What version is your bible?

[Brad Huber]

Matt 5
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

This was not taken from OT scripture, Jesus expounded on what was said in the OT, showing how the word of God is indeed EVERY word of God, including all inspired words given by the Holy Spirit, its merely that you need the Holy Spirit to see that its truth or not. Most of the new testament is inspired truths that go above and beyond the OT, even going as far as saying that gentiles like us non jews dont even have to keep most of the OT commands.

 

[Hekuran]

Have a read of what Jesus says here in Luke 24:44-49

Esp verse 45. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.

Now these disciples, many had read and heard the scriptures, the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms every week being read out in the synagogue, but did they understand them? And here comes Jesus and does he give them a new version or translation? No he opens their understanding to what they have already heard and read. Jesus reminds them of what is written already! He doesnt try and rewrite the bible.

A few comments here.

• Any decent translation of the Bible has at its aim to make the revealed Word of God accessible to its readers. Each of them takes a slightly different approach to this, and this is usually made clear in the translator's preface.
• We comment on translations with "bits missing", but it far more likely that the manuscripts used by the older translations had bits added by scribes.
• The English language is constantly changing. For example "piety". Many people use the word "pious" to mean pompous and hypocritical. KJV uses the word with its formal meaning of "reverent obedience". 1 Timothy 5.4
• I've studied English literature and am personally quite at home with the language of Shakespeare; but many of my brothers and sisters in church struggle to read even the simpler modern translations. To expect them to tackle the language of the KJV would be simply to put the Word of God beyond their reach.
• When the communist regimes in Europe collapsed in the early 90s, there was an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus. All we had for a Bible was a hastily-prepared translation from one of the simpler paraphrased English Bibles. Far from ideal! Yet, it touched and transformed lives.

 

[Lanolin]

Some points Kjv isnt the language of shakespeare. Its not just english translation, that is all that is true to the bible. What is todays english language then, the language of tv? Shakespeare actually has nothing to do with kjv. Just because he lived around the time of translation, doesnt make him connected with the Bible. The Bible is not in iambic pentatmeter, and is not a play!


People also charge that translators have ADDED to the KJV when it is actually other bibles that have OMITTED scripture. People get that wrong too!

As for Jesus words, he often quoted from OT, but does not John call Jesus the WORD. What does Jesus say even in his sermon on the mount..Not one jot or tittle will pass..what is a jot and tittle? Its like crossing your ts dotting your i's when writing. Jesus was meaning the scripture. He was the fulfillment of scripture and all those prophecies, if you dont know the OT you wont know what he's meaning. All through the sermon he was reminding people of what Moses wrote in his book.

When the scribes copied scripture they were careful that EVERY WORD was copied if not they would do it again.

Now people think its not that important, well hello, Jesus says how man cant live on bread alone but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

This is not to say everyone has to read this or that translation but do not rubbish a translation that has stood the test of time. Many people cannot read the modern translations because they are actually poor copies and omit scripture and do not actually give kjv a chance because they do not pray and ask God for understanding. Ths is the FIRST thing you do when reading the Bible!

The word is not far from you..it is near.

Does God expect us to read and understand the Bible..yes! But guess what He WILL help you. This is why the holy spirit gives us the gift of tongues!
Paul tells timothy that he can be a minister because he knows the scriptures from his youth. Paul writes in corinthians about tongues, that he would rather speak with five words of understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue..but he also says to not forbid speaking in tongues ans that people will interpret.

If someone finds it hard to read the bible in english perhaps its not actually in their native tongue have you thought about that? This is why we have translations in the first place. Not everyone speaks english.

Actually just to add I do find it strange that many english speaking christians go on missions to other countries and then expect their host country to all understand english too. Many dont bother to learn the host countries language and they dont translate the bible. Its weird.

 

[Laura1557]

Have a read of what Jesus says here in Luke 24:44-49

Esp verse 45. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.

Now these disciples, many had read and heard the scriptures, the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms every week being read out in the synagogue, but did they understand them? And here comes Jesus and does he give them a new version or translation? No he opens their understanding to what they have already heard and read. Jesus reminds them of what is written already! He doesnt try and rewrite the bible.

Amen, sister. And in verse 44 He proves that the Old Testament canon was already written when He was here in the flesh.

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.Luke 24:44 (KJV)

Jesus didn't need to write anything down when He was here because He was an observant Jew speaking to a Jewish audience. Since the OT was already in existence, He just used it to show that He was God, and how He came to not abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Mtt 5:17-20).

In the Gospels, He wasn't even talking to us, as Gentiles. The first Gentile wasn't saved till Acts 10. Hence the importance of rightly dividing (2 Tim 2:15) - all scripture is for us, but not all of it was written to us.

