Does it really matter what version of the Bible I read? And if so, which one is right?

Yes, it matters!  First, let's get into the "why" and then we can get into "what" version that should be read (I have several videos in this post that will also help in explaining it in better words than I could).

The first thing you need to realize is that the Bible is the #1 selling book in the world!  It's a big money maker for businesses.  When you have a hot selling product in a business, the goal is to keep "improving it."  If you don't, once people have the product, they have no need to purchase more than one.  Greed begins to play a role.  They begin to sell pink Bibles, camo Bibles, different translation Bibles, children's Bibles, steel Bibles, Bibles for parents, Bibles for young adults....the list could go on.  I'm not saying it's wrong to purchase a large print or red edition Bible or some of these others....in fact, I have many of these benefits myself in my Bible.  However, be certain that these things are there to make the customer feel the Bible has been "improved" so that you need to purchase another one.  It's a business, and the goal is to keep you buying their product.  Let me give you an example:

The New International Version (NIV) was once called a "paraphrased" version of the King James Version (KJV) on their website.  It accepts King James as true (since it was paraphrased from the KJV), and as the founder, Howard Long suggests, the purpose of the NIV was to make the text easier to understand in a place where the King James couldn't.  Though he felt strongly convicted about the King James Version and the impact it had on his own personal life, he found that while witnessing, the people couldn't understand the KJV.  You can read more about the NIV through this website here. 

This is a common reason that the "need" is felt for another translation of the Bible.  I will get into all of the fallacies of the NIV later, but my point right now is to show you why this thought process isn't good.

Ever heard of the Holy Spirit?  We often view the Holy Spirit as a Comforter, but we forget that He is to be our Guide, as well. 

John 16:7-13

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

You see, we don't have to know EVERYTHING about God.  His Holy Spirit will guide us through conviction of God's perfect will for our lives.  When we come to a part of the Bible we don't understand, we are to seek His Spirit to guide us into the direction that God would have us go.

Yes, to unbelievers the KJV can be difficult since we no longer use that language.  However, our job is not to convict the hearts of the unbeliever (that is the job of the Holy Spirit, and woe be unto the man to tries to take the job of the Holy Spirit).

When the Spirit is working in an unbeliever's life, HE is doing the work.  Not us.  Despite our trying to show the Word to the unbeliever, be certain, we are not the ones doing the work.  If the person does not respond to the calling of the Spirit, he will certainly not respond to our pleadings.  If He IS softening his heart, the Spirit will give him direction.  He is powerful enough to make His Word understandable to all.  (Certainly this could be done for different languages as well, but since the Tower of Babel, we have been given the consequence for a need to translate...but I won't get into all of that for this post).

So now that we understand that WE are not the ones who have to worry about doing the convicting,  we can rest in God to take care of that.  We are simply to be His vessels.

DIFFERENT GREEK MANUSCRIPTS

Please first understand that the King James and other modern translations were translated from DIFFERENT Greek manuscripts.  So when you think your preach is going back to the old "Greek", he's probably only going back a couple hundred of years. 

Make sure you understand (no matter which version you read) WHERE your Bible comes from.  They do not all come from the same place and they are written differently.  To see a quick overview and see where your bible came from, click here.

 

A COPY OF A COPY OF A COPY

I want you to think for a moment about the devil.  He is very sneaky.  Often we think of him as such evil....which he is, but we think of the evil he portrays as in an obvious way.  But I'm here to remind you that he is VERY sneaky.  He often is the one who makes us think that a little bit of sin is okay.

For example, most Christians allow television into our homes.  We allow a "few" curse words or sex scenes.  If it weren't for those "couple" of "little" sins, then you would just see a really good show that talks about good things.  Surely God doesn't want us to not watch a show like that at all!

Our Associate Pastor said something this past Sunday that I think sums it up.  He said something to the effect of, "A little bit of a lie, with mostly truth, is a whole lie."

Yet, the devil would like for us to believe that everything is not black and white.  That there are lots of "gray" areas.  My friend, I am here to encourage you that something is either sin or it is edifying to God....there is NO in-between.

I say that to warn you that the devil tries to convince Christians that what they are doing is good, but he has an agenda.

Let's take the Bible for example.  We know there are wiccan bibles out there.  The Christians won't touch those.  The only people who will touch those are unbelievers.  So, if the devil is so sneaky, how is he working in the lives of Christians today?  Well, in regards of the Bible, he is doing it right in front of our eyes.

