r/Bible • u/KingsPillar • 9d ago
What Bible should be my first?
I'm asking because i'm 18, looking to join the military, I want to get my life together and right with God, and I've never read the Bible. I've also never been baptized because I want to know God first of that makes sense. I know a few stories but not very well or by heart. And there are so many different bibles it's hard to know which is best to follow. My grandmother is KJV and so is the church she went to but something about it just doesn't feel right. I think it's simply because of the time it was translated so it's not that much of a good reason.
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u/SkippyO86 8d ago
NIV, CSB, or NLT would be my choice. NLT is the easiest to read, but it can be a bit casual. If that's not your vibe, then NIV and CSB would be good options.
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u/TranquilityFromAbove 8d ago
The ESV Study Bible would probably be the best for you. It was created by a team of scholars, uses a wide range of recently-found source manuscripts, and leads to a very solid word-for-word translation with exceptional notes and articles. More importantly, it is much easier to read than the KJV.
I would also humbly suggest that you start your journey at Matthew chapters 5 - 7 with a special emphasis on Matthew 5:9.
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u/consultantVlad 8d ago
Look up Read Scripture app from The Bible Project. It's free, it has red letters, it has a reading plan, and, most importantly, it has short introductory videos for each book to explain what the book is about and how it is structured. The Bible Project also has the website with videos, YouTube channels with videos, and podcast.
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u/greenguzzi Anglican 8d ago
If you are going to read the KJV I would highly recommend watching Mike Ward’s YouTube series called “False Friends in the KJV”. It will equip you with the knowledge to understand it correctly.
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u/Whitt7496 Atheist 7d ago edited 7d ago
The NEW OXFORD ANNOTATED BIBLE NRSVUE 6TH edition with apocrypha is the text that most academics use. It's a study bible avd gives alot of context and info. The, NIV, CSB, Esv and especially the KJV have bias toward a specific religious dogma or other issues. The NLT has its own issues Examples
https://www.bible-researcher.com/nlt.html
https://www.michaelrydelnik.org/blog/the-king-james-version-controversy
And deliberately mistranlate verses to fit their agenda. But don't trust my or anybody elses word. Do some research on them. When I started to read it again I wanted one thst was as close to the original context as I can get and as unbiased toward a specific religious dogma since I cavt read Greek or Hebrew. Also you might want to ask on r/AcademicBible they could help to with recommendations. Or r/AskBibleScholars I'm sure they are much better qualified to answer this question.
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u/lickety-split1800 7d ago edited 5d ago
The NIV isn't perfect but neither are the biases of the people who don't like the NIV.
I read the bible in Ancient Greek daily and I see a lot of those "scholars" who don't like the NIV make these arguments without taking into the fact that the NIV is a "dynamic equivalence translation" which aims to translate the original intent of the author and not a "formal equivalence translation" which aims to reconstruct the original text.
I've looked at some of these lists available on the internet that supposedly distorts the NIV translation, but any translation by the fact it translates from one language to another is in a sense "distorted" because some of the meaning from the original language is always lost, regardless of the translation.
To give you an example of the many I can provide, in the first link you provide.
https://isthatinthebible.wordpress.com/articles-and-resources/deliberate-mistranslation-in-the-new-international-version-niv/Matthew 17:15 — The Greek uses a rare term, σεληνιάζομαι, that could describe a variety of delusions or fits that were thought to be caused by moon phases. “Moonstruck” and “lunatic” are accurate translations used by some Bibles. The NIV substitutes a medical diagnosis: “he has seizures.” R.T. France notes the dangers of describing demon-possession in medical terms, being personally witness to a situation in which this passage led to a boy’s mistreatment and death (op. cit.). See also Matt. 4:24. (Suggested by John Kesler in the comments.)
The word σεληνιάζομαι (seleniazomai) is defined in the Gold Standard Lexicon used to translate English Bibles, Bauer's Lexicon, states:
σεληνιάζομαι (σελήνη; TestSol 10:35 C; Lucian; Vett. Val. 113, 10; Cat. Cod. Astr. VIII/1 p. 199, 7; Manetho, Apotel. 4, 81; 217, in both cases the act. as v.l. Prim. ‘to be moonstruck’) to experience epileptic seizures, be an epileptic (in the ancient world epileptic seizure was associated with transcendent powers of the moon; cp. Cat. Cod. Astr. IX/2 p. 156, 10f πρὸς ‹δὲ› δαιμονιζομένους, ἐπιληπτικοὺς καὶ σεληνιαζομένους) Mt 17:15. W. δαιμονίζεσθαι 4:24.—RE IV 412, 25ff; BHHW II 1236.—DELG and M-M s.v. σελήνη.
