which translation of the Bible is best?

I sometimes get asked this. Here's my answer: Read one you can understand. The most imporant thing is not which translation, it's just doing it!

If you can roll with the KJV, then go for it! If you're NIV or CEV, great! Read it...study it...let the Word of God transform you.

I get in these conversations sometimes with someone who's really hung up on which translation should be used. And always, by the way--without exception--the person who wants to debate about it--the person with the hang-up is a KJV person. Often times they just have a dogmatic approach they are convinced that no other translation is appropriate.

Before I go any further, let me say this: I am not anti-KJV. Again, if that's the best translation for you personally, and you're comfortable reading it, I wouldn't steer you away from it. For me, it's a tough read, quite frankly. I read multiple translations. Right now, I'm reading out of the NIV. Often I will spend time in The Message. My wife reads her CEV Bible.

If you're trying to decide on a translation, here are a couple things you might want to consider: When the Bible gets translated into a new language for today, it's translated into the language a particular culture speaks and writes today, not how they spoke and wrote 400 years ago. Why should people who read and speak English today have to use a Bible translation that is not translated in the English they use in everyday life? Here's the thing: the Bible was originally written in the common, ordinary language of the people. Bible translations today should be the same. That is why Bible translations get updated and revised as languages develop and change.

God wants you to understand His Word. And the Bible was originally written to be understood.

Now, by far, the most common objection I get from KJV-only people about other translations (specifically the NIV) is this: "There are whole verses missing from the NIV (John 5:4, Acts 8:37, and 1 John 5:7). People say, "The Word of God can't be added to or taken away from, and the NIV has obviously taken verses out, so consequently, it's no good."

When I hear that argument, it tells me that that person has not done any research on the subject. Here's my two-cents on that: the KJV was translated in 1611 AD. Since then, many Biblical manuscripts have been discovered that are older and more accurate than the manuscripts that were used for the KJV. When Bible scholars researched through these manuscripts, they discovered some differences. It seems that over the course of 1500 years, some words, phrases, and even sentences got added to the Bible. The "missing verses" are simply not found in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts. So, the newer translations remove these verses or place them in footnotes or in the margin because they do not truly belong in the Bible.

We know a lot more now than they did in 1611. I wouldn't want a doctor from 1611 doing surgery on me...I'm not so sure I want a scholar from 1611 translating my Bible.

The bottom line, again, is this: Read your Bible. If it's KJV or NIV or CEV, just read it. I recommend you read multiple translations. By comparing and contrasting the different translations, it is often easier to get a good grasp on what the verse is saying than by only using one translation.

I'm always amazed that some people can get so hung up on this subject. There are much more important things to be doing than worrying about which translation of the Bible people are reading.