Bible Versions and Translations

Best Known Versions

American Standard Version (ASV)
The American Standard Version, also known as the Standard American Edition, Revised Version, is a revised version of the KJV. It was completed
in 1885 and newly edited by the American Revision Committee in 1901.
word-for-word
Common English Bible (CEB)
The Common English Bible is a translation of the scriptures intended to be a comfortable reading level for over half of all English readers. It attempts
to substitute more traditional biblical terminology with more natural wording.
thought-for-thought and word-for-word
Douay-Rheims (RHE)
The Douay-Rheims is the translation upon which nearly all English Catholic Bible versions are based. It includes the seven Deutero-Canonical books
(also known as the Apocrypha).
word-for-word from Latin Vulgate
English Standard Version (ESV)
The ESV Bible is a relatively new Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and
readability.
word-for-word
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW) accurately translates the meaning of the original texts into clear, everyday language. Readable and reliable, GW is
living, active, and life-changing.
thought-for-thought
Good News Translation (GNT)
The Good News Translation was first published in 1976 by the American Bible Society in a "common language." The simple, everyday language
makes it especially popular for children and those learning English.
thought-for-thought
Holman Christian Standard (CSB)
The HCS is a highly readable, accurate translation written in modern English. It is published by Holman Bible Publishers, the oldest Bible publisher in
America.
word-for-word
King James Version (KJV)
The KJV is the first version of Scripture authorized by the Protestant church and commissioned by England's King James I.
word-for-word
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
The LEB complements your primary translation with its transparent design and literal rendering. It helps you see the text of God’s Word from another
angle.
literal
New American Standard (NAS)
The NAS is written in a formal style, but is more readable than the King James Version. It is highly respected as the most literal English translation of
the Bible.
word-for-word
New International Version (NIV)
The NIV offers a balance between a word-for-word and thought-for-thought translation and is considered by many as a highly accurate and smooth-
reading version of the Bible in modern English.
Combination word-for-word and thought-for-thought
New King James Version (NKJV)
The NKJ is a modern language update of the original King James Version. It retains much of the traditional interpretation and sentence structure of
the KJV.
word-for-word
New Living Translation (NLT)
Using modern English, the translators of the NLT focused on producing clarity in the meaning of the text rather than creating a literal, word-for-word
equivalence. Their goal was to create a clear, readable translation while remaining faithful to original texts.
thought-for-thought
New Revised Standard (NRS)
The New Revised Standard is a popular translation that follows in the traditions of the King James and Revised Standard Versions. It was written
with the goal of preserving the best of the older versions while incorporating modern English.
word-for-word and thought-for-thought
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
The Revised Standard Version is a revision of the King James Version, the Revised Version, and American Standard Version. This text is intended
for both private reading and public worship.
word-for-word using modern American language
The Message (MSG)
The Message is a paraphrase from the original languages written by Eugene, H. Peterson. The Message provides a fresh and unique Bible-reading
experience.
thought-for-thought; paraphrase

QUICK GUIDE TO BIBLE VERSIONS

Historic - Major Catholic, Anglican/Protestant Versions ( -1800)
Presented by: The Master's table

· Latin Vulgate (St. Jerome) c.400: the Bible of the Western Church through the middle ages; still the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church.

· Wycliffe (& Purvey) c.1385: first translation of whole (or most of) Bible from Vulgate into vernacular, medieval English -- [n.b. complete Wycliffe
Bible not published until 1850].

· Martin Luther c.1522: translation of the Greek N.T. and Hebrew O.T. into vernacular German; still the standard Bible of German Protestants
[Lutheran].

· Tyndale c.1525: translation of Greek N.T. [consulting Vulgate and Luther's German translation] and parts of Hebrew O.T. -- fixed the English
translation style.

· Coverdale c.1535: little change from Tyndale's, but with new translations for previously undone portions of O.T. from Vulgate and Luther's [not orig.
Hebrew]; Coverdale's PSALMS still used by Anglicans and Episcopalians in Book of Common Prayer.

