Choosing the best Bible!

Before you purchase your "best" Bible, you should ask yourself the following five questions.

How is your eyesight?
A few years ago I would have probably left this important consideration off my list. If you can't easily see it, you will NOT read it. If you don't read it, it is not the best Bible for you.

What is your main use for this Bible?
For examples, a pew Bible should be hardback, fairly cheap, very readable and a translation the leaders use to guide the congregation; OR, a study Bible should be firmly packaged, either hard or leather backed, and full of note and cross references; ON THE OTHER HAND, a "carrying" Bible might need some notes but mostly needs to be sturdily packaged for travel and presentation and be very readable. This list could go on, but use is of major importance to find the "best!"

What is your reading level?
Bible come in many translations and notes that vary in readability. Most people carry/use a Bible that is over their comfortable reading level. There is nothing wrong with a little stretch beyond comfort, but remember the best Bible is always one that you will read.

What is the best translation for you?
Many Christians answer with an immediate KJV (King James Version) but the truth is that every translation has its own unique problems and strengths.
When translating from one language to another many troubles can crop up. This is chiefly true when the two languages are very diverse from each other. One language may have a nuance of the past with multiple verbal forms to denote these differences. Translating these nuances iis very difficult.

There are basically three types of translations: formal equivalence, functional equivalence, and paraphrase.

Of the three paraphrasing is easier for the average reader because she may have practice from school in paraphrasing. A paraphrase restates the content in terms easier for the reader to grasp. This is a thought-for-thought rendition method that emphasizes understanding over word-for-word translation.

Formal equivalence is an attempt at an exact word-for-word translation. Formal translation attempts to translate not only the exact renditions of vocabulary but also the grammatical structure and idioms.

Functional equivalence (also called "dynamic equivalence") falls between formal equivalence and paraphrase. It places a greater weight on readability over strict word-for-word translation, but it does not render thoughts in completely different language.

The translation you choose should be determined by what you intend to do with it.

How do you want it packaged?
Then there's the physical framework of the Bible. The size, cover, and layout of the Bible are all key. If you aim to tote your Bible with you everywhere you go, you'll want a thinline Bible. For those with vision problems, large print is important. Children's and teen Bibles need to be sturdy. Bibles come in everything from paperback to leather bindings. In general The less durable the Bible the less it costs. You'll also want a sewn binding rather than a glued binding if you want a really durable Bible.

Paperback Least durable.

Kivar Slightly more durable than paperback. Paperback cover with plastic coating.

Hardcover Will last up to three years with the typical child or teen.

Simulated Leather Also known as imitation leather, leatherflex, leatherlike, or leather look, slightly more durable than hardcover.

Bonded Leather:  Made from real leather pieces that are bonded together with latex. The finished product looks as if it were cut from a single piece of leather. Not as durable as genuine leather.

Leather Various types and grades of leather are available. The type of leather used will determine the cost. Leather Bibles are the most durable of all bindings.

A Brief Description of Each of the major Bible Translations.

(note: these are only  samples.  You will hear of others but this covers the most popular. If you click on the link names it will give you further information as to price, availability, etc. from Amazon.   I hope this helps!

I have included
BEST TRANSLATION NAMES,
CHARACTERISTICS,
APROXIMATE READING LEVELS,
BRIEF DESCRIPTION and
JOHN 3:16 quoted in the translation.

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Amplified Bible
paraphrase - Reading Level  5.4 grade

A cross between formal equivalent and paraphrase - expanded words are bracketed.

This bible is targeted towards those looking for more detail to the meaning of Scripture. A reading level of 11th grade is generally considered desirable to fully appreciate this bible.

Reading level 11th grade (but understandable at lower levels) for maximum usage.

John 3:16  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.

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Contemporary English Version
- Also -Today's English Version - paraphrase - Reading Level 5.4 grade

The CEV/TEV is a good reading Bible, but is less valuable as a study Bible.

John 3:16  God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. John 3:16 CEV

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English Standard Version
formal equivalent Reading level 8.0 grade

The English Standard Version was, first and foremost, a revision of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version, and even so only about 5%-10% of the RSV text was changed in the ESV. Many corrections were made to satisfy objections to some of the RSV's interpretations that conservative Protestants had considered as theologically liberal, for example, reverting from "young woman" back to "virgin" in Isaiah 7:14. The language was modernized to remove "thou" and "thee" and replace obsolete words (e.g., "jug" for "cruse").

