Chawlk

1. Drawar
2. Fenxy
3. Decaflon
4. Two Credits
5. Wriging
6. Loose Suits
7. Chixe
8. Dud3s
9. Wing Colors

 

New American Standard Version. I believe it's the most consistent in a "literal translation." I prefer the Greek text behind it as well. ESV is my second choice.

When I want to understand the full meaning, Amplified. When I'm reading to simply read, either The Message (not really a Bible, but easy enough to understand), New Living Translation, Century, or New International Version. When I'm studying it, I'll cross reference various, including King James/New King James (the former I avoid mostly because I have a hard time understanding it; phrases like "quit thee like men" do not to me immediately translate to "don't be afraid") as well as some Spanish translations. When I'm following along with the pastor, New King James.

I should really just learn ancient Greek. And Hebrew. And Aramaic.

You know what, nevermind.

If you assimilate the bible you can try out all of them.

When I'm doing this I read KJV, NIV and NLT. The NLT is awesome to read, but it seems to be better if I get the oldies but goodies in their first. It helps illuminate some of the more difficult translations.

But, like I said, if you read the gospels over and over, multiple times, you'll get the chance to get them all in :-)!

i always liked the king james for the little things shakespeare threw in.

I like my Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Seems fairly consistent and has some great study aids.

Hebrew.

The Old Testament. Not everyone is Christian :)

New King James.

NKJ and the original greek.

None.

@ Mike: I know you're Jewish, but can you really read Hebrew? I struggle with it.

My favorite translation is the New Living Translation or the Holman Christian Standard.

I can read/write the language very well, but I cannot translate to and from English :)

Tanakh, because I am Jewish.

On my little Island of the Christian archipelago the NRSV is widly considered to be the most scholarly and accurate translation. It is Bible I use for study and personal devotion (though, like Cappuchino, I have an NIV study Bible. It was given to me when I graduated from high school, and it is falling apart. It has some very helpful tools).

Having said that there are some passages that must be read in the KJV. For example, when I am conducting funerals I only read the 23 psalm in the KJV, because at funerals people are listenign with their hearts and not with their heads. Likewise, the Magnificat in Luke 1 and the birth narrative in Luke 2 lose their beauty in modern translations (for me it's just not Christmas if Jesus is wrapped in "bands of cloth" and not "swaddling cloths.")

I use the New Century Version (NCV). I think it's accurate and easy to read (nice font as well!). It's normally associated with 'Youth Bibles', but I've stuck mine in a leather case and still use it. Althought it is a modern translation, I find that it still has a certain poetry when needed.

One I've found really hard to read is 'the NET Bible'. As a brit, it seems to packed full of lazy americanisms and on several occasions, I've had to read verses over and over to understand what it's saying!

Several--I like switching between them and sometimes one translation clarifies something I don't quite get in another. Overall, I probably read the NRSV more often than the others, just because the more "Academic" study Bibles (like my beloved Oxford Annotated) use it.

When I'm looking for literary style, I turn to the KJV or Robert Alter's Five Books of Moses.

I hate the NLT. I find the language overly simplistic:

"God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. Matthew 5:11-12

Are you kidding me? The NIV's prose is more moving. I know the NLT's supposed to be "easy to read," but I'd rather the Bible challenge me at least as much as Steven King does.

I grew up on the King James and I still use it and read it. Its not that hard to read at all. I also refer to some of the newer versions if something is unclear. The general accuracy and majestic tone is hard to replicate.

I know the NLT's supposed to be "easy to read," but I'd rather the Bible challenge me at least as much as Steven King does.

I guess that's why God invented translations, now isn't it? While I may prefer the NIV, the fact is that not everyone will be able to grasp what it says there. Take for example someone who is gifted in linguistics versus someone who is below-average intelligence. Both of these people might decide to read, say, the KJV, but only one will be able to properly understand it. The other might NEED to read something much simpler, like the NLT in order to properly understand it. I'm sure a God which creates us with different levels of intelligence and created different, evolving languages doesn't particularly mind if one person needs a simpler version of the message, so long as they get the message (even if it's just with The Message). Remember that a person is made the way they are for a purpose. For you to judge how a person fulfills that purpose -- with what tools -- strikes of hubris.