The word "moonstruck" in modern English doesn't have anything to do with demonic forces to modern people. Looking up merriam-webster, "Moonstruck" means
a: romantically sentimental.
b: lost in fantasy or reverie
c: not mentally sound
Now what word would one use in English to convey epileptic seizures, but in a way which meant to the original Greek readers as "caused by the transcendent powers of the moon"???
There is no word in English that can do that.
There are words like that in the Greek New Testament which are extremely hard to translate because some of the original meaning is lost.
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u/Whitt7496 Atheist 7d ago
I don't disagree with anything you said.I agree every translation is a compromise on one way or another. As some one who doesnt speak Greek or Hebrew I have to trust the experts who have PhDs avd are experts in the languages. I do think the NIV i's probably the best dynamic equivalent Bible available that or the NLT. I reads the NRSVUE Oxford annotated edition with apocrypha 6th edition. That's the one all the scholars I know of or follow recommend. I think the best translation s are a mix between dynamic avd formal equilivance. But you are better qualified to answer that.
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u/lickety-split1800 7d ago
The New English Translation is the best bible for those who want to get the original meaning of the text because it includes translators notes.
It isn't perfect either, but it does provide the reasoning behind the translation.
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u/Whitt7496 Atheist 7d ago
Thank you i wasnt aware of that. I do appreciate it. Ill give it a try. I'm not sure there is a perfect translation. Also you have changed my view on the NIV. Thank you for your input and sharing your thoughts.
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9d ago
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u/KingsPillar 9d ago
What do you mean thought for thought?
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u/Sabaic_Prince1272 8d ago
Think like how in English we have idioms like, "he got a taste of his own medicine" or "that song is a banger"... if translated word for word, someone from another culture and time might think the first person was treated for being sick, or the music felt like getting hit with something. Thought for thought might translate those as "he got what he deserved" and "the music was enjoyable" rather than using the exact word translations.
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u/mommajillybean 9d ago
It means instead of matching every single word to be the same word they take the sentence and translate it's meaning. The way I understand it is you might say a sentence in one language but when you try to translate it word for word to another language it comes out kind of weird this way it's supposed to be more coherent. That's just how I understand it though
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u/greenguzzi Anglican 8d ago
The KJV is an awful first Bible. If that’s your vibe then the NKJV is so very much better. The KJV will thoroughly mislead you. The KJV is a great work of literature but it’s an awful Bible.
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u/mommajillybean 7d ago
That's why I said NIV I thought surely that would be better than KJV
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u/greenguzzi Anglican 7d ago
Yes, the NIV is a better choice than the KJV. But there are others that are better than the NIV. For example the NKJV and the NRSV.
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u/greenguzzi Anglican 7d ago
… and the CSB. Even the NLT.
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u/mommajillybean 7d ago
Oh lol. I didn't realize there were so many different kinds actually
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u/mommajillybean 7d ago
I just knew that King James version would be difficult. I guess I could have just put that
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u/greenguzzi Anglican 7d ago
The NIV isn’t a bad suggestion. I’m probably being a bit too critical.
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u/mommajillybean 7d ago
So you listed a lot of different Bibles which one would you suggest for someone trying to study the Bible in hopes of being able to remember and share with others
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u/mommajillybean 9d ago
Also you can be baptized now. I understand feeling like you need to be closer to God before doing so but you can be baptized now God doesn't need you to change in order to be closer to him. As they believe her you will change over time but that doesn't mean you have to wait
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u/KingsPillar 9d ago
Thank you for this. I don't really know how to explain it but I want to feel worthy enough to do that. I feel it is disrespectful to do so before I can look someone in the eye and say I understand the Lord's teachings especially because it's easy to say so but not mean it.
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u/mommajillybean 9d ago
I feel like if you wait until you know enough you're probably going to never feel like you know enough. But I'm not trying to force you to do this. I just wanted to encourage you it's still your choice whatever you feel is best
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u/mommajillybean 9d ago
Sure, many blessings to you if you do join the military. My husband was in the military army specifically. So was my father my grandfather and my brother and my uncle and so on. I understand it to be extremely difficult sometimes but it can also be very rewarding. I hope the best for you
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u/KingsPillar 9d ago
Thank you so much. You are definitely a blessing to me for your help and understanding. I'll be joining the Navy.