Did you ever play the game "telephone?"  I remember playing this in Kindergarten.  All the kids would line up, sitting down in the hallway.  The teacher would then whisper a secret to one child.  The secret would then be passed down through each five year old's ear until the last child in the classroom was reached.  By the time the secret got down to the last child, you can bet that the secret had changed into something totally different.

The point is, if you are constantly copying the "original", you will eventually get a copy that is nothing like the original.  They are going to keep putting "new and improved" bibles out to make sales and to make you think you need something to understand the Bible in today's terms.  BUT UNDERSTAND THIS, MODERN DAY VERSIONS ARE NOT EVEN A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL.  THEY COME FROM A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ORIGIN.  SO UNDERSTAND, YOU'RE NOT EVEN GETTING A COPY OF A COPY OF A COPY.  YOU'RE GETTING A KNOCK-OFF VERSION.  Let me tell you my friend, the Bible is not to be tampered with.  Let's take a look at this important verse on changing the Bible:

Revelation 22:18 & 19

 

  "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
My friend, we don't need a Bible that changes in order understand us, we need to change in order to understand the Bible!



You see, the devil doesn't have to create some wiccan bible and expect Christians to read it.  What he does is he creates subtle changes in the real Bible and over time, generations don't know what the "original" says.  Remember, the devil doesn't have to change everything about the Bible.  He can leave in most of it.  In fact, people like the things about being "good."  It makes them feel like they can "deserve" Salvation. 

All the devil has to do is to change the simple plan of Salvation and people stop getting saved.  He can still make it sound good.  He can make it sound like you need to "earn" your way into Heaven.  To the world, this sounds good.  The world doesn't want to think that an ex child molester could get saved and enter Heaven.  They compare their sins to others....and compared to many others, they are "holy" enough in their own eyes to get into Heaven.  Plus, this allows them to live a life for themselves and not a life of serving God. 

You may think, people would never go for that.  And maybe most Christians wouldn't....not today.  But if you grow up reading the KJV, and your kids grow up reading the NIV, and their kids grow up reading a paraphrase off of the NIV, and their kids grow up reading a paraphrase off of the paraphrase off of the NIV that was a paraphrase from the KJV (exhausting, I know!), you begin to have no clue what the KJV said anyways.  So it's not that out there.  The devil sure is a sly 'ole fox.


Does your "Bible" say Jesus is guilty of Hell?

If the devil is not currently attacking you hard in your life today, you are either 1) oblivious to his sly tactics or 2) not living a life that he feels he needs to destroy.





An unbeliever who doesn't understand the Bible will be drawn through the Holy Spirit to Salvation.  Yes, the Spirit can help someone to understand that "thee and thou" means you.

As a believer, we should stop looking for a version of the Bible that is like the Ten Commandments.  "Okay God, can I do this or not?"  What would happen is we would look up what we can and can't do and never seek the Spirit.  Our relationship with the Lord would suffer.  What reason would we have to study the Word?  What reason would we have to cry out to God and seek His understanding?  Why did God not create a Bible for each generation to understand in their own words?  Did God make a mistake when inspiring men to write the Bible the way they did?  CERTAINLY NOT!
We have to be willing to STUDY God's Word.  Not just the words, but the customs, and history as well.  Often, we can read what is on the surface, and miss the actual context of a verse or chapter.  That is why, so often, you have people misquoting Scripture such as "Judge Not, that ye be not judged."

These people who are "updating" God's Word...I'm sure many of them study the Word.  But let's look at it like this: Let's say you believe in eternal salvation, but the new editor of this new bible does not (I'm not taking a stance one way or another on this issue.  This is strictly for an example.  If you want to know my stance on this issue, you can click here.) 

What happens when it comes time to paraphrase or "put in their own words" this verse?

John 10:28 & 29

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. "

Now, if you believe in eternal security, you may not want someone who doesn't hold your same view of Scripture translating your Bible.  Though they may be sincere, if they are trying to make something easier to understand, they are going to paraphrase it toward their conviction.  Think that sounds crazy?  Look at the NIV.  A couple of years ago, it "updated" its bible to a "gender neutral" bible.  Yep, that's right.  In order to stay up to date with the times and to stay "politically correct", they created a god that was no longer male nor female.  They also changed many places where "mankind" was used or "brother" was used and made sure that women were in there...such as "brother or sister."  It had to take out over 3,000 uses of the word "he" to help its cause in removing gender from the Bible.  Remember what Revelation 22:18 & 19 says.

