I, too, will refrain from lying: NASB is my default translation. But I also like the NIV.
Just curious — why is NASB at the bottom of your list? I like it because it has the flavor of something written earlier than last week (or last century, for that matter).
See you in Heaven. I’ll be the bald one. Which may not suffice to identify me, come to think of it.
I find the NASB to be really clunky and awkward to read in many parts. You can see my response to Eric above. The NLT is a little too bland for me, like someone modernized Shakespeare with modern slang almost, and I can only take The Message for so long because sometimes it reads wonky and I think "did an old hippie write this or what" but I never have any issues with the NIV or NKJV.
I really like the chart, Julie. I used the NASB for a decade or two, but have shifted to the NIV over the past ten+ years. There's a huge range of translations/paraphrases in use in our Bible study class (80+ people, so it's bound to happen), and to our credit, I've never heard a single word challenging (i.e. "judging") folks for their choices. Such a shame that any seeker is made to feel "less than" for simply wanting to find Jesus.
I tried the NASB for several years after college, but I finally just admitted I was only using it because everyone kept saying (online) that it was the Bible that was the most accurate, the one a "serious" Christian should use. I finally just admitted I didn't like it and went back to NIV. It was almost a pride issue, and I finally admitted I just wasn't an NASB person I guess, ha ha.
I do like NKJV. I think growing up with KJV has acclimated me a bit to that. But if you didn't grow up reading that and hearing that, it could be a haul.
I’m of the KJV vintage, and the few “memory verses” that remain in my aging brain originate there.
I will say that while the proliferation of translations has made the consistent sharing of verses to commit to memory more difficult, it has actually helped in one area. We teach an ESL class via our church, which affords us the opportunity/privilege to close each class with a Bible verse in English and Spanish (all of our students are Hispanic), and it can be difficult to find a verse that (1) stands alone in meaning and (2) translates from English into understandable Spanish (or vice versa, to be more accurate). I regularly review several translations, both Spanish and English, to find one that gets the message across in a way that isn’t too confusing for a non-native English speaker. Sometimes the final product is a combination of translation and paraphrase, something I’d never do if it were an actual Bible study.
I, too, will refrain from lying: NASB is my default translation. But I also like the NIV.
Just curious — why is NASB at the bottom of your list? I like it because it has the flavor of something written earlier than last week (or last century, for that matter).
See you in Heaven. I’ll be the bald one. Which may not suffice to identify me, come to think of it.
I find the NASB to be really clunky and awkward to read in many parts. You can see my response to Eric above. The NLT is a little too bland for me, like someone modernized Shakespeare with modern slang almost, and I can only take The Message for so long because sometimes it reads wonky and I think "did an old hippie write this or what" but I never have any issues with the NIV or NKJV.
I really like the chart, Julie. I used the NASB for a decade or two, but have shifted to the NIV over the past ten+ years. There's a huge range of translations/paraphrases in use in our Bible study class (80+ people, so it's bound to happen), and to our credit, I've never heard a single word challenging (i.e. "judging") folks for their choices. Such a shame that any seeker is made to feel "less than" for simply wanting to find Jesus.
I tried the NASB for several years after college, but I finally just admitted I was only using it because everyone kept saying (online) that it was the Bible that was the most accurate, the one a "serious" Christian should use. I finally just admitted I didn't like it and went back to NIV. It was almost a pride issue, and I finally admitted I just wasn't an NASB person I guess, ha ha.
I do like NKJV. I think growing up with KJV has acclimated me a bit to that. But if you didn't grow up reading that and hearing that, it could be a haul.
I’m of the KJV vintage, and the few “memory verses” that remain in my aging brain originate there.
I will say that while the proliferation of translations has made the consistent sharing of verses to commit to memory more difficult, it has actually helped in one area. We teach an ESL class via our church, which affords us the opportunity/privilege to close each class with a Bible verse in English and Spanish (all of our students are Hispanic), and it can be difficult to find a verse that (1) stands alone in meaning and (2) translates from English into understandable Spanish (or vice versa, to be more accurate). I regularly review several translations, both Spanish and English, to find one that gets the message across in a way that isn’t too confusing for a non-native English speaker. Sometimes the final product is a combination of translation and paraphrase, something I’d never do if it were an actual Bible study.