 

[Hekuran]

Some points Kjv isnt the language of shakespeare. Its not just english translation, that is all that is true to the bible. What is todays english language then, the language of tv? Shakespeare actually has nothing to do with kjv. Just because he lived around the time of translation, doesnt make him connected with the Bible. The Bible is not in iambic pentatmeter, and is not a play!


People also charge that translators have ADDED to the KJV when it is actually other bibles that have OMITTED scripture. People get that wrong too!

As for Jesus words, he often quoted from OT, but does not John call Jesus the WORD. What does Jesus say even in his sermon on the mount..Not one jot or tittle will pass..what is a jot and tittle? Its like crossing your ts dotting your i's when writing. Jesus was meaning the scripture. He was the fulfillment of scripture and all those prophecies, if you dont know the OT you wont know what he's meaning. All through the sermon he was reminding people of what Moses wrote in his book.

When the scribes copied scripture they were careful that EVERY WORD was copied if not they would do it again.

Now people think its not that important, well hello, Jesus says how man cant live on bread alone but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

This is not to say everyone has to read this or that translation but do not rubbish a translation that has stood the test of time. Many people cannot read the modern translations because they are actually poor copies and omit scripture and do not actually give kjv a chance because they do not pray and ask God for understanding. Ths is the FIRST thing you do when reading the Bible!

The word is not far from you..it is near.

Does God expect us to read and understand the Bible..yes! But guess what He WILL help you. This is why the holy spirit gives us the gift of tongues!
Paul tells timothy that he can be a minister because he knows the scriptures from his youth. Paul writes in corinthians about tongues, that he would rather speak with five words of understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue..but he also says to not forbid speaking in tongues ans that people will interpret.

If someone finds it hard to read the bible in english perhaps its not actually in their native tongue have you thought about that? This is why we have translations in the first place. Not everyone speaks english.

Want to be absolutely clear that I am not rubbishing the King James Version. Without any doubt whatsoever, it is the translation that has had the greatest influence for good in the English speaking world. In one way or another, all English translations since stand on its shoulders. Simply, the church would not be what it is today without the King James Version.

 

[Laura1557]

I've lost track of how many times I've heard the old chestnut "the King James is too hard to read." Or "the modern versions are easier to read than the KJV." But the folks who make that claim never give BCV (book, chapter, verse) from the KJV to back up the claim!

When kids are taught to read, they begin with single syllable words like ''see Jane run." The reality is that the KJV is loaded with literally hundreds of verses that are made up solely of single syllable words. How is that hard to understand?

For the sake of brevity, I'm not going to do an extensive list here, but here's a handful of single syllable verses:

Isaiah 42:18 (KJV) Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.

Job 1:11 (KJV) But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Job 8:2 (KJV) How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

Psalm 18:1 (KJV) I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

Psalm 139:1 (KJV) O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

Psalm 139:23 (KJV) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

Mtt 25:33 (KJV) And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Mark 8:30 (KJV) And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

Luke 24:30 (KJV) And it came to pass, as he sat at the table with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

1 John 5:12 (KJV) He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Sure, there are words in the KJV that were in common use then that aren't in common use now. So, what are kids taught to do when they find a word for which they don't know the meaning? Look it up in a dictionary! The Websters 1828 dictionary is online and in print and as Noah Webster was a Christian, its definitions are true to the KJV usage.

Understanding the Bible (including the KJV) is not a matter of head knowledge, but of spiritual discernment (1 Cor 2:14). I learned over time that I understand more of the Bible by reading an uncluttered-by-human-thought straight text KJV prayerfully and relying on the illumination of the Holy Spirit to open my understanding as He sees fit, than I do by having half a dozen scholarly commentaries open alongside my favourite study Bible (1 John 2:27).

It comes back to two things: the issue of final authority, and for the modern version publishers, consistently making money from new modern versions of revised modern versions of the last updated modern version.

 

[amadeus2]

Along with the money making aspect mentioned in new translations, we should also consider why the copyright protection laws have been applied to most of these newer Bible versions. Is it to protect someone's right to make money on the sale of Bible's? Hmmm! That alone might raise a question in a person's mind.

The KJV of course has never been copyrighted.

Might the copyright laws in this regard be considered a way of controlling use and distribution of Bibles similar to the way the 501C3 tax exemptions give the government leverage against church properties?

Anyone can reproduce the KJV or any part of it for any reason without fear of some invoking copyright restrictions against them. This cannot be said for the copyrighted versions. For now perhaps those copyrights are owned or controlled by people who would not invoke such restrictions, but people do die and people do inherit and people do buy and sell, do they not?

