Which Bible translation is the best?

[historia]

Which English translation of the Bible do you like the best?

Why do you like it better than other translations?

And which one do you like second best?

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by historia]

OTHER : New World Translation



Why do you like it better than other translations?

• It is most faithful to the original languages
• It contains The Divine Name in both the Hebrew and the Greek scriptures
• It is clear and easily understandable
• It contains useful cross references, explanations and a comprehensive annex

Further Reading
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102007409#h=19

SOME REVIEWS OF THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION

** The New Catholic Encyclopedia (Refering to the NWT reference edition): "[Jehovah's Witnesses'] translation of the Bible [has] an impressive critical apparatus. The work is excellent [...]"

**Jason BeDuhn, an associate professor of religious studies, Northern Arizona University : "..the general public and many Bible scholars assume that the differences in the New World Translation (NW) are due to religious bias on the part of its translators. However, he states: “Most of the differences are due to the greater accuracy of the NW as a literal, conservative translation. While BeDuhn disagrees with certain renderings of the New World Translation, he says that it emerges as "the most accurate of the translations compared calling it a “remarkably good translation. Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament, 2004.

**New World Translation has been found to be "one of the most accurate English translations of the New Testament currently available" and is "the most accurate of the [8 major] translations compared."—Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament by Jason BeDuhn, associate professor of religious studies at Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, Arizona

**Andover Newton Quarterly of January 1963 said: "The translation of the New Testament is evidence of the presence in the movement of scholars qualified to deal intelligently with the many problems of Biblical translation."

**As Theologian C. Houtman explains regarding the unorthodoxy of the New World Translation: "Various traditional translations of important terms from the original text have been discarded, apparently in order to arrive at the best possible understanding."

**REGARDING the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, Edgar J. Goodspeed, translator of the Greek "New Testament" in An American Translation, wrote in a letter dated December 8, 1950: "I am interested in the mission work of your people, and its world wide scope, and much pleased with the free, frank and vigorous translation. It exhibits a vast array of sound serious learning, as I can testify."

**Professor Benjamin Kedar, a Hebrew scholar in Israel, said in 1989: "In my linguistic research in connection with the Hebrew Bible and translations, I often refer to the English edition of what is known as the New World Translation. In so doing, I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that this work reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible."

**Hebrew and Greek scholar Alexander Thomson wrote: "The translation is evidently the work of skilled and clever scholars, who have sought to bring out as much of the true sense of the Greek text as the English language is capable of expressing."-The Differentiator, April 1952, pages 52-7.

** "I have never discovered in the 'New World Translation' [of the Hebrew Scriptures] any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain" -- Professor Benjamin Kedar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

** In its review of Bible translations released from 1955 to 1985, The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary listed the New World Translation as one of the major modern translations.

RELATED POSTS

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http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 89#p935089

Why are there so many translations of the bible?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 91#p851791

How do Jehovah's Witnesses view the bible?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 25#p873125

To learn more please see other posts related to...

THE BIBLE , AUTHORSHIP & TRANSMISSION and ... BIBLE TRANSLATIONS

* bible interpretation

[bjs]

“Best� depends on the context it is being used in.

The NRSV is probably the most literal translation without becoming overly wooden. It is more “scholarly.�

The NIV is a good translation that is widely available and inexpensive. That gives it an advantage on a practical level.

The NLT is probably the easiest to read when someone is just getting started with the Bible.

The ESV uses more basic grammar. It can be useful for someone for whom English is a second language but he or she has reason to read in English.

[bjs]

[*] It is most faithful to the original text
[*] It contains The Divine Name in both the Hebrew and the Greek scriptures

I just want to point out that these statements cannot both be true. The original Greek text does not contain the Divine name. So a translation can be faithful to the original text of the NT, or it can include the Divine name. It cannot do both.

[historia]

[Replying to JehovahsWitness]

What is your second favorite translation?

[historia]

[Replying to post 3 by bjs]

Which translation do you like or use the most?

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to JehovahsWitness]

What is your second favorite translation?

Probably the NRSV; it's fairly clear and understandable and quite faithful to the original languages.




JW



RELATED POSTS

Go to other posts related to THE DIVINE NAME , LORD and ...NWT

[JehovahsWitness]

[*] It is most faithful to the original text
[*] It contains The Divine Name in both the Hebrew and the Greek scriptures

I just want to point out that these statements cannot both be true. The original Greek text does not contain the Divine name. So a translation can be faithful to the original text of the NT, or it can include the Divine name. It cannot do both.

You are wrong; indeed available evidence indicates quite the opposite. See LINKS below.

Did the Christian Greek bible writers use The Divine Name ?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 077#947077

BIBLE LECTURE: Geoffrey W. Jackson: “Father, Glorify Your Name�
https://tv.jw.org/#en/mediaitems/Studio ... 10_2_VIDEO

JW

[tam]

Peace to you,

I am most familiar with the NIV, but I do not think it is better or worse than other translations. Some verses are more accurate in one translation, while other verses can be more accurate in another translation.

I like biblehub.com (because it offers a comparison of each translation) and I like blueletterbible.org (because it offers the original language and various meanings of the words being translated).

[onewithhim]

Which English translation of the Bible do you like the best?

Why do you like it better than other translations?

And which one do you like second best?

I agree with one scholar's assessment: "The New World Translation and the New American Bible are not bias free,and they are not perfect translations. But they are REMARKABLY GOOD translations, by far than the deeply flawed TEV, and certainly better as a translation than the LB and AB...and consistently better than the heavily biased NIV, and often better than the compromised NRSV." (Truth in Translation, p.165, Dr. Jason BeDuhn)

So it's the New World Translation first of all, and second-best is the New American Bible.

I like the NWT best first of all because it presents the name of God, Jehovah, in each of the 7,000 places that it appears in the original Hebrew language manuscripts. It also sticks very close---as close as can be---to the actual Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic, thus giving the real meaning to scriptures that other translations skim over and get messed up because the translators ALREADY BELIEVE that, for example, Jesus is God.