The Lion and the Lamb

Bible Translations

Prompt: What Bible translation do you use? Are you King James only? Why?

I like several translations, but two of my favorites are the New King James and the Holman Christian Standard. I am certainly not a King James only-est. There are times when the language of the King James is one of the most accurate, but there are also times when it falls short. I prefer to read multiple translations, I feel it gives me a more broad understanding of what is being said.

Having said that, I am not a fan of translations that seek to sound cool and hip to the younger crowd, instead of focusing on being an accurate translation...like The Message. Sure, it's extremely easy to read, but from a theological perspective, it's hot garbage.

The translation I recommend for easy understanding is the ICB (International Children's Bible) My son uses that one and it's a good one.

I have many different Bibles in my home. I like to buy translations I don't already have. Here's a list of translations I really like, and ones I don't like that much.

Likes
HCSB
NKJ
ICB
NLT

Meh
NCV
NIV
KJV
Amplified

Dislikes
The Message
Other religious "Bibles" such as the Catholic Bible, or the very rare and hard to find JST (Joseph Smith Translation)
Study Bibles with commentary by quacks, like Sarah Young, Joyce Meyer, and Rick Warren.

I'm sure if I went around my house and found all of the translations I own I could add to this list, but those are the ones I'm most familiar with. The one I'm currently reading is the HCSB and I've been really impressed with it.

No matter which translation you prefer, I recommend a note-taking Bible, one that has large margins and blank lines for jotting thoughts and notes. I've been very happy with mine.