 

[B-A-C]

Anyone can reproduce the KJV or any part of it for any reason without fear of some invoking copyright restrictions against them. This cannot be said for the copyrighted versions. For now perhaps those copyrights are owned or controlled by people who would not invoke such restrictions, but people do die and people do inherit and people do buy and sell, do they not?

True enough, but even so... KJV Bibles are the same price as the other Bible at the book store.

 

[amadeus2]

True enough, but even so... KJV Bibles are the same price as the other Bible at the book store.

When a book is under copyright the copyright holder can limit the usage of the contents of the book without regard to what price you paid for the book. You can read it and study it because the book is yours, but when you open your mouth to quote it verbatim or you print exact copies of even parts of its contents, the copyright holder can put a muzzle on you.

 

[Laura1557]

Actually, being commissioned by the King of England, the KJV does have a copyright but it's vested in the Crown. Which still means that as @amadeus2 said, there is no copyright on the KJV the way there is on the new versions, and anyone can reproduce the KJV or any part of it for any reason without fear of someone invoking copyright restrictions against them. It's the same with the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.

As for the KJV being the same price in the bookstore as any other version, well, yes, because the stores and publishing houses are quite content to produce and sell the KJV for profit the same as they do any other version that sells. And you will see copyright notices in some KJVs at the bookstore, but it's the helps or the system of cross-references that holds the copyright, not the actual Bible text.

Many folks who use the King James get their Bibles from local church ministries. How many local churches have ministries printing and distributing the modern versions? None, because of the copyright that the publishers hold.

Bearing Precious Seed, Local Church Bible Publishers and Church Bible Publishers are three such ministries that exist to preserve and print the King James Bible.

In Old Testament times, it used to be that scribes faithfully copied the word of God for future generations. Then the early church took over the responsibility, till the invention of the printing press. Eventually, the publishing houses took over scripture printing and sold the printed Bibles back to the church.

The three above-mentioned local church ministries started up during the last 50 years or so in an effort to put some Scripture printing back in the hands of the local church, which is scripturally where it belongs. All three are ministries of King James Bible believing churches in the US, and all three distribute the Cambridge text Bibles they print at cost, which is about a third to a half of the bookstore price.

 

[Lanolin]

A few years ago I heard the Queen of England distributed copies of the Bible free to every household in the UK.

I've always given bibles away free, never sold them. Gideons were known for distributing bibles free but they dont use just kjv, which is rather disappointing, because when I go to read it expecting the Bible and its actually not the same version, and Its real annoying, because its different!

Kjv is in the public domain. Technically, anyone is allowed to distribute it. Its not copyright...copyright generally expires after 50 years. This goes for all literature, not just the bible. This is because authors are entititles to royalties, but publishers these daya have excuse my language tries to screw the authors and make profits out of them and take copyrights for themselves.

Obviously since the Bibles authors are no longer here on earth they not getting any monetaey roylaties from publishers...its only the translators or the people that write commentaries that will recieve anything. Bibles if they are to cost anything it ought to be just the paper and printing costs.

The Lockman foundation, that publishers many modern versions inclusding nasb and amp bibles...says they non profit but if you read their history, its all about selling bibles and tithing. Dewey Lockman was a freemason, it says so on their website.

I have some reservations about the lockman foundation...just dont have the sense that they are what they claim to be. The dead sea scrolls wouldnt be any different from the manuascripts the kjv translators had, but there are other corrupt sources that the lockman foundation were translating their bible versions from..namely alexandria and westcott-hort for the new testament. Most errors actually are noticeble when you compare translations from different versions of the new testament, soooo many ommissions its not funny.

I found this...NASB Committe Member turns KJV, denounces NASB - Preserved Word Ministries

Thats disturbing.

 

[Hekuran]

Dr. Frank Logsdon and the NASB... according to KJVO's

Oops! Urban myth

 

[Lanolin]

haha you can see the lockman foundation trying to do some damage control there. If someone tells the truth and whistleblows, the company comes down on that person like a tonne of bricks and refuses to have anything to do with them. But actually they are telling the truth.

They wouldnt be so defensive if there was actually no substance to Lodgsons repudiations.

To me the lockman foundation is just another merchandiser of the gospel..the amplified bible is like your pick a path bible make it what you want it to mean. Probably sells a lot of copies to scholars with puffed heads...

The bible was never intended to be a crossword puzzle.
I dont know about kjv onlyists...they seem to be caricatured only by people that dont like the kjv but ive never known anyone actually argue kjv is the only bible, because obviously its a translation. Its very dear to the people that read it but the ones that dismiss it are actually the ones missing out. I have found thaf in my walk to often be the case.