· Matthew c.1537: Essentially Tyndale's but a publication authorized by the king (Henry VIII); the first authorized or licensed English Bible - [though
license was extended to Coverdale's later editions].

· Great Bible (Cranmer) c.1540: revision of Matthew's Bible produced in a large size; undertaken at Cromwell's suggestion and claimed the "Bible
appointed to the use of the churches".

· Geneva c.1560: revision/collation of Tyndale's and the Great Bible; first English translation to use the division into verses; considered most
scholarly of early English versions; commonly used for many years - especially among Puritans - and commonly brought to America.

· Bishops' c.1568: a rebuttal by the bishops to the Geneva Bible (which they didn't like); borrowed heavily from Great Bible and, actually, also from
Geneva Bible - including use of verses; uneven quality but formed basis for KJV.

· Rheims/Douay c.1582/1610: the official [English] Roman Catholic Bible; translation from Vulgate [n.b. Bishop Challoner revised in mid 1700's,
sometimes called "Challoner-Rheims Version"].

· King James (or Authorized ) Version (KJV or AV) 1611: the standard authorized Bible of most Protestant churches for 2+ centuries; used the
original Hebrew and Greek to inform comparison/revision of earlier English versions - [leaned heavily on Bishop's Bible; much of the language
actually goes back to Tyndale's].

Modern - Major English Language Versions (1800-1990)

· Revised Version or English Revised Version (RV or ERV) N.T. 1881, O.T. 1884: first major revision of KJV; done by lengthy committee process
including Anglican and most Protestant faiths but NOT Roman Catholics.

· American Revised Version or American Standard Version (ARV or ASV) N.T. 1900, O.T. 1901: a re-edited version of the RV, basically the same.

· Moulton (Modern Readers') Bible 1907: a rearrangement of texts rather than a significantly new version, but an early attempt to "update" the Bible.

· Moffat Bible N.T. 1913, O.T. 1924: a new translation from early Greek and Latin texts - considered flawed because of the choice of source texts
and the occasional rearrangement of verses but still a major work and fairly popular in it's time.

· Smith-Goodspeed or "Chicago " Bible c.1930's: [The Bible: An American Translation (AT)] first significant attempt to make truly modern language
version.

· Knox Bible N.T. 1945, O.T. 1948: a new translation of the Vulgate bible; the New Testament was officially approved by the Roman Catholic church,
though not supplanting the Rheims N.T. (first translation done by a single individual).

· Revised Standard Version (RSV) 1946-1957: an attempt to improve on the language of the RV/ASV; more widely accepted, but not supplanting
KJV.

· Modern Language Bible (New Berkeley) (MLB) 1959, rev. 1969: another attempt at a modernization of the language leaning especially toward an
American audience and working from the Greek and Hebrew texts.

· Jerusalem Bible (JB) 1966: Catholic translation based on ancient Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic texts, but closely following the French "Bible de
Jerusalem" [n.b. begun well after the NAB NT (1941) was done, but finished before the NAB OT (1970)].

· New American Standard Bible (NASB) N.T. 1963, O.T. 1970: conservative, fairly literal translation from mainly Greek texts; attempt to repeat the
RV process with more contemporary language; not very well-received.

· New English Bible (NEB) 1970: first completely new [Protestant] translation from original Bible languages into English since Tyndale.

· New American Bible (NAB) O.T. 1969, complete 1970 [added "Confraternity Version" N.T. of Douay]: The first significant Catholic translation since
Douay-Rheims; working from original Greek texts mainly, rather than Vulgate (Latin); O.T. also made use of Dead Sea Scrolls; original N.T. rushed
and mostly from Vulgate and later (1987) greatly revised/retranslated.

· Living Bible 1971: most popular "paraphrase translation".

· New International Version (NIV) 1973: a conservative, evangelically oriented translation from Greek and Hebrew texts.

· Good News Bible [Today's English Version] (TEV) 1966: "common language" translation from modern Greek/Hebrew texts; emphasis on effective
and accurate communication to the common reader.

· New King James Version (NKJV) N.T. 1979, O.T. 1982: a revision of KJV to improve readability of text .

