a wise man and he will love you."

Humble me Lord. May I be wise and accept reproof.

Psalm 41:9 - "Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me."

Should we think it strange when we are likewise treated? Not only was David treated like this but the Son of David, Jesus himself. (John 13:18) Have we not also done this to God himself? We eat of His bread daily but "lift up our heel" towards Him consistently?

Psalm 44:3 - "...for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them."

It wasn't by their work but God's! How proud are we to think that "all" that we have done is by our own skill, knowledge, cunning, and strength. None of it, zero, zilch, nada has come from anywhere else but God Himself.