Bible Translation Poll - 2020 Edition

[Username3000]

I am curious to know the state of English Bible translation usage on the PB in 2020.

Please vote for your primary translation, and comment on why it is your primary choice.

Thanks.

 

[JimmyH]

I'm in my 6th consecutive year of doing the M'Cheyne 1 Year Bible Reading Plan. Each year was a different primary translation (Formal Equivalent) and a secondary (Functional Equivalent). This year my primary is the NRSV, secondary is the NLT.

 

[B.L.]

My primary translation in 2020 is the NKJV. I too am using it in my M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan. This is my first year reading the NKJV and I'm puzzled at what took me so long to use it -- I really enjoy reading from it!

As for reasoning, I prefer the traditional received text and find the NKJV easier/smoother to read than my KJV, which has always been a perennial favorite. I also REALLY appreciate the footnotes in the NKJV showing where the text differs from the NU, which I find interesting.

In years past, in addition to the KJV, I've spent a lot of time in the NIV, ESV, and to a lesser extent the NLT. I'm a BibleGateway geek as well and use it daily to compare passages across four or five different translations at a time.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

I generally alternate between the ESV, NKJV, and NIV. The others I tend only to use them either for consultation or when I want to quickly read through a book. While I like the NIV a lot as a Bible to read in private, I am of the opinion that it is not the best for reading in church.

Some people hit the cry button whenever I say anything positive about the NIV. But, remember, that nobody likes a crybaby - except for their mammas and Democrats.

 

[ZackF]

I personally use the KJV for reading and personal study. We use CSB in family worship. In the Sunday School class I teach most often the ESV.

 

[Jonathco]

I recently transitioned from the NASB to the ESV for my primary translation and have no regrets. I grew up on the NKJV and still cross-reference that translation a lot in my personal study as well.

To be honest, the ESV, NKJV, and the NASB are all solid translations.

 

[Dekybo]

I’ve enjoy the wording of the ESV so it is my primary but I sometimes use the NASB. I use the NLT in family worship for my little girls

 

[Ed Walsh]

Please vote for your primary translation, and comment on why it is your primary choice.

Throughout my life, the King James has been my primary translation, but in 2019 and 2020 I've been using the ESV as my primary. Every time I open it--and I mean every time--I open the ESV I mumble under my breath "I really don't like this translation." I kid you not. I'm committed to going through it about three times and then hopefully back to my KJV. I use the NASB, NKJV, YLT and several other translations check with. Surprisingly, the NIV occasionally hits something right on the nose but rarely. I have done enough reading to be persuaded that the ESV really has many redeeming qualities, but there's so much I don't like about it. I absolutely despise the gender-neutral readings, the missing verses really bother me even though I understand the research of why they are not there. It always seemed to me that for a scribe to innocently omit a verse would be more likely than to do the unthinkable of adding in their own thoughts. So there you have. The ESV is my primary translation for 2020 but as I said, I really don't like it.

 

[Rom]

NKJV - I have come to appreciate it more and more every year. It is from my preferred text family, it tracks with the Confession proof texts, and has the textual notes which helps if you are following someone who is reading from the CT or are in a room with those who are using the CT.

I like the way it reads and I can follow along if someone is preaching out of the KJV and those who use the KJV can follow along easily if I read from the NKJV.

I like the KJV more and more each year. I don’t know if I’d switch, but it is possible. I’d still preach from the NKJV if I did. Oh, and my favorite preacher (Kenneth Stewart) also uses the NKJV. So there’s that

I was converted under the NIV and I do occasionally remember its rendition due to having memorized verses out of it. I occasionally will turn to it to check its rendition of a text when I do translation work. It sometimes has good insight.

I used the ESV for two years. My impression is the same as Ed’s. Especially with the psalms. I just can’t like it. I’ll use the NASB or NET instead when I need to consult a CT English translation.

 

[Poimen]

I grew up with a mix of NKJV (home and church) and NIV (school). I have been a member in churches that use the ESV and NKJV, and have pastored churches that have used the KJV and the NKJV.

