So, which one is it, then? Part 1
I am lucky enough to understand, read and write English at a fairly advanced level. This is a boon when going about the job of selecting a Bible for study purposes. The variety of translations available in English is simply mind-boggling, which is something of a nuisance, really, if your mother tongue isn't English. Because, after all, which one should I choose?
Are they all good? Are they reliable? Are they user-friendly? Does the translation run smoothly, faithfully delivering the message that we hold to be divine, inerrant and inspired? There are myriads of questions, and most cannot be answered within such a small text as a blog entry. But if you're interested in learning a few facts about what translations, what (study) Bibles, might be of use and edification in your personal devotions and study sessions, then I urge you to read on.
The easy read:
New Century Version. This is, perhaps, as much a paraphrase as a translation, meaning that instead of 'merely' rendering word for word the content of the original Hebrew, Aramaic (OT languages) and Greek (New Testament), the translators have sought to convey the ideas - the longer streches of connected thought - that the authors intended their audience to absorb.
The result is a Bible with a few study notes that uses language sanitized of overly Christianese expressions. Instead of the more theologically correct justification, this - and similar translations employs terms that reflect current, reader-friendly usage, such as made right with God. I praise the ambition, because I belong to the camp of those who unflinchingly claim that understandability is paramount. Nothing is more important than making the Word available to the unchurched; the ones who have never had the chance of familiarizing themselves with the traditional renderings; the ones whose daily textual diet has been made up of tabloid newpapers and newsstand paperbacks.
Do consider purchasing it, but stay away if elegance and traditional Bible language are your chief concerns when contemplating which version to use in your Bible studies. New Century Version opts for a limited English vocabulary, but still succeeds in relaying God's Word with - in my judgment - a fair degree of clarity and faithfulness.
Conclusion: New Century Version is a good choice if your English language skills vary between a basic and a intermediary level of competence. In other words, if your vocabulary is slightly above that of an average Norwegian high school student, New Century Version is not a bad choice.
Textual samples:
"I am proud of the Good News, beacuse it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes - to save the Jews first, and also to save those who are not Jews"
Romans, chapter 1, verse 18.
"Sin came into the world because of what one man did, and with sin came death. This is why everyone must die - because everyone sinned"
Romans, chapter 5, verse 12
"Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God want for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect."
Romans, chapter 12, verse 3
Are they all good? Are they reliable? Are they user-friendly? Does the translation run smoothly, faithfully delivering the message that we hold to be divine, inerrant and inspired? There are myriads of questions, and most cannot be answered within such a small text as a blog entry. But if you're interested in learning a few facts about what translations, what (study) Bibles, might be of use and edification in your personal devotions and study sessions, then I urge you to read on.
The easy read:
The result is a Bible with a few study notes that uses language sanitized of overly Christianese expressions. Instead of the more theologically correct justification, this - and similar translations employs terms that reflect current, reader-friendly usage, such as made right with God. I praise the ambition, because I belong to the camp of those who unflinchingly claim that understandability is paramount. Nothing is more important than making the Word available to the unchurched; the ones who have never had the chance of familiarizing themselves with the traditional renderings; the ones whose daily textual diet has been made up of tabloid newpapers and newsstand paperbacks.
Do consider purchasing it, but stay away if elegance and traditional Bible language are your chief concerns when contemplating which version to use in your Bible studies. New Century Version opts for a limited English vocabulary, but still succeeds in relaying God's Word with - in my judgment - a fair degree of clarity and faithfulness.
Conclusion: New Century Version is a good choice if your English language skills vary between a basic and a intermediary level of competence. In other words, if your vocabulary is slightly above that of an average Norwegian high school student, New Century Version is not a bad choice.
Textual samples:
"I am proud of the Good News, beacuse it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes - to save the Jews first, and also to save those who are not Jews"
Romans, chapter 1, verse 18.
"Sin came into the world because of what one man did, and with sin came death. This is why everyone must die - because everyone sinned"
Romans, chapter 5, verse 12
"Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God want for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect."
Romans, chapter 12, verse 3
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