Bible

[DBowling]

I would like to read the bible in its original form, but in english. Where can i find it?

[runner4life7]

I dont think thats possible, all there is are translations. King James is an old one. I use the NIV (New International Version) Other than that to my knowledge you either need to know greek aramaic and hewbrew or trust those translating.

[DBowling]

Which is the most trusted version?

[malorum]

Most trustted version?
Depends on your denomination.

NIV, NASV, KJV, RSV are all fairly close, but arguably have different doctrinal emphasis in parts of the translation.

Even in the originals there are textual variants.

Best thing to do is to pick up any english bible such as the King James or even the Good news bible (easier to read), and the key points of the message should shine through.

Then if you want to study the details regarding bits you dont understand, go to an online bible and compare the versions.

I've studied biblical hebrew, latin and koine greek, and I still don't know for sure wether moses had horns [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[RJT]

Then New American Bible (the New Catholic Translation) - Thomas Nelson, Publishers (Nashville - New York) is “…translated (from) the Sacred Scriptures from the original languages or from the oldest extant form of the text…”

Quote is from the preface to this publication.

The original languages of the extant text are for the most part Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

The work of over 50 scholars began in 1944 and the final publication was in 1970.

Don't overlook the footnotes while reading. Much information is contained there.

[sexdrugsmoney]

The Good News Bible is perhaps the most easiest to read as the language is at elementary-school reading level.

The translation technique is dynamic equivalence which the translator attempts to produce the same effect as the original had on its readers. (so keep in mind it is not a "literal" translation - although it is generally accepted they got the message right)

The New International Version uses dynamic equivalence but also at times uses a literal translation, generally though it is also held to be one of the better translations.

The King James Version (1611) is held to be the best by many people as it attempts to be the closest to the orginal of language used while retaining literal and poetical aspects of the text.

The only problem with this version is that even for a Christian and one who has a good vocabulary, the English used is almost 400 years old, so it can be a difficult read at times if you are wishing to 'cover a lot of ground' (eg. Read the Bible cover to cover) this would not be the version you'd wish to use. (To get a jist of the story from start to end, Good News Bible is best for this)

Bible's are available for free online, or are cheap enough in bookstores. (Good News Bible can be bought for nearly a song, and has illustrations) [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Cheers,
SDM

[NotReady]

Many translations available here , with great search engines for both verse and passage lookups.

If you want to tackle it, you can find an interlinear Bible in the languages of both Testaments. These give the original with a translation underneath. Make sure you have lexicons on hand and a lot of time and patience.

[udontknowmickey]

The link NotReady provided is good.

I personally love the ESV, English Standard Version. It is essentially literal where it avoids paraphrasing while keeping the text as close to the literal meaning as possible. Very readable (though not as readable as the Good News Bible by a long shot) as well.