· New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) 1985: a revision following on the changes made in the French revision of the Bible de Jerusalem (1973) reflecting
some new scholarship in research of the original texts and translations.

· New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 1989: the result of continuing revisions from the committee(s) who made RSV .

· Revised English Bible (REB) 1989: a revision of the New English Bible (1970), updating according to new scholarship in translation.

Reading
Word for Word Translation Year Published and Description
Level

Interlinear
New American Standard (NASB)
Amplified
English Standard Version (ESV)
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
King James Version (KJV)
New King James Version (NKJV)
New American Bible (NAB)
Thought for Thought
Holman Christian Standard (HCSV)
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)
New International Version (NIV)
The original Masoretic (Jewish) text in Hebrew and Greek. English
12 + translations available. Very difficult to read and understand. Need a
concordance.
1971, updated 1995. A revision of the American Standard Version of
11.0 1901. Formal modern English; somewhat difficult but more readable
than KJV.
1965. Modern English version from original Greek text. Has bracketed
11.0 words and phrases to help explain more difficult and complicated
passages.
2001. A literal translation that makes use of recently discovered
8.0
sources. Easier reading than other word for word translations.
1952. A revision of the ASV of 1901. Further revision to New
8.7 Testament in 1971. Widely accepted by both Protestant and Roman
Catholic churches.
1611. Draws heavily on the Bishops Bible (1568) and also on the
Geneva Bible (1560). Difficult to read and understand due to 17th
12.0
Century vocabulary and style. Uses no original or recently discovered
sources.
1982. Taken directly from KJV but with more modern words. Choppy
9.0
reading because it maintains 17th Century sentence structure.
1970 with updates to 1991. Clear, straightforward translation from the
6.6
Greek. The first Roman Catholic Bible in modern American English.
also sometimes called Dynamic Equivalence
2004. Highly readable, accurate translation in modern English. Good
8.5 balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought leans toward
word-for-word.
1990. Revision of RSV, still literal, but moves in the thought-for-
10.4 thought direction. Language not updated but tends to gender
neutrality and political correctness.
1986. Revision of Jerusalem Bible (1966). Roman Catholic. Highly
7.4
readable modern translation.
1978. Completely new translation from oldest and best Hebrew,
Greek, and Aramaic sources. Accurate, smooth reading version in
7.8
modern English. Most widely used Bible in USA. Today’s NIV (TNIV,
2005) is gender neutral version of NIV.
 1987. Revision of International Children’s Bible aimed at young
New Century Version (NCV) 5.0 readers and those with low reading skills. Gender neutral version
published 1991.

1996, updated 2004. Converts of paraphrased Living Bible to a

thought-for-thought translation. Highly readable in vocabulary and
New Living Translation (NLT) 6.3
language. Gender neutral. Does not use original or recently
discovered sources.

1996. Revision of NIV for early readers. Uses simple short words and
New Int'l Readers Version (NIrV) 2.9
sentences.

1976. Faithful translation draws on Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic

Good News Bible (GNB) formerly Today's English Version (TEV) 6.0 sources. Very simple, readable version without jargon. Uses limited
vocabulary.

1989. Revision of New English Bible (1970). More “literary” than NIV
Revised English Bible (REB) 7.5 and more dynamic equivalence. Highly readable. Most widely used
Bible in UK.

2011. Fresh translation is highly readable but sickeningly politically

Common English Bible (CEB) ? correct and gender neutral. For example, “Son of Man” is translated
as “human.”

1995. Clear, simple English but with a mature style. Suitable for both
Contemporary English Version (CEV) aka "The Promise" 5.4
children and adults.

Paraphrase Translation

1971. Paraphrase translation by Ken Taylor largely based on ASV of

The Living Bible (TLB or LB) 6.3 1901. Modern language is very easy to read and understand. Also a
Catholic version.

1991-2002. Paraphrase translation by Eugene Peterson using modern

The Message 4.8 American idioms. Easy to read but heavily criticized for scriptural
deviations, altered meanings, informality, and lack of precision.