The KJV is now my pulpit, home and study Bible for the following, positive reasons: 1) fidelity a) to the preserved text & b) to scripture's doctrine of inspiration 2) literalness without sacrificing ease of reading 3) popularity amongst a wide variety of Christians & thus staying power 4) use of distinct plural and singular pronouns 5) italics used when words are introduced into the text for clarity.

Negatively, I do not trust committees, especially those influenced by papists and liberals, to keep and render the word of God pure and undefiled.

 

[jambo]

For years I used the NASB and when the ESV was published I moved onto it. I was never altogether happy with it as it has some odd renderings of some verses. I persevered as long as possible but when my bible fell apart 6 weeks ago I reverted back to the NASB. One of the biggest gripes I have with bible versions is that it is now very hard to get Anglicised versions of bibles. Our church uses the ESV and I do have an Anglicised ESV that I bring to church, but you can only get plain ones without cross references.

 

[Ed Walsh]

I like the KJV more and more each year. I don’t know if I’d switch, but it is possible. I’d still preach from the NKJV if I did. Oh, and my favorite preacher (Kenneth Stewart) also uses the NKJV. So there’s that

Any particular sermons you recommend by Kenneth Stewart? There's a bunch on Sermon Audio just want to know where I should start.
Thanks

 

[CovenantWord]

I use NKJV consistently for personal and family devotions, because I believe it is the best available combination of literal, TR, respect for Church history, and accessibility to the modern English reader. For research, I often also review three other literal translations: KJV, NASB, and YLT.

 

[Minh]

My favorite is the NASB because of its readability and literalness. While the KJV is the greatest monument of all English translation and God's gift to the English speaking world, I find it difficult to understand the exact meaning of the text in archaic form, though it is the official translation of my faithful denomination.

 

[Claudiu]

KJV because The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible.

I grew up mostly on the KJV, then jumped ship to ESV. A few years back I kept alternating between the two. Made the switch back to KJV.

 

[Edward]

ESV, because it is the standard at our church.
My preferred translation is the NKJV.

 

[Nate]

I use the KJV for family and personal devotions, and it is the translation used in my church off the pulpit and in Bible studies. I love listening to my young children recite whole chapters of the KJV. Because they are growing up in a context where the KJV is used for preaching, catechism, and home worship, they readily understand this translation.

This year I am also reading through the Scriptures using the ESV Reader's Bible. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

 

[Brian R.]

Made the switch from ESV to KJV about 8 years ago and never looked back. My family and I use KJV 99% of the time, our church holds to it almost exclusively, and I believe it's the best English translation we have today. There are other reasons, but I'll stay brief.

 

[Rom]

Any particular sermons you recommend by Kenneth Stewart? There's a bunch on Sermon Audio just want to know where I should start.
Thanks

His series on either Esther or Daniel are a good place to start in my opinion. But I've profited from pretty much everything I've heard from him.

 

[Brian Withnell]

I don't know as I approve of all this new fangled translations! The Latin Vulgate was plenty good enough through from the 5th century on, so I see no reason to deviate now!

Well, not really. NASB 1995 update and NIV (1985). But I have at my finger tips 35 versions I can use (not counting any in foreign languages). Yes, I use software as my Bible. I only use paper if I don't have a computer or my cell phone with me (very rare indeed).

 

[Brian Withnell]

Oh, I also ought to specify ... I'm dyslexic, so I tend to do "reading" by listening. I can listen to the Bible while driving to and from work and get through it 3 times a year. I can hardly wait until I can get an autonomous vehicle so I can concentrate completely on it.

 

[Kinghezy]

ESV. I have dabbled in the NASB at times. I recently became annoyed by the translations choice in dropping the word "gird" from 2 or three passages (see below), that NKJV & KJV are an option that I am considering. Despite being on the literal end of translations, it baffles me why that is needed, since it seems unrelated to translating into English.

1. NASB:
   1. LUKE 12:35 -- "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.
   2. EPHESIANS 6:14 -- Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
   3. 1 Peter 1:13 -- Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus
2. ESV
   1. LUKE 12:35 -- “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,
   2. EPHESIANS 6:14 -- Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
   3. 1 Peter 1:13 -- Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
3. NKJV
   1. LUKE 12:35 -- “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;
   2. EPHESIANS 6:14 -- Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness
   3. 1 Peter 1:13 -- Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ

 

[Grant]

The reasons I use the NKJV primarily are here:

https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/new-bible.97564/#post-1192122

For me I had several reasons:

1. I like how the NKJV includes “added” English words in italics, that can be very informative in prepping for family worship or a SS lesson, so I don’t dogmaicaly emphasize an English word that was added for sentence flow and was not even in the manuscripts.