Now, you may be thinking, "I would NEVER read such a bible."  But do you know the subtle changes that have been made like that in your bible?  Would you even notice as long as the Bible stories you read as a kid are really there?

Sisters, what is your real purpose for wanting to read something other than the KJV?  Can you really not translate "thee" and "thou" in your head to "you?"  When you come to a word in the KJV that you don't understand, could it be that you're just too lazy to look it up?  I can say this because I certainly used to be that person.   I wanted to have a relationship with God without all of the hard work.  I wanted God to know all about me, but I didn't really want to know all about Him.  I was lazy, and being lukewarm.  Maybe you're in this place that I once was.

Might I encourage you to search your motives.  If you are having trouble, how much better is it to seek help, wisdom, and understanding from HIM versus a Bible Scholar?

I'm certainly not saying you can't use other texts or commentaries as advice.  You just need to take those to the Lord.  However, I would not use them as your sole text when reading.  Just as when I may seek my husband's wisdom, or how he may seek a pastor's wisdom, on guidance, we are to use it as advice.  God is the ultimate ruler of our hearts...or at least, He SHOULD be.

In this video, Michael Pearl talks about why he believes in KJV Only.

 

Creation Scientist, Kent Hovind, speaks about the specific differences in KJV and other modern translations, including NKJV.  This is an old video so please note that some versions, such as the NIV and NKJV, have updated their Bibles and now agree that David killed Goliath.  However, this was not the case when this was videoed. 

 

 

So What is Specifically Wrong with These Versions?

Okay, I hope that before reading this section, you are already on board with WHY it's best to stick to a Bible that is as close to the original text as possible (like the KJV).  However, if you need further encouragement in this area, I will take some of the most popular (wish I had time to do them all, but there are hundreds of so called "bibles" out there) bibles and show you some of their fallacies.

The largest fallacy you will find is that there are just blatant discrepancies between the KJV and other versions.  For example, who killed Goliath?  The KJV says David, but modern translations say differently (well, they say David killed Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:51, but then they say that Elhanan killed Goliath in 2 Samuel 21:19...though some do offer footnotes like the NASB, Geneva, and CEV).  These Bibles are saying someone totally different killed Goliath!  If there is just one error in your Bible, that should be enough to throw it away!  If you'll read in Chronicles, those same translations admit that Elhanan actually killed "the brother of Goliath"...NOT Goliath.  So this is not even just a debate on which version is better, but this is a debate in why are you reading a Bible that disagrees with itself?!

So why do these versions all disagree with the KJV?  That's simple.  They were translated from a completely different manuscript than the KJV.  If you are really interested in the history of where the KJV and other translations came from, you need to watch the last video in this post by Sam Gipp.  It is a 6 part video series and it is excellent for explaining where the Bibles originate from.  If you prefer to read a post about the history, you can click here.

Many studies have been done on these versions.  I am not going to write about all of them, but for those of you who are genuinely interested, you can follow some of the links I put under each version of the Bible.  These are really irrelevant for me since the "why" as mentioned above is enough for me to stick with the KJV.   I have no need for doing extensive research of the versions below for that reason.  But if you're still on the fence, hopefully some of these links will help you. 

I am not endorsing these links that I put below.  It does not mean I have read every bit of content in the links.  They are simply there to give you some criticism of the versions.  As with all things, I hope you will pray and seek God's guidance on this issue.

 

 

New International Version (NIV)

 

Let's start with one of the most perverse versions out there.  Hopefully you are not using this version, but I have to say, I see many well-known preachers, Sunday School teachers, and well-meaning Christians using this version.  It just breaks my heart because it shows me they have no clue where their Bible came from...for if they did, they would get rid of it immediately!  (Certainly there are many people reading the KJV that have no clue where their Bible came from either.  It's sad that we are willing to take a book and make it the basis of our life, without knowing its origins).

Well, I did mention the Gender Neutral bible that they have created.  I hope you are not reading this version.  Still, with the most common NIV, notice the lifestyles of some of the paraphrasers of the NIV.  You can simply do a Google Search of each name if you want to study them individually.  You have some who believe in homosexuality and other sins that the Bible clearly speaks out against!  Don't think they won't be trying to get their agenda in their bible as they did with their "Gender Neutral bible." 
Furthermore, if you'll notice in the NIV, the verses sometimes go from like 14 to 16.  Some versus are completely omitted from the NIV!  How's that for Revelation 22:19!