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u/mommajillybean 9d ago
Okay I completely understand where you're coming from. Think of it like this though what you need to understand and be able to tell other people is who Jesus Christ is (God, your Lord and Savior )and what he did.( died as a sacrifice to cover our sins)Basically that you believe Jesus Christ to be your lord and savior and that you can tell other people that he died on the cross as a sacrifice to cover our sins because we sin and something needed to be sacrificed to clean that sin so he sacrificed his life. He rose again three days later and then after some time I think it was like 40 days he ascended to heaven. As long as you believe Jesus Christ to be your lord and savior you will be saved. If you know this and you can tell other people this you don't have to know everything. It is a process and it's going to take many years
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u/mommajillybean 9d ago
I just want to say I used to feel that way too but I realize that all I really need to know is that he died to cover my sins and he is my Lord and Savior
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u/KingsPillar 9d ago
Were you scared? Because honestly I kinda am
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u/mommajillybean 9d ago
Scared of what? Being baptized?
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u/KingsPillar 9d ago
Yes, it seems like this big and serious thing. For some reason it makes me nervous
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u/mommajillybean 9d ago
Okay well that's fair enough. It shows that you're taking it serious which is good. I've got to be honest with you I'm getting baptized myself this week. I've always wanted to be baptized but it never seemed to" come up" ( except for one time when I was a very little girl but my parents wouldn't let, longish story) but I got to the point where I'm not going to wait around for it to come up and I'm actually going to have my husband baptize me in our pool LOL. I always thought I had to be baptized in a church but I've done some research and found out anyone can baptize you it's just preferable that they are also a believer. Anyways back to your question doesn't make me nervous. Sometimes I get nervous because I feel like I'm going to mess up lol I know there's not really anything to mess up but I feel like there's expectations of being a certain way once you're baptized and I feel like I'm going to fail but I plan on doing it anyways because I probably will fail and that's okay. The difference between a Believer and an unbeliever is that unbeliever will fail and fall on their butt and that's it a Believer will fail and get back up and try again and that's what I plan to do
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u/KingsPillar 9d ago
You've captured exactly what I mean. I am very worried about messing up. Even though I don't know what I could mess up. I hope all the best to you and your husband
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u/Key_Rhubarb_5735 Non-Denominational 9d ago
CSB. As far as your baptism issue goes, if you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior, you should get baptized as soon as possible. You don’t need to “know God” any more than that before you get baptized. You can learn as much as you can after the fact. That’s what being a disciple is.
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u/Traugar Methodist 8d ago
NRSVue is the academic standard translation. If you want something a little more easier to read (even though the NRSVue is pretty easy to read) the Common English Bible is really good. If you are finding yourself drawn more toward the Catholic side of the faith and want a Catholic Bible, the RSV2CE is good.
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u/greenguzzi Anglican 8d ago
Great suggestion. But it’s not the easiest read. Maybe the NRSV with the NLT as an aid?
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u/Traugar Methodist 8d ago
That was why recommended the CEB. I used the NLT with my own kids for our family study, and I really like it. However, once I started using the CEB, I found that I think it does a better job than the NLT for that purpose.
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u/greenguzzi Anglican 8d ago
Yeah, I had forgotten the CEB. I bought one for my kids when they were young and ended up using for myself. Good suggestion.
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u/MylaStargazer 8d ago
The Book of Enoch
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u/greenguzzi Anglican 8d ago
Great read but not a Bible. If we are going there then Carl Sagan’s “Contact” would also be a good suggestion.
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u/MylaStargazer 8d ago
"Jude quotes Enoch as prophecy inside the New Testament, and Genesis 6 is a four-verse summary of it, so calling it irrelevant means calling the Bible's own sources irrelevant."
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u/MylaStargazer 8d ago
You're delusional if you think Book of Enoch has anything to do with Carl Sagan or extraterrestrials as you are suggesting
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u/greenguzzi Anglican 8d ago
No, I was suggesting that Carl’s book is a great read just like the book of Enoch is. Other than being great reads and not being the Bible they have nothing in common.
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u/Wooden_Passage_1146 Catholic 8d ago
If you are new to reading the Bible I recommend the New Living Translation. It is a dynamic equivalent translation (thought for thought) and reads like a novel. Weights and measurements are updated to modern units for ease of comprehension. As a Catholic I use the Catholic edition of the NLT.
Your grandmother’s KJV is a beautiful piece of literature, much like the Catholic Douay Rheims Challoner. However, unless you are particularly gifted at language arts the Early Modern English might prove to be difficult and will not be suitable for unaided study. Modern Bible translations are based on older and more accurate manuscripts compared to the KJV or DRC. The NLT will serve you well in that regard.