I think people wouldnt be struggling so much if they did open the KJV and let God speak to them. Its really sharp compared to other bibles that seem to cut like a blunt butter knife or cheese grater. A lot of other versions just have a roundabout way of saying what the KJV says simply and directly.

One time I was given a version called erv...easy to read version. Actually it was NOT easy to read at all and the print was so small I was wondering is this a joke bible? It was meant to be for children and had cartoon illustrations but I think the publishers got their marketing wrong.

Well anyway not many people quote from it so it must not be that easy to read! I suspect they (samaritans purse) were giving them away because nobody else wanted to read them.

 

[rut]

To me the lockman foundation is just another merchandiser of the gospel..the amplified bible is like your pick a path bible make it what you want it to mean. Probably sells a lot of copies to scholars with puffed heads...

The bible was never intended to be a crossword puzzle.
I dont know about kjv onlyists...they seem to be caricatured only by people that dont like the kjv but ive never known anyone actually argue kjv is the only bible, because obviously its a translation. Its very dear to the people that read it but the ones that dismiss it are actually the ones missing out. I have found thaf in my walk to often be the case.

I think people wouldnt be struggling so much if they did open the KJV and let God speak to them. Its really sharp compared to other bibles that seem to cut like a blunt butter knife or cheese grater. A lot of other versions just have a roundabout way of saying what the KJV says simply and directly.

One time I was given a version called erv...easy to read version. Actually it was NOT easy to read at all and the print was so small I was wondering is this a joke bible? It was meant to be for children and had cartoon illustrations but I think the publishers got their marketing wrong.

Well anyway not many people quote from it so it must not be that easy to read! I suspect they (samaritans purse) were giving them away because nobody else wanted to read them.

Here in Africa, people believe Bible is Bible no matter the translation.Most people in the Church don't even hold the Holy Bible in their hands when going to the Church.Most goes to Church with the so called the Book Of Mormon which they receive freely from Mormon people here.If you are fortunate to be give a copy of the Holy Bible despite the version or translation, won't you be thankful to God? We are looking for someone who will donate a free Bible to our small group for free.Thank you.
Ruth Michael.

 

[rut]

Personally I feel Bible is Bible irrespective of the translation.People here do not have money to buy Bible because of high cost.They go to church with the Book Of Mormon in their hands.That is the only Book you can receive free of charge.But that is not the Holy Bible.I don't have a Bible yet, but I share one KJV Bible with my friend.Please pray for God to open the door so our members can have the Bible for their personal study and church service.Thank you.

Ruth Michael.

 

[Brad Huber]

Here in Africa, people believe Bible is Bible no matter the translation.Most people in the Church don't even hold the Holy Bible in their hands when going to the Church.Most goes to Church with the so called the Book Of Mormon which they receive freely from Mormon people here.If you are fortunate to be give a copy of the Holy Bible despite the version or translation, won't you be thankful to God? We are looking for someone who will donate a free Bible to our small group for free.Thank you.
Ruth Michael.

What language is your bibles in?

 

[Dave M]

Personally I feel Bible is Bible irrespective of the translation.People here do not have money to buy Bible because of high cost.They go to church with the Book Of Mormon in their hands.That is the only Book you can receive free of charge.But that is not the Holy Bible.I don't have a Bible yet, but I share one KJV Bible with my friend.Please pray for God to open the door so our members can have the Bible for their personal study and church service.Thank you.

Ruth Michael.

whear in Africa are you?

 

[rut]

What language is your bibles in?

We have English Bible in almost all translations and also Holy Bibles translated into our local dialects like Igbo,Yoruba and Efik.The local or native language bibles is for the uneducated ones who cannot read and understand the English bibles, but they can read and understand the local language bible. Very few people in our fellowship can read the English Bible, as most do not speak or read English so they read only the local language bible.
Both English and local language bibles are sold here locally. I will let you know when I find out from the post office manager as i have never collected a packet before from overseas as I was told that I will pay customs duty even on religious items or gift items from overseas.

thank you for caring for the brethren.
Love in Christ,

Ruth Michael

 

[amadeus2]

True enough, but even so... KJV Bibles are the same price as the other Bible at the book store.

Without a doubt, but my point remains.

 

[amadeus2]

Where I live in Oklahoma there are many second hand stores which sell used clothing and books. A couple of them will not sell Bibles, but rather have them marked free for the taking. In our part of the country anyway it makes obtaining a Bible quite easy. Many assemblies including my own have extra Bibles on hand for visitors to use and for anyone to take one who really wants one. The sad thing is that so few people need or want them while many as our @rut our sister from Nigeria would love to have a Bible of their own.