The NIV does say that Elhanan killed Goliath, and not that he killed Goliath's brother in 2 Samuel 21:19.  If you'll watch the video above from Kent Hovind, he gives specific discrepancies in the NIV and shows the comparison with the KJV.  Again, it comes back to whether you believe God preserved His Word through many translations through a nation that God did not condone you even trading with or if you think He preserved His Word through the nation He spoke highly of.

You cannot accept the KJV and the NIV as these contradictions will show you.  You may choose the NIV, but you cannot accept both versions because they contradiction one another.  Some of the other verses Hovind brings up are Hosea 11:12, Genesis 27:39-40, Proverbs 18:24, and there are many more.  I hope only one error is enough to make you burn that bible though.

If you read the NIV, you have to determine why.  Do you read it because you believe God preserved His Word through Alexandria?  If not, then you need to pick you up a King James Bible.  If so, then you cannot accept any version from Antioch, such as the King James.  I would then encourage you to study your history and watch the last video in this post.
The following are some links on the NIV, including their own website:

 

http://www.biblica.com/niv/
http://www.ambassador4christ.net/bp/NIV_Bible_Apostasy_in_print.html

New King James Version (NKJV)

Surely this version is okay right?  I know many wonderful people who use this version.  Many of them think it's just the "thee" and thou" that are removed from the text.  However, this is incorrect.  Remember, even if there is just "one" mistake in a version, how can it be accepted?  I believe that God preserves His Word!  He has!  But certainly people are trying to change it!

Even if this version had no mistakes, I would still choose to read the KJV for the following reasons:
1)  I want to read the most tested English Version that is closest to the original texts.  The NKJV doesn't provide that.

2)  I want to read the "thees" and "thous."  People scream about changing Shakespeare, but it's okay to change the Word of God?!  Watch Kent Hovind's video above and see why the KJV uses the "these" and "thous" and you'll realize why they are so important to our Salvation!
3)  The NKJV has paved the way for other translations.  Even if you think the NKJV is fine, it has opened the doors for other translations that are not.  It is like the game "telephone" that I mentioned above...a little is change, then the next version changes a little more, and pretty soon, nothing is like the original.

Unfortunately, the NKJV is NOT without error.  I will post just a couple of links...I would hope that one error would be all it took to convince you not to read it....that's why I'm not going to post several links.

http://www.chick.com/ask/articles/nkjv.asp

If you want to see specifics of contradictions in the KJV and NKJV, check out Kent Hovind's video above.  Also note that the NKJV is translated from the same manuscript as other modern translations.  It is NOT translated from the same Greek and Hebrew as KJV, despite their similarities.


The Queen James Version

  Oh yes, this bible exists in order to "correct" the homophobic misinterpretation of the KJV.  You can read my full review on this blasphemy here.


The Geneva Bible

I have been very intrigued with this Bible.  For those of you that don't know, this version was actually written prior to the King James Bible.  It was not a government approved Bible.  It was a Bible written for the people.  Basically, it is very similar to the KJV, but it has a few differences (mainly being John 1:1 and putting some of the literal text in the footnotes) and also it has footnotes that were written by the translators of that version.  Many common people were not educated enough to read the Bible, so these scholars interpreted their own view.

Now, I do sometimes reference this Bible's footnotes, as an opinion on the translation, but it is not to replace the Holy Spirit.  Secondly, I don't use it as a sole text because I have found a reference error in it while reading it (Look up John 12:15 and notice the difference in the reference in KJV and Geneva).  It simply has not been tested as the KJV.  Therefore, there is bound to be errors.  Once again, one error is enough for me!

 

(This is a multi-part series, so after the video ends, click the next video to watch part 2 and so on).

I really wanted to get into a lot more versions, but honestly, you can do a basic Google Search or compare versus with Bible Gateway. 

I do not look down on others who read a different version than I.  I believe it's why most of us disagree on different things in the Bible...because our Bibles all say different things.  As Kent Hovind says, I believe you are probably reading a great translation...but just a great translation of the wrong book.  They were translated from different manuscripts.  I am just sharing this information because I want people to KNOW where their instruction manual for their life comes from.  Even if you're reading the KJV, I encourage you to know WHY you read the King James Version!

Romans 14:12

"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

 

1 Peter 3:15

^"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

 

So, I would love to hear from you.  What version do you read and why?  I don't want everyone to get into an argument.  Arguments only put people on the defensive, and if you want to convince someone to read what you read, the goal would be to present compelling evidence as to why it is best.  However, ultimately, they have the choice of what to read.  I have given you the reasons why my family has chosen to read the King James, now I'd like to hear from you!