Modern English Bible translations

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English translations of the Bible [+/-]

Old English translations (pre-1066)

Middle English translations (1066-1500)

Early Modern English translations (1500-1800)

Modern Christian translations (post 1800)

Modern Jewish translations (post 1853)

Miscellaneous translations

There are many attempts to translate the Bible into modern English which is defined as the form of English in use after 1800. Since the early 19th century, there have been several translational responses to the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the world. Various denominational and organizational goals have produced, and continue to produce, Bibles that fit the needs of English speakers in all walks of life. Differing base texts, theological emphasis, style, and translation aims (e.g. readability vs literality) are just a few of the variables that contribute to the wide range of Bibles available today.

As this diagram illustrates there was a long gap between the creation of the King James Version of the Bible and the Revised Standard Version. The formal equivalence translations have now been continued with new versions of the Revised Standard, the American Standard and the King James.

One of the biggest changes in the late 20th Century was the appearance of Bibles which were much less literal in their translation style, a translation technique known as dynamic equivalence. This was led by the introduction of The Living Bible, published by its author, Kenneth Taylor in 1971. Taylor had begun quite simply because of the trouble his children had in understanding the literal (and sometimes archaic) text of the King James version of the Bible. His work was at first intended for children, but then he wondered if he could also make it easier for adults to understand the whole Bible. He took as his basis the literal American Standard Version of 1901, and what he produced was a dramatic departure from the King James version. It proved to be a watershed in Bible translations, awaking the world to the advantages of dynamic equivalence. However, although The Living Bible is regarded by many as a good translation, it has received a lot of criticism as well.

In spite of this widespread criticism, The Living Bible opened the floodgates to a less literal style of translation. Realizing the immense benefits of a Bible which was more easily accessible to the average Christian, and responding to the criticisms of the Living Bible, the main English-speaking Bible societies came together to produce a brand new Bible in this more readable style: thus was the Good News Bible born; this translation has gone on to become one of the best selling in history.

Another project aimed to create something in between the very literal translation of the King James Bible and the very informal Good News Bible. The goal was to create a Bible that would be very scholarly, but not too formal. The result of this project was the New International Version.

Today, there is a range of translations running the full gamut from the most literal, such as the New King James Version to the most free such as The Message and The Word on the Street.

18th and 19th Century Translations

Name	Date
Ferrar Fenton Bible	1853
Quaker Bible	1764
Thomson's Translation	1808
Webster's Revision	1833
Young's Literal Translation	1862
Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible	1830
Brenton's English Translation of the Septuagint	1851
Julia E. Smith Parker Translation	1876
Revised Version	1885
Darby Bible	1890

20th and 21st Century Complete Bible

King James Version and derivatives

The King James Version of 1611 still has an immense following, and as such there have been a number of different attempts to update or improve upon it.

Abbreviation	Name	Date
AKJV	American King James Version	1999
AV7	The New Authorized Version	2006
CKJV	Children's King James Version	?
KJ21	21st Century King James Version	1991
KJV2000	King James 2000 Version	2000
MKJV	Modern King James Version	1999
NKJV	New King James Version	1982
RNKJV	Restored Name King James Version	?
UKJV	Updated King James Version [link]	2004

American Standard Version and derivatives

In America, one of the primary versions has been the American Standard Version and versions which stem from it, shown in date order:

Abbreviation	Name	Date
ASV	American Standard Version	1901
RSV	Revised Standard Version	1952
RSV-CE	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition	1966
NASB	New American Standard Bible	1971
NRSV	New Revised Standard Version	1989
RcV	Recovery Version	1999
ESV	English Standard Version	2001
WEB	World English Bible	In progress

New English Bible and derivatives

Abbreviation	Name	Date
NEB	New English Bible	1970
REB	Revised English Bible	1989

New International Version and derivatives

The biggest selling version of the 20th Century has been the New International Version, which has appeared in a number of different editions:

Abbreviation	Name	Date
NIV	New International Version	1978
NIrV	New International Reader's Version
TNIV	Today's New International Version	2005
NIVI	New International Version Inclusive Language Edition (NIVI)

Dynamic translations

One of the most notable aspects of the latter half of the 20th Century was the appearance of translations which took a much more dynamic approach to translation.

Abbreviation	Name	Date
TLB	The Living Bible	1971
GNB	Good News Bible	1976
CEV	Contemporary English Version	1995
GW	God's Word	1995
NLT	New Living Translation	1996
MSG	The Message	2002

Internet-based translations

The New English Translation is a project to publish a translation of the bible using the Internet. It is freely available and accompanied by extensive translator's notes.

Abbreviation	Name	Date
NET	New English Translation	2005

Simplified English Bibles

There have been a number of attempts to produce a Bible which greatly simplifies the English. (Some of these versions are also listed in other categories: for example, the NIrV is also found under the NIV section). These are translations which are not necessarily a very dynamic translation, but go beyond simply everyday English into a restricted vocabulary set, often aimed at non-native speakers of English.

Abbreviation	Name	Date
BBE	Bible in Basic English	1949
BWE	Bible in Worldwide English	1969
EEB	EasyEnglish Bible	2001+
ERV	Easy-to-Read Version	2005
NCV	New Century Version	1991
NIrV	New International Reader's Version	1998

Catholic translations

Abbreviation	Name	Date
WVSS	Westminster Bible	1936
SCM	Spencer New Testament	1941
CFY	Confraternity Bible	1941
Knox	Knox's Translation of the Vulgate	1955
JB	Jerusalem Bible	1966
NAB	New American Bible	1970
CCB	Christian Community Bible	1971
NJB	New Jerusalem Bible	1985

Jewish translations

Main article: Jewish English Bible translations

The Jewish community have always chosen to have their own translations of the Bible with their own emphasis:

Abbreviation	Name	Date
Artscroll	Artscroll Tanakh	1996
JP	Judaica Press	1963
JPS	Jewish Publication Society of America Version	1917
NJPS	New Jewish Publication Society of America Version	1985

Translations Published by Jehovah's Witnesses

Other translations

New Testament only

See also

• Comparison of English Bible translations - comparing verses, in the many different Bible versions is often the best way to judge a translation
• Jewish English Bible translations
• Bible translations - for a view of translation into languages other than English.
• Bible errata

External links

• [Rating the Translations]
• [Translations of the Bible Into English]
• [Online Bible translations links]
• [Zondervan's Translation Continuum, from Word-for-word to paraphrases]

 

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