The Bible Gateway
Translation Information


New International Version (NIV)
The New International Version is a translation of the Bible made by over a hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. The goals of the translators were to produce an accurate translation that would have clarity and literary quality. The NIV had its beginning in 1965. The NIV New Testament was published in 1973, and the Old Testament was finished in 1978. Be aware that the NIV has evolved from its first publication, via a standing committee on translation. In particular, gender neutral language has increased with each re-printing of the NIV ever since Zondervan was bought by Harper-Collins, so that one needs to record the publication date to specify the particular flavor of the NIV used. A "simplified" NIV recommended for children is the NIrV which is almost completely neutered. (RbS)

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
While preserving the literal accuracy of the 1901 ASV, the NASB has sought to render grammar and terminology in contemporary English. Special attention has been given to the rendering of verb tenses to give the English reader a rendering as close as possible to the sense of the original Greek and Hebrew texts.

Revised Standard Version (RSV)
The Revised Standard Version (New Testament, 1946; Old Testament, 1952) is one of the most widely read translations of the Scriptures. Formally, the RSV is a revision of the AV(Authorized Version of 1611, otherwise known as the King James Version) and the ASV (American Standard Version of 1901), utilizing the best texts available at the time. The rights to the RSV were recently purchased by Crossway, and an updated republication should be available by early 2002. (Highly recommended, perhaps because it was my first bible. RbS).

King James Version (KJV)
In 1604, King James I of England authorized that a new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was finished in 1611, just 85 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526). The Authorized Version, or King James Version, quickly became the standard for English-speaking Protestants. Its flowing language and prose rhythm has had a profound influence on the literature of the past 300 years. Despite its near canonical status, be aware that the KJV was based on the Textus Receptus, a very early Renaissance compilation of Greek and Hebrew sources. Newer versions of the Bible have benefitted from 500 years of scholarship in ancient languages, making the KJV a better version for style than study. Nor should you confuse the KJV with the New King James Version, or the 21st Century King James Version which try to keep the Elizabethan grammar while updating the vocabulary. The result is a language that has never been spoken. Again, use the NKJV/KJ21 primarily for style rather than substance. (RbS)

American Standard Version (ASV)
First published in 1901, this has long been regarded as the most literal translation of the Bible. This makes the ASV very popular for careful English Bible study, but not for ease of reading. While the KJV was translated entirely from "western manuscripts," the ASV was influenced also by the older "eastern manuscripts" that form the basis for most of our modern English translations. Now you know the version we used in Hebrew class! (RbS)

Darby Translation
First published in 1890 by John Nelson Darby, an Anglo-Irish bible teacher associated with the early years of the Plymouth Brethren. Darby also published translations of the Bible in French and German.

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
The Bible text designated YLT is from the 1898 Young's Literal Translation by Robert Young who also compiled Young's Analytical Concordance. This is an extremely literal translation that attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek and Hebrew writings. The text was scanned from a reprint of the 1898 edition as published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids Michigan. The book is still in print and may be ordered from Baker Book House. Obvious errors in spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the computer edition of the text.

Paraphrases
Several attempts have been made to be less literal and more contemporary including "The Living Bible" or "The Paraphrased Bible" or "The Contemporary Version", or even a rather humorous one "The Cotton-Patch Version". All of these efforts are better called paraphrases because they do not attempt to do a word-by-word translation, but a thought-by-thought translation. Whereas they work very effectively for their target audience, they tend to be dated and become obsolete rather quickly, and of course, are not suitable for serious study. (RbS)

Hybrids
There have been several attempts to bridge the gap between the unacceptable paraphrase and the wooden translation. These efforts prefer to use the phrase "dynamical translation". I don't know what to make of these efforts, my tendency is to lump them with paraphrases. For example, the "Today's English Version" uses a subset of the English language to provide a translation for people who speak English as a second language. Whereas I applaud the effort to reach a very large people group perhaps unserved by existing translations, it is not appropriate to use such a translation for serious study. (RbS)

Duoay-Rheims Version (DRV)


