A member wrote to me,
I have just started reading How To Read the Bible For All Its Worth. The book says that one of the best tools for studying the Bible is having several good translations. So I was wondering if you could provide me with a list of other good translations of the Bible besides the ESV.
Before recommending other Bible translations, let me share a bit of why you might want to use others as well as some important differences among them.
There are basically two ways of translating texts from one language into another. The first method, called "formal equivalence," attempts to represent the original text by rendering it word-for-word. While a noble goal, it sometimes leads to clunkiness or confusion, especially when relating cultural idioms. For instance, Exodus 32:10 literally says the Lord's “nose burned” against Israel. Surely, that meant something to ancient Hebrew people. But it may not not obvious to most modern Americans. Hint: it means God became angry.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have a method called "dynamic equivalence." This is where translators focus on communicating in the clearest way possible (what they think is) the author's meaning, even if that means a bit of paraphrasing or re-ordering some phrases. So, rather than saying, "the Lord's nose grew hot," they would just say, "the Lord became angry." Often, these paraphrases are helpful. But they can also obscure the instances where multiple interpretations are possible. The more dynamic the translation, the less the freedom the reader has to interpret the text.
To be clear, all translations of the Bible make use of both methods. We're really talking about which method one leans towards.
My opinion is that the current gold standard for formal equivalence is the ESV. Others include the KJV/NKJV and Holman. An even more strict expression of formal equivalence is the NASB. Not an "easy reader" but it can yield some insights. On the other side, dynamic equivalence translations include the NIV, NLT, and, notoriously, the Message Bible. I don't recommend that last one except as fire kindling.
Some translations try hard to be in the middle. For instance, the CSB. I'm not too familiar with it, but have appreciated it now and then. I think the Berean is also in that camp. I’ve benefited from it, too.
In general, I'd recommend having your main study Bible based on formal equivalence. Then use a dynamic equivalence translation for comparison, or when you want help understanding a text. Or just to freshen things up.
If I could only have three Bibles, I'd say:
1.) ESV
2.) NLT / NIV
3.) NASB
Thankfully, I'm not so limited. When I want to compare translations, I often plug a verse into the free Bible Hub website and scroll through the list it generates.
The Lord bless your studies.
