| Bible Translation |
Abbr. |
Comments |
| King
James Version (Authorised Version) |
KJV
AV |
1611;
traditional, old-fashioned English. Can be difficult to understand. |
| Revised
Standard Version |
RSV |
1952.
Fairly easy to understand, but more modern versions are used now. |
| New
Revised Standard Version |
NRSV |
This is
a recent update of the RSV. It is not widely used. |
| New
American Standard Bible |
NASB |
A very
accurate word for word trans-lation, but does not read very fluently. Good
for serious study. |
| New
English Bible |
NEB |
Fairly
modern English; it was never very popular & not much used now. |
| Revised
English Bible |
REB |
A
modern update of the NEB, used in some churches; not generally popular. |
|
Jerusalem Bible |
|
1966; a
modern, well-used Roman Catholic version. |
| The
Living Bible |
|
A
paraphrase, rather than translation. It is very easy to understand, but not
good for serious study. |
| Good
News Bible |
GNB |
1976;
very good, easy to read, widely used by all ages; particularly recommended
for children. |
| New
International Version |
NIV |
1979;
probably the most frequently used Bible in the UK. Good for study and
general use. |
| New
King James Version |
NKJV |
A
popular update of the KJV (AV); retains some of the beauty of the KJV,
without the old-fashioned words. |
| New
Century Version |
NCV |
1987;
excellent, modern translation, very easy to understand. The NCV Youth Bible
is extremely popular. |
| New
Living Translation |
NLT |
Very
new version, accurate translation, designed to replace the Living Bible. |
| New
International Reader’s Version |
NIRV |
This is
a simplified version of the NIV, with short sentences and simpler words; for
children, or those who are not fluent readers. |
| The
Message |
|
A
paraphrase, not recommended for serious study. Uses up-to-date American language,
and is easy to read. |