Mind you, I understand the argument that says "you're losing the message in your simplification". I agree. But then, how do you justify reading the KJV when you should so obviously be reading the original Hebrew, Greek and/or Aramaic? (Alright, I'll cut you some slack: you can read the Latin.)

None. A Buddhist, I be, yarrr. And a pirate!

Authorised Version only.

I like both the Message and New American Standard versions best, but NIV is okay as far as I'm concerned too, and it's the one that many of the pastors in my church use. Right now I'm looking at buying a new Bible because my previous one got lost on a mission trip, and I'm looking at an NIV/Message Parallel.

Concordant Literal or Young's Literal (the former is a bit easier to read, IMO).

KJV, NKJV and NIV. Other translations are fine for study, but I'm more familiar with these versions. Most of what I've memorized is in KJV.

English Standard Version

I wish I could read Hebrew and Greek!

:::Edit:::
I forgot the "why" part.

When I was younger I used NIV, but I slowly switched over to ESV. I prefer ESV now. I feel like I can really see the root of the words, the context, even the humor, in ESV. But that could also be because I'm older and understand those things better now.

None. Because religion is not for me.

I use the New King James Version.

It is more accurate than other translations in general, and in modern English so quite readable. I avoid old translations like the King James Version as it is generally unreadable with its antiquated language.

Although the NIV is readable, it does make a few mistakes and the words it chooses sometimes are just not quite as good as those used by the New King James Version, e.g. NKJV uses "the Lord God", NIV uses "the Sovereign Lord". Although the NIV might have used words which are okay to use for translating the Hebrew, the term "the Lord God" is the more popular and there is no reason to change it.

Unfortunately the NKJV does not seem to be widely available in shops any more, but the hard to read and understand KJV is. I do not know why. There should be a wider availability of NKJV.

i read in my mother tounge, norwegian, but in english i like to use the message cause of the modern words used, not out of context words. But i also has the niv, which i was told is fine to use, maybe not the most correct word for word translation, but fine i believe.

NASB or The Greek New Testament (The United Bible Societies edition)

Amplified and I use ebible, and youversion webapps

I'm a Baha'i, but it does happen that I read the Bible now and then, either to verify cited verses, as a historical reference, or simply for the pleasure of reading such a beautiful book. I have a fancy for the King James Version of the Bible; it was used by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, who praised it for its beautiful use of English. I'm open to discovering and using new translations, and have actually browsed through a few different ones lately (their appellations escape me right now).

Tanakh & Brit Chadasha: Messianic Jewish Bibles like The Scriptures and The Complete Jewish Bible (mostly the latter)

But, I am constantly floating from every translation to another. Keyword NASB for study, Message for evangelism and some devotions. NLT for when I get home. I

I'm really into the English Standard Version, but I'm really starting to appreciate The Message more and more, because it is written in a style very similar to the one we use in everyday communication. For example. check out The Message's translation of John 1:14:

"The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood."

I like that.

I, like seanthony, use primarily the English Standard Version (ESV). This particular translation is pretty much as close as you can get to a literal translation without sacrificing literary beauty, readability, contemporary linguistic relevance, etc.

None, and i actually dont like fantasy genre as such.

I'm a Messianic Jew,I love the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern.
I don't like to read so-called "Christian Bibles" because they avoid to use the original biblical names and terms(Yeshua,acharit-hayamaim etc.).
most of them doesn't want to express the jewishness of the whole Bible.`

I read the Chinese and the English versions interchangeably.
I find it more affectionate to read the former in the comfort of my home because my thoughts are in Chinese.
I read the latter with my friends in church. We discuss the contents in English.