How I read the Bible
Choosing between different Bible translations
I have come upon a question of which translation of the Bible I should read. So I've listed down all the Bible translations that I know of that are complete with Old Testament and New Testament (with or without the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha) that I know of. And I've noted down the comparisons between these translations at the table below (relatively sorted from very literal to readable). However, I've placed Vulgate on top because it's the only non-English bible listed and I imagine it would be the most difficult to read for us who cannot read Latin.
You may inform me of other translations and how they are compared to others.
| Bible Translation Versions | w/ Deutero-canon/ Apocrypha? | Readability | Notes / Differences | Year 1st Published | Denomi-national Associations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vulgate | yes | literal (Latin) | historic Catholic foundation text; influenced many later translations | - AD 382–405 (initial translation and compilation by St. Jerome) - 1455 (first printed Bible - Gutenberg Bible) |
Roman Catholic |
| New American Standard Bible (NASB) | no | very literal | one of the most “word-for-word” translations available in English | 1971 | Evangelical / Academic Protestant |
| King James Version (KJV) | some editions include Apocrypha | very literal / archaic | highly influential; Elizabethan English; poetic but hard to read | 1611 | Anglican → widely adopted by Protes- tantism |
| English Standard Version (ESV) | no | literal (word-for-word leaning) | academic/evangelical favorite; closer to original structure | 2001 | Reformed / Evangelical Protestant |
| Douay-Rheims Bible | yes | literal (older style) | Catholic traditional translation; based on Latin rather than Hebrew/Greek directly | - 1582 (New Testament by Rheims) - 1610 (Old Testament by |
Roman Catholic |
| New King James Version (NKJV) | no (but some editions include separately) | literal (modernized language) | keeps KJV structure but updates archaic words (“thee/thou” → “you”); aims for accu | 1982 | Evangelical / Baptist / Non-denomi-national Protestant |
| Revised Standard Version (RSV) | yes (in some editions) | literal-balanced | predecessor to NRSV; still respected in academic circles | 1952 | Mainline Protestant + early Catholic adoption |
| Christian Standard Bible (CSB) | no | balanced | tries to sit between literal and readable; modern evangelical use | 2017 | Southern Baptist / Evangelical |
| New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) | yes (standard academic editions include) | balanced | common in universities and ecumenical settings; includes Apocrypha in many editions | 1989 | Mainline Protestant + Catholic academic use |
| New International Version (NIV) | no (but some editions include separately) | balanced (thought-for-thought) | one of the most popular modern translations; readable and widely used | 1978 | Broad Evangelical (interdeno-minational) |
| New Jerusalem Bible | yes | readable / literary | Catholic translation with more modern language than Douay-Rheims | 1985 | Roman Catholic |
| New Living Translation (NLT) | no | readable / dynamic | very easy to read; focuses on meaning over literal wording | 1996 | Evangelical / Non- denomi-national Protestant |
| Good News Translation (GNT) formerly known as Good News Bible or Today's English Version (TEV) | no (but some editions include Deuteoro-canonicals) | simple / easy reading | designed for accessibility; used in education and ESL contexts | 1976 | Interdeno-minational / Bible Societies |
| The Message | no | very readable | not a translation in strict sense; highly interpretive and conversational | 1993 | Evangelical / Contemporary Protestant |
As a raised Roman Catholic, I am inclined to want to read the bibles we use. However, I am also deeply interested in literal translations. So I've decided that I should at least read one bible used by the Catholic Church, another one with literal translation, and the bible that my parents gifted me.
But at first, the versions I read were:
- NASB
- NKJV
- GNT (gifted by my parents)
NASB wasn't that difficult for me to read, I believe, because I'm used to reading old texts. I've read Socrates and Plato in some of the most literal English translations. So NASB was fine.
I read NKJV because while I was reading GNT, I was just very unsatisfied with the phrasings used in GNT. I've assessed that GNT is indeed an easier read, but it is not quite for me. So I looked for a different bible with a modern translation and I sort of just settled with NKJV.
But knowing NKJV is a "new" version of KJV, I wondered how KJV was written so I took a read of it. And I love it! As much as I love the NASB.
So now... the bible version I read are:
- NASB
NKJVKJV- GNT
- NRSV-CE
I chose NRSV-CE over NABRE just because I prefer how it's written. It seems I like scholarly liturgical versions. I still read the GNT because it's the physical bible I have! I read the other bible version in bible.com.
I actually have a book that features the gospels of Matthew and John from The Message. And some time ago, I also have read from Daily Gospel books by Claretian Publications. Their Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible and Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) And so I have read from those as well.
What book did I read first?
My aim in my bible study is to read all that was ever written, all books. Since I am already too familiar with the New Testament because I actually did listen sometimes when the gospels are read in church, I started reading from the very beginning - the Book of Genesis.
And then I read the rest of the bibles as they are organized. I plan to finish the Old Testament first up to the Book of Malachi, then read the Deuterocanon. After that, I have considered that I may want to read the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls at this time and then see the comparison of the translations from the Masoretic Texts myself. This, in particular, I find to be intriguing. I look forward to what I’ll find later.
Only then will I fully read the New Testament, which again I am already quite familiar of.
What made me want to read the Bible?
That is very easy to answer. I've always been curious about it since I was five. I could read by then, yes. I picked up English words fast. My aunt had an English Bible. I sometimes opened them and read words there. I'd skip those I didn't know how to read yet. But I could read words like "bless", "Heaven", "praise", "God", "Lord", "man", "woman", "husband", "wives", "sons", "daughters", and more. I would know what those words were because I've heard of them being spoken, and it wasn't difficult for me to imagine that a word spelled d-a-u-g-h-t-e-r could have been the word "daughter" mentioned by adults. I also already knew what these words meant. Sometimes, I read a sentence and understand it but the next ones wouldn't form a cloud of thoughts in my mind - head empty. But once I'd grown older and learned more words, and started listening more to priests in church, that is when I started questioning the values, integrity and authenticity of the Bible.
So for a long time, I was careful of who to listen to when it came to the interpretation of the biblical texts. I just seemed to be sure that most people are not truly absorbing the words they have read. It did not help when a radio caster joked that people who read the bible go mad because of the interpretations. Why, it made me very hesitant to read the Bible thoroughly. I was seven when I listened to that caster. But I think the caster was honest. Because I also understood how the Scriptures are full of riddles, metaphors, and allegories. I also discerned an agnostic view of these interpretations. We can only know what is within our limits, but what I know for sure is that God wants us to learn more from him.
But as my life went on, I would encounter and experience the strangest things that would lead me back into wanting to read the Bible in order to see if any of my experiences would be explained by the Word of God, only to find out that “Word of God” is often equated to divine reason and order. So… by the meaning alone, the Word of God should actually explain… a lot of things. No kidding.
And so I have started this journey reading the Bible and so far, I have been amazed by the new things I’ve learned from it. So here I am sharing you the things I have realized upon reading the Scriptures.