Bibles

 The Bible of course is THE most important book you will ever own. And a good study Bible will help you understand the scripture and apply it to your life.

If you want to skip my brief teaching on Bibles, just scroll to the bottom of the page for the ones I recommend. But if you read the teaching, you will understand why I recommend the translations that I do.

Not all bibles are created equal. Some are literal (word for word) translations. The New King James Version (NKJV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and English Standard Version (ESV) are the ones I am familiar with and recommend.  The original King James Version (KJV) published in 1611 is also a literal translation, but contrary to popular belief, it is not the most accurate one as once believed. Today, modern scholars have more resources to translate the original Hebrew and Greek text, as well as historical context.... That plus the fact that it is extremely difficult to read 17th century Elizabethan English, is the reason I can't really recommend the KJV unless it is a Bible that you grew up with.

The next class of Bibles are the dynamic equivalent Bibles which are 'thought for thought' translations. The most popular of these is the New International Version. (NIV) along with the New Century Version (NCV) and the New Living Translation (NLT). The NIV balances 'word for word' and 'thought for thought' translations (sometimes called the 'functional equivalent' approach) and is the one I recommend over the others. But they are all great translations for making the Bible easier to read and understand.

Next are Paraphrased Bibles such as the Message and the Passion Translation. I recommend you read these as a story and not consider them actual Bibles. Even though they have been written by scholars, there is a lot of text added to them. And they don't have the dozens if not hundreds of other scholars contributing to the text as the above-mentioned Bibles do. I use them as a commentary when I want to see a scripture through the lens of someone else.

My main concern with paraphrased Bibles and the constant release of new bible translations is that there are no regulations on what is considered a Bible translation, and anybody can write their own.  Fifty years from now we could very well be reading a book that has no semblance of truth to it, but unless someone is grounded in the actual Bible, they won't know the difference.

Below are links to some of my favorite study Bibles. 

NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible 

The Jesus Bible (Leathersoft cover)

NIV, First Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in its Jewish and Early Christian Context.

The One Year Chronological Bible NKJV (Softcover)

NASB Large Print Personal Size Reference Bible,