THE
HOLY BIBLE
TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN VULGATE
DILIGENTLY COMPARED WITH THE HEBREW, GREEK, AND OTHER EDITIONS IN DIVERS LANGUAGES
THE OLD TESTAMENT
FIRST PUBLISHED BY THE ENGLISH COLLEGE AT DOUAY, A.D. 1609
AND
THE NEW TESTAMENT
FIRST PUBLISHED BY THE ENGLISH COLLEGE AT RHEIMS, A.D. 1582
WITH ANNOTATIONS, REFERENCES, AND AN HISTORICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX
THE WHOLE REVISED AND DILIGENTLY COMPARED WITH THE LATIN VULGATE BY BISHOP
RICHARD CHALLONER, A.D. 1749-1752
PUBLISHED WITH THE APPROBATION OF
HIS EMINENCE JAMES CARDINAL GIBBONS
ARCHBISHOP OF BALTIMORE

PREFACE

At the earnest solicitation of large numbers of the religious bodies and laity, we herewith beg leave to introduce to the public a most convenient edition of the Sacred Scriptures, approved by his Eminence, the Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimo re, whose recommendation we herewith append.

The Sacred Scriptures form a part of divine revelation; the other part being contained in the depository of the Church, and designated as the unwritten word of God.

This distinction is most happily found couched in the language of St. Paul (2 Thess. 2. 14), " Wherefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word or by our Epistle." The Apostle of the Gentiles thu s gives precedence to the unwritten word of God presented to man by the Church, whilst she, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, assumes the office of sole interpreter of the written word, thereby rendering her the sole guardian of the deposit of divin e revelation in its twofold form.

On the written revelation, it is highly appropriate that we should here address a few remarks to our readers.

As the book about to be once more presented to the public in a new form claims for itself an origin exclusively divine, we deem it not out of place to furnish, in outline at least, the grounds of that claim.

The work is divided unequally into two parts, viz., the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is a record of God's relations with man antecedently to the advent of the incarnate Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. The New Testament contains a compend ium of the lives of our Saviour and his Apostles, as recorded by the Evangelists and other Apostles.

As to the first part, or Old Testament, the version always recognized by the Church contains many more books than that used by other than Catholics. The reason of this discrepancy is that the Church's version, the Septuagint, the Greek translation fro m the original Hebrew, and which contained all the writings now found in the Douay version, as it is called, was the version used by the Saviour and his Apostles and by the Church from her infancy, and translated into Latin, known under the title of Latin Vulgate, and ever recognized as the true version of the written word of God.

Hence the Old Testament, containing as it does all embraced in the Septuagint, is not only genuine and authentic, but having the approbation of our Saviour and Apostles, who quoted it exclusively whilst on earth, has superadded to it the supreme charac ter of divine inspiration, which it possesses to the exclusion of all other versions. It stands, therefore, before the world as the sole claimant for integrity, genuineness, authenticity, and inspiration; in a word, as the possessor of every attribute ne cessary to constitute what no other work can lay claim to, viz., a divinely inspired volume.

Of the genuineness and authenticity of the more recent part of this sacred book, viz., the New Testament, there exists no doubt; but as to its inspiration, the gravest doubts may exist unless an infallible witness thereof can be produced. Whatever gro unds may exist vouching for the inspiration of the Apostles as writers, no security whatsoever can be forthcoming for the inspiration of the quotas furnished by Sts. Mark and Luke; the former the writer of a Gospel; the latter also the writer of a Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles; these quotas, forming a prominent part in the composition of the New Testament, remain uninspired, their authors not being Apostles. The only solution to this difficulty is to be found in the testimony of the Church of Ch rist, which He commands us to " hear," and against which He pledges Himself that " the gates of hell cannot prevail." Her decision, by virtue of the guaranty of her Founder, exalts the New Testament to the dignity of a divinely inspired p roduction, and as she vouches also for the divine character of the Old Testament, we submit to our readers a work that, alone of all publications, comprises, with all the evidences of infallible certitude, the only divine production on earth. The Church of Jesus Christ, by virtue of her divinely endowed infallibility, vouches for the divine origin of the Sacred Scriptures, and as such we respectfully, but confidently, submit them to the public.


Gospel Communications Network (GCN). Online Christian Resources.
A Ministry of Gospel Films, Inc.

GCN Home BG Home

webmaster@gospelcom.net