If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

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04/01/2017 06:43

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

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Anonymous

Don't know how far I'll get but I want to start reading the Bible from the beginning. I found an online Bible:

https://www.biblegateway.com/

It has dozens of Bible versions. I guess King James is traditional. But I also see a New King James. When I was young the Living Bible came out -- it seemed uncomfortably different from the King James version but perhaps the most readable.

What do you think?

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04/01/2017 07:24

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

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Anonymous

This is a great goal! But it's a challenging one.

I'd read a study bible at a minimum. Otherwise, you may get bogged down early on in Old Testament historical references that would be obscure to you (and me) without explanation. Better, find a good online class, book, or church/synagogue study group to help you interpret, set a schedule, and keep on track.

There are some "Bible in a Year" books but I haven't tried them.

Also, I'd start with the gospels if you're Christian. Read the New Testament all the way through to Revelations. Then if you run out of steam or life gets in the way, you'll have read what's really important to Christians. Afterwards, you can always keep going starting with Genesis.

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04/01/2017 07:27

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

Thank you for the advice. I'm probably best described as a deist. Was raised going to Christian churches but it didn't seem to stick. But, I'm newly curious.

Reading the New Testament first had not occurred to me.

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04/01/2017 07:55

Subject: Re:If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

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Anonymous

I'm a fan of the Good News Translation -- straight forward, plain English. Let's you focus on the ideas without getting bogged down in formal constructions and obscure vocabulary.

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04/01/2017 09:02

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

Find a version with commentary on the same page.

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04/01/2017 09:08

Subject: Re:If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:I'm a fan of the Good News Translation -- straight forward, plain English. Let's you focus on the ideas without getting bogged down in formal constructions and obscure vocabulary.

This is what I was going to recommend.

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04/01/2017 09:13

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

King James Version. Beautiful language.

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04/01/2017 09:46

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

The Bible is not meant to be read like a book. It's not a history book and it's not a novel. It's a compilation of books and letters originally written from about 4,000 to 2,000 years ago in several ancient languages.

Maybe you should first read a book about how the Bible was made. Here's one dealing with the old testament only, a good place to start: https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353

Here's a summary of how both the OT and NT were written http://bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/how-the-bible-came-to-us that seems to be scholarly.

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04/02/2017 09:06

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

Buy "The Daily Bible" by F. LaGard Smith. It makes reading the bible in a year a manageable pleasure. It's not read front to back, but you will read the entire Bible, and the way he organizes the reading, to me makes more sense.

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04/02/2017 09:22

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

New King James Version

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04/03/2017 10:41

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

I remember when the Living Bible came out. It was so full of mistranslations that it was obviously just a rewrite of the King James Version. The first English translation that I know of is the Great Bible commissioned by Henry VIII. Later on, King James commissioned his famous version. The King James Version has more beautiful English but a lot more mistranslations. But the fact is that all English versions are full of mistranlations. As a child, I remember hearing about all these arguments about whether to use the King James translation or the Catholic translation. To a Jew, this argument sounds silly. We read the original.

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04/03/2017 22:36

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the advice. I'm probably best described as a deist. Was raised going to Christian churches but it didn't seem to stick. But, I'm newly curious.

Reading the New Testament first had not occurred to me.

Well, I would recommend reading the new first if you are inclined to find foreshadowing of Jesus' arrival once you finally get to the original books.

I would recommend reading the old first if you are more inclined to see Christianity as an outgrowth of Judaism.

That said - the gospels are pretty interesting. Leviticus will make very little sense without some knowledge and assistance from commentary. You might want to read concurrently a history book or two that covers the same period as when the gospels were written.

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04/03/2017 22:37

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:I remember when the Living Bible came out. It was so full of mistranslations that it was obviously just a rewrite of the King James Version. The first English translation that I know of is the Great Bible commissioned by Henry VIII. Later on, King James commissioned his famous version. The King James Version has more beautiful English but a lot more mistranslations. But the fact is that all English versions are full of mistranlations. As a child, I remember hearing about all these arguments about whether to use the King James translation or the Catholic translation. To a Jew, this argument sounds silly. We read the original.

Yeah, we do. But I wouldn't hold our standard translations (the one alongside the text in your standard tanach) as great literature, and that is what most of us rely on.

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04/03/2017 22:41

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:King James Version. Beautiful language.

Unless OP regularly converses in 1500s English, I'd stay away from KGV.

Commentaries/study guides aside, I've always preferred the New American Standard translation.

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04/03/2017 22:42

Subject: If you were to read the Bible, like a book, which version would you read?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:King James Version. Beautiful language.

Unless OP regularly converses in 1500s English, I'd stay away from KGV.

Commentaries/study guides aside, I've always preferred the New American Standard translation.

That should say KJV, sorry.

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