Guide to Bible Translations
Choosing a Bible can seem a daunting task with so many different translations and unique qualities for each one - but we are here to help you find the right one for you!
NEW: The Bible for Everyone
Just as no one person should be excluded from faith, so should the Bible also be wide enough to reach every kind of individual there is. The Bible for Everyone is a translation with that very mission.
Reliably translated by Tom Wright and John Goldingay, it reads smoothly and is presented in smaller sections that fit into even the busiest of lives. But it goes beyond mere simplicity and ease. The Bible For Everyone isn’t about making a Bible that can be read with little difficulty, it is about translating the Bible for today. `Translating [the bible],’ Tom Wright recognises, ‘is something that each generation ought to be doing. Just as Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread, we can never simply live on yesterday's bread, on the interpretations and translations of previous generations.'
Each book has been revised and supplemented since their first appearance in the study series. Also included are introductions, maps and glossaries of key-words. Whether read cover-to-cover like a novel, closely examined in study, daily digested as a devotional or turned to in quick reference, The Bible For Everyone relates to life in all its stages and turns.
AMP - Amplified Bible
Translation description: Word-for-word plus additional amplification of word meanings
Target Audience: Those looking for more detailed shades of meaning in Scripture
2 Corinthians 10:13 “We, on the other hand, will not boast beyond our legitimate province and proper limit, but will keep within the limits [of our commission which] God has allotted us as our measuring line and which reaches and includes even you.”
Description: A popular translation used to understand the hidden meaning of Greek and Hebrew words. Published in 1964 (updated in 1987). Break through the language barrier.
CSB - Christian Standard Bible
Translation description: Seeks to achieve a balance between the original language with the readability of modern English. The CSB was created using Optimal Equivalence, a translation philosophy that balances linguistic precision to the original languages and readability in contemporary English.
Target Audience: Bible readers of all ages
2 Corinthians 10:13 "We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you."
Description: Developed by 100 scholars from 17 denominations, the Christian Standard Bible faithfully and accurately captures the Bible’s original meaning without compromising readability.
(Descriptions taken from: csbible.com)
ESV - English Standard Version
Translation description: Word-for-word
Target Audience: Bible readers of all ages
2 Corinthians 10:13 “But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.”
Description: A literal update of the Revised Standard Version, seeks to produce word-for-word correspondence. Published in 2001.
ICB - International Children's Bible
Translation description: Thought-for-thought
Target Audience: Children
2 Corinthians 10:13 “But we will not brag about things outside the work that was given us to do. We will limit our bragging to the work that God gave us. And this work includes our work with you.”
Description: The International Children’s Bible® was the first Bible produced for children in 1982 and even today it is still one of the most easily read and understood versions of the Bible.
KJV - King James Version
Translation description: Word-for-word
Target Audience: Conservative Protestant
2 Corinthians 10:13 “But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.”
Description: Traditionally loved and accepted by all Christians. Purpose in translation was “to deliver God’s book unto God’s people in a tongue which they can understand.” Published in 1611. Timeless Treasure.
The Message - (A Paraphrase)
Translation description: Thought-for-thought. Converts the original languages into the tone and rhythms of modern-day American speech while retaining the idioms and meaning of the original languages
Target Audience: Christians who want a fresh Bible-reading experience and seekers
2 Corinthians 10:13 “We aren’t making outrageous claims here. We’re sticking to the limits of what God has set for us. But there can be no question that those limits reach to and include you.”
Description: This paraphrase was translated using the rhythms and tone of contemporary English to communicate to the modern reader. Complete Bible published in 2002.
NASB - New American Standard Bible
Translation description: Word-for-word
Target Audience: Conservative, evangelical Protestant
2 Corinthians 10:13 “But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.”
Description: A highly respected, formal translation of the Bible. Purpose of the work was to update the American Standard Version into more current English. Published in 1971. Updated in 1995. The most literal is now more readable.
NCV - New Century Version
Translation description: Balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought
Target Audience: Those who want a highly readable translation of the Bible in today’s language
2 Corinthians 10:13 “But we will not brag about things outside the work that was given us to do. We will limit our bragging to the work that God gave us, and this includes our work with you.”
Description: Based on the ICB (International Children’s Bible), it’s a readable and simple translation using the thought-for-thought translation methodology. Published in 1991.
NIV - New International Version
Translation description: Balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought
Target Audience: Evangelical Christians of all ages
2 Corinthians 10:13 “We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you.”
Description: The bestselling translation, widely accepted by evangelical Christians. Purpose in translation was to “produce an accurate translation, suitable for public and private reading, teaching, preaching, memorizing, and liturgical use.” Published in 1978. Most read. Most trusted.
NIrV - New International Reader's Version
Translation description: Balance between word-for-word translation and thought-for-thought, with an emphasis on meaning when necessary for simplification
Target Audience: Children ages 10 and under or those learning English as a second language.
2 Corinthians 10:13 “But I won’t brag more than I should. Instead, I will brag only about what I have done in the area God has given me. It is an area that reaches all the way to you.”
Description: A thorough, scholarly simplification of the NIV, the NIrV was specifically designed to help young children and new readers understand the Bible for themselves and create an easy stepping-stone from a children’s Bible to an adult Bible. Published in 1994. Updated in 1998. The NIV for kids!
NKJV - New King James Version
Translation description: Authors used the original KJV as a benchmark, while working to produce an accurate and modern word-for-word translation
Target Audience: Those who want a readable translation of the Bible that is great for study but maintains the poetry of the KJV
2 Corinthians 10:13 “We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you.”
Description: A modern language update of the original KJV. Purpose was to update and modernize the original KJV but preserve the KJV as much as possible. Published in 1982.
NLT - New Living Translation
Translation description: Balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought
Target Audience: Adults and children
2 Corinthians 10:13 “But we will not boast of authority we do not have. Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us, and this plan includes our working there with you.”
Description: Based on the work of 90 Bible scholars and a smaller team of English stylists. These scholars and stylists went back to the original languages and sought to produce the closest natural equivalent of the message in natural, contemporary English. Published in 1996.
NRSV - New Revised Standard Version
Translation description: Balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought
Target Audience: Mainline and inter-confessional
2 Corinthians 10:13 “We, however, will not boast beyond limits, but will keep within the field that God has assigned to us, to reach out even as far as you.”
Description: A widely accepted translation in the tradition of the King James Version. Purpose was to make a good one better.” Published in 1990. A Bible for all Christians.
TNIV -Today's New International Version
Translation description: Balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought
Target Audience: Today’s generation of Bible readers looking for readability without sacrificing accuracy
2 Corinthians 10:13 “We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.”
Description: Remaining faithful to the original texts while using up-to-date language of today’s world, the TNIV is a highly readable and highly accurate translation. Complete Bible published in 2005. Timeless truth. Today’s language.
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