John 3:16 ESV - (16)  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

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Good News Translation
GNT - paraphrase reading level  6.0 grade

"A translation intended for people everywhere for whom English is either their mother tongue or an acquired language." Published in 1976, this translation is The Good Book that reads like a good book.

John 3:16 GNB  -  (16)  For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.

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Holman Christian Standard Bible
functional equivalent 7th - 8th grade

The Goals of this Translation:  to provide English-speaking people across the world with an accurate, readable Bible in contemporary English; to equip serious Bible students with an accurate translation for personal study, private devotions, and memorization; to give those who love God's word a text that is easy to read, visually attractive on the page, and appealing when heard; to affirm the authority of the Scriptures as God's inerrant word and to champion its absolutes against social or cultural agendas that would compromise its accuracy

16 "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only  Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

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International Children's Bible
functional equivalent 3rd grade

Published by Nelson Bible Publishers, The International Children's Version of the Bible is a translation written just for kids, aged nine to twelve.

John 3:16, "God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life."
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King James Version KJV
  -  formal equivalent reading level  12.0 grade

The Authorized King James Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible by the Church of England begun in 1604 and first published in 1611.

John 3:16 KJV (16)  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.

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New King James Version NKJV
formal equivalent reading level  8.5 grade

The New King James Version (NKJV) is a modern Protestant translation of the Bible published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Anglicized edition was originally known as the Revised Authorized Version, but the NKJV title is now used universally.

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

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New American Bible
formal equivalent reading level  6.60 grade

In 1970, the New American Bible (NAB) was first published. It is an English Bible translation that was produced by members of the Roman Catholic biblical scholars in cooperation with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The original languages were translated into English by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine according to the principles of Vatican II for use in the liturgy.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

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New Jerusalem Bible NJB
  -  functional equivalent reading level  7.4 grade

It is an update to the Jerusalem Bible, an English version of the French Bible de Jerusalem. However, the Jerusalem Bible was not a translation from the French; rather, it is an original translation heavily influenced by the French.

John 3:16 NJB (16)  For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

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New American Standard Bible
NASB - formal equivalent reading level  11.0 grade

The New American Standard Bible is widely regarded as one of the most literally translated of 20th-century English Bible translations. According to the NASB's preface, the translators had a "Fourfold Aim" in this work:

16"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.

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New Century Version
- formal equivalent reading level  3rd grade

The New Century Version of the Bible is a revision of the International Children's Bible. The ICB is aimed at young readers and those with low reading skills/limited vocabulary in English. It is written at a 3rd grade level (from the introduction) and is both conservative and evangelical in tone

John 3:16, "God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life."
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New International Reader's Version
functional equivalent reading level  3.5 grade

New International Reader's Version (NIrV) is an English language translation of the Christian Bible. Translated by the International Bible Society on the same philosophy as the New International Version, but written in a simpler form of English, the NIRV seeks to make the Bible more accessible for people who have difficulty reading English. Additionally, this translation uses more gender-inclusive language than the New International Version.

John 3:16 NIRV (16)  "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.

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New International Version NIV
functional equivalent reading level  7.8 grade

New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Christian Bible which is the most popular of the modern translations of the Bible made in the twentieth century.

John 3:16 NIV (16)  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

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Today's New International Version
functional equivalent - reading level 7.8 grade

The TNIV is a revision but not a replacement of the NIV. There are a number of revisions to the NIV in the TNIV, most involving the use of inclusive language

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

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New Living Translation NLT
functional equivalent reading level  6.3 grade level

New Living Translation is a translation of the Bible into an easily readable form of modern English. It started out as an effort to revise The Living Bible, but the project evolved into a new English translation from available texts in the original languages.

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.

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Revised Standard Version
functional equivalent

The stated aim of the RSV's translators was "to adapt King James' version to the present state of the English language without changing the idiom and vocabulary," and "to adapt it to the present standard of Biblical scholarship."

John 3:16 (16)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

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New Revised Standard Version NRSV
functional equivalentReading level   10.4grade

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)  is a thorough revision of the Revised Standard Version; (RSV).



16 '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.

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The Message Bible
- paraphrase reading level  4.8 grade

The Message was written in order to recreate the spirit of the original language of scripture which was written in the street language of the day. Peterson notes that in the course of the project, he realized that this was exactly what he had been doing in his thirty-five years as a pastor, "always looking for an English way to make the biblical text relevant to the conditions of the people."

John 3:16 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.

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