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Are you aware of the Fifteen Myths about Bible Translation? We suggest you check them out before deciding on a new Bible. 

Study Bibles

Chronological Bibles

Where You Can Buy Bibles

Bibles on Amazon.com 

Note that you can choose various Bible translations at Amazon. If you live where you cannot order hard copies from Amazon, you can most likely order Kindle versions. 

Bibles at ChristianBook.com (Mostly USA)

Bible Translation Shortcuts

NASB | NKJV | ESV | KJV | HCSB | NIV | AMP | NRSV | NLT | NET | GNT | The Voice |

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Formal Equivalence Translations

For formal equivalence, translators attempt to reproduce the original language word for word, as far as practical. Because of the difference in the grammatical structure of different languages, an exact word-for-word translation would be largely unreadable. (Try reading a chapter in the Hebrew Interlinear Bible if you doubt it.) Somewhat more readable is Young’s Literal Translation. Thus the translations below are more or less literal, while striving for readability and beauty of language. 

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The NASB is generally regarded as the most accurate literal English translation available. While it sacrifices some beauty of language for accuracy, it is still quite readable and an excellent study Bible to keep for reference, along with a contemporary translation. 

(Amazon.com, ChristianBook.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk)

New King James Version (NKJV)

(Amazon.com, ChristianBook.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk)

English Standard Version (ESV)

This is a modern-language version in the tradition of the KJV. It seeks to be faithful to the original text and follow the KJV as much as possible while rendering the text into very readable modern English. 

(Amazon.com, ChristianBook.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk)

King James Version (KJV)

The KJV is widely regarded the most beautiful translation ever produced, and that is not without reason. The translators were given the specific task of producing a beautiful translation, and when they had to choose between exact literal translation and beauty of language, they were to choose beauty of language. Thus the KJV has the rhythmic beauty of a Shakespeare play, sacrificing some accuracy for the sake of beauty. Because of changes in the English language, contemporary translations cannot hope to come close to the rhythmic beauty of the KJV, since none  of us “thinketh,” “walketh” or “longeth” any more! (Those extra syllables facilitated the rhythm of poetic meter in the KJV.)

The OT of the KJV is largely based on the Septuagint and late Hebrew manuscripts and the NT is based on the