2. I like the KJV language; however the hard truth is that the KJV form of English is not what we speak today. Sure we can try and learn it, but the reality is that old English really does need to be updated. I feel the NKJV updates the English but keeps some (not all) of the beauty of the language used in the KJV (I know some disagree).

3. Family Worship: So for family worship (wife, 5yr old, and 2 yr old), I find I like the NKJV being based on the TR (I am not settled as a TR guy and still respect CT), but with an updated English for an easier read and comprehension for the whole family. So far we have found the NKJV reads just as smooth if not smoother in many areas compared to ESV.

4. In researching (on a layman level), it seems the NKJV would be the 2nd choice, if you were to really press a hardline KJV proponent. I am NOT a KJV is the best kinda guy (at least not today). However I have been finding that the NKJV strikes a remarkably solid balance between camps in the whole TR, MT, CT discussion. The NKJV seems to be a good compromisebecause it is based on the TR, but at the same time it will footnote the text variants from CT, which at least will give me pause and remind me to look more into certain passages. The textual variants footnotes drives that for me. The ESV leaves many footnotes out and even some verses, that as the reader I would at least like to have the option to consider certain verses or word choices.... instead of not even being made aware that there could be a possible different reading. That said, I am not even sure a 1611 KJV would have textual variants footnotes (I could be wrong on this). After all I am not well versed in Hebrew or Greek so I really do like the footnotes. My understanding is that the NKJV preaching bible has the Full amount of variant footnotes, which I like for private bible study.

Also I read a lot of Matthew Henry commentary, so I also end up spending a lot of time with the KJV, which I like as well.

Our church uses the ESV for preaching.

 

[bookslover]

I have used the ESV since shortly after it was first published in late 2001. It is both accurate and eminently readable. I enjoy it more each year.

UPDATE: Our pastor preaches from the NASB and that's the translation in our pew Bibles, but I'm part of the resistance! Heh.

 

[Seeking_Thy_Kingdom]

I primarily use the ESV for reading since I did not grow up with the KJV, and I use the NASB when studying.

My hope is that one day there will be a high quality Geneva, that would instantly become my favorite Bible.

 

[CJW]

I use the KJV exclusively, and it is the version our church uses. Reasons: it’s a faithful translation of the received text, it differentiates between 2nd person singular and plural, it’s easy to read aloud from, it’s what I grew up with, and I’m a snob about languages.

 

[Ed Walsh]

My favorite is the NASB because of its readability and literalness. While the KJV is the greatest monument of all English translation and God's gift to the English speaking world, I find it difficult to understand the exact meaning of the text in an archaic form, though it is the official translation of my faithful denomination.

I agree with both things you said about the KJV. It is beautiful and designed to be read aloud. Did you know that there's a revised version of the NASB coming out shortly? I am really looking forward to it although I don't know anything about it yet. I'm old enough to remember when the NIV was all the rage in many churches. But in time it fell out of favor and the switch was made to the ESV. But the perennial NASB just won't go away and it seems to be making a comeback these days.

Does anybody else know about this NASB revision?

 

[JimmyH]

I agree with both things you said about the KJV. It is beautiful and designed to be read aloud. Did you know that there's a revised version of the NASB coming out shortly? I am really looking forward to it although I don't know anything about it yet. I'm old enough to remember when the NIV was all the rage in many churches. But in time it fell out of favor and the switch was made to the ESV. But the perennial NASB just won't go away and it seems to be making a comeback these days.

Does anybody else know about this NASB revision?

Here is a bit of information on some of the textual decisions ;

https://opened-heart.com/NASB-2020-update-news-and-review/

 

[GulfCoast Presbyterian]

The ESV is my primary translation, supplemented by the NASV and the KJV. I need to look into the NKJV.

 

[smalltown_puritan]

I love the Geneva Bible (1599), which is what I use for private study and family worship. I find it to be a simple and accurate translation, with excellent marginal/study notes.