$50 Million for Bible Translations

I love that even though we are in difficult times, God will still find men and women to fund his work:

An anonymous donor gave a huge sum of $50 million to Wycliffe Bible Translators this week making it possible to translate Scripture for the last people groups still without the Bible in their native tongue more quickly. Read the full article

There are currently abou 2,400 languages that still fo not have the Bible in their own language. To find out more and how you can help, visit www.wycliffe.org.

New Revised Standard Version | NRSV

The New Revised Standard Version was produced in 1989 by the National Council of Churches with the aim of updating the Revised Standard Version. Main revisions include modernizing archaic language, making use of gender-neutral pronouns, correcting inaccuracies, and making the text more fluid for readability.

According to its website, the NRSV follows in the unique tradition of the RSV which “was the only major translation in English that included both the standard Protestant canon and the books that are traditionally used by Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians (the so-called “Apocryphal” or “Deuterocanonical” books).”

Lack of consistency between Old and New Testament translations has sparked mixed reactions to this version, but it continues to be popular among liberal Bible scholars and churches.

What does it sound like?

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

*

Amplified Bible | AB

The aim of the Amplified Bible is to bring the greatest meaning and understanding of the original Hebrew and Greek words to an English-speaking audience. To accomplish this, the translators of this version often include synonyms, multiple meanings or explanations of a word to give the reader a better idea of the meaning intended by the original author.

This word-for-word (literal) translation provides much insight for students of the Bible and can be used well in tandem with the New American Standard version. Because of its explanatory and “amplified” nature, it is less conducive to reading and better for the study of individual words and passages.

First published in complete form in 1965, the Amplified Bible is the work of Mrs. Frances Sewart and the Lockman Foundation and is published by Zondervan.

What does it sound like?

John 3:16-17 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

*

English Standard Version | ESV

First released in 2001, the English Standard Version (ESV) is a unique bible translation in that it is a word-for-word translation yet maintains the stylistic and readable qualities that literal translations often miss.

While the translation philosophy is similar to that of the King James Version (KJV), the ESV has the advantage of access to far more manuscripts than were available to the translators of the KJV. Along with that, the ESV reflects modern English as opposed to the KJV’s old English.

According to the ESV website, this version seeks to translate the original Greek and Hebrew words with the greatest possible accuracy and precision. It balances this aim with a desire to carry forward the great historic stream of Bible versions in English—with literary excellence, beauty, and depth of meaning, in a fresh and compelling way.

Lead by Dr. J. I. Packer, the ESV translation team involved over 100 members and is published by Crossway.

What does it sound like?

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

*

King James Version | KJV

The King James Bible was commissioned by King James I in 1604 and given to the public in 1611. It was a revision and advance of the English versions that had gone before it, pursuing not only accuracy of translation but also beauty and style of language.

Many students of the Bible and churches remain committed to this much-loved traditional version of the Bible. Some modern readers, however, find the antiquated syntax and vocabulary a deterrent from their understanding of the text. It should also be noted that since the production of the KJV manuscripts have been discovered that have been deemed more accurate than the texts used in producing this version. These more recently found manuscripts form the basis for the translation of modern English versions of the Bible.

What does it sound like?

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

*

New International Readers Version | NIrV

The New International Reader’s Version is based on the New International Version (NIV) but with sentences and words made even shorter and simpler for ease of understanding. The NIrV also has abundant chapter and section headings as well as indications when a passage is quoted elsewhere in the Bible. It is a thought-for-thought (dynamic equivalence) translation.

According to the NIrV website, “God has always spoken so people would know what he meant. When God first gave the Bible to his people, he used their languages. They could understand what they read. God wants us to understand the Bible today, too. So we have worked hard to make the New International Reader’s Version easy to read and understand.” It is especially appreciated by younger readers or non-native English speakers.

The NIrV is produced by the International Bible Society.

What does it sound like?

John 3:16-17 God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him.

*

New American Standard Bible | NASB

The goal of the Lockman Foundation in producing this word-for-word (literal) translation has been to preserve the vocabulary and verb tenses of the Hebrew and Greek texts as precisely as possible while updating the language of the early 20th century American Standard Version. According to their website the NASB is the “most literally accurate English translation from the original languages.”

While the NASB is stylistically spartan and sometimes criticized for being less readable than modern dynamic equivalence translations, many serious students of the Bible appreciate its commitment to accurately representing the individual words and meanings present in the original manuscripts.

The NASB was first produced in 1971 updated again in 1995 to reflect the evolution of the English language.

What does it sound like?

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

*

The Message | MSG

The Message was written by Eugene Petersen to address the needs of Christians who struggled to understand and connect with the language of the Bible. His New Testament rendition was published in 1993 and in 2002, NavPress published his complete version of The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Petersen’s aim was to bring the text alive to the modern reader.

Readers enjoy the Message for its vivid imagery and language and strong devotional quality. The Message, however, has often been criticized as lacking textual accuracy. It follows the original Hebrew and Greek very loosely and in places omits and/or overemphasizes portions of the text, exposing the author’s theological perspective. But it is important to remember that Petersen’s aim was not to create a scholarly work but to stir up readers of the Bible and capture their attention.

Because the Message is a paraphrase of the Bible rather than a translation it would not be suitable for in-depth theological and word studies.

What does it sound like?

John 3:16-17 This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

*

New Living Translation | NLT

The New Living Translation, published by Tyndale Charitable Trust in 1996, is a revision and reworking of the Living Bible. The translators’ goal in producing the NLT, a thought-for-thought (dynamic equivalence) translation, is that this Bible would have the same impact on the modern reader that the ancient texts had on their original readers.

Like many modern translations, the version seeks to be gender-neutral by avoiding or reworking male-oriented language present in the original texts. Depending on the reader this is a pro or a con. The NLT also employs strong emotional language as it strives to evoke a strong “heart response” in its readers and provide fresh insights on Scripture.

Readers have been pleased with the advances this translation has made in correcting many of the inaccuracies of the Living Bible, while maintaining smooth readability.

What does it sound like?

John 3:16-17 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

History of Bible Translations

Most English speaking Christians today read and study the Bible without giving much thought to how the English Bible came to be or the dramatic and life threatening work of Bible translators. Contrary to popular thought, the King James Version was not the first translation of the Bible.

The First Bible Translations

Bible translation began in the third century BC. Jews living in Alexandria (a region of Egypt conquered by Alexander the Great) increasingly spoke Greek instead of Hebrew. In order to maintain the word of God and have a text that would be accessible to the people, rabbis undertook the task of translating the Old Testament manuscripts from their original Hebrew into Greek. This Greek translation of the Old Testament became known as the Septuagint, also abbreviated LXX because its seventy contributors.

Translation Fueled by the Gospel

During the time period from the 2nd to the 4th century AD translation work continued from Hebrew to Greek and Greek to Latin but many of the texts were corrupt. The Christian faith was spreading rapidly throughout Europe and so, in 382, the pope commissioned Jerome to produce one official Latin translation. This version was known as the Latin Vulgate and it was the predominant translation until the Reformation. Jerome recognized the importance of his task since people who could not read the Bible could not know Christ and his promise of salvation.

Around this same time, a man named Ufilas felt the call of God to communicate the Scriptures to the Gothic people living in Europe. Since these people had only an oral language, he first created an alphabet and a written version of the language. From this point he translated large sections of the Bible into their language.

The Disappearance of Latin

Though Jerome’s goal in translating the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament into Latin was to make the word of God more accessible to the people, by the medieval period (8th-14th century AD), the Roman empire was a distant memory and no one spoke or read Latin anymore. No one, that is, except the priests and scholars. The Roman Catholic Church thus had the corner on the word of God and his message of salvation. All Biblical knowledge communicated to the Christian masses was filtered through the priesthood. If believers were to understand the word of God for themselves there was a need for an English translation.

The Reformation and Martyrdom

A dominant theme of the Reformation was the belief that it was the Holy Spirit that ministered the truth of God in the soul of the believer. In order for this to take place, the believer had to have a Bible that he could read and understand. The Roman Catholic Church saw this endeavor as a direct act of insubordination and Bible translation became a heretical offense punishable by death. The Bible first expanded out of its Latin tradition in the late 14th century when John Wycliffe and his translators produced the first English Bible. Jan Hus, a supporter of Wycliffe and Reformer in Prague, maintained a version of the Bible in Czech. He was later burned at the stake.

In the 16th century, Erasmus continued the work of Bible translation in the Greek but expressed his desire that the Bible would be readable to all. In 1526, William Tyndale, a contemporary of Martin Luther, translated the Bible directly from Hebrew and Greek to English. Though nearly all his Bibles were seized and burned by the Bishop of London, Tyndale set the stage for further English translation. He too was burned at the stake. One year later Luther completed the “September Bible,” his translation into German.

The King James Version

The King James Version of the Bible, commissioned in 1604 by King James I, rendered the Bible in understandable, yet highly aesthetic language. Not only was it a revolutionary Bible translation, it had the side effect of transforming the English language as a whole. This text reigned supreme throughout the Christian world until the 1950s.

To the Ends of the Earth

From the first translations by the Alexandrian Jews in the 3rd Century BC to the nearly 2,000 translations that exist today (partial and entire texts), the motivation and purpose behind Bible translation has been missional—to clearly and effectively communicate and spread God’s word and his message of salvation. Countless saints risked and lost their lives to put the Scriptures in the hands of the people. They believed that by the power of God’s holy word alone, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, an individual could come to trust in Christ for salvation and thereby gain eternal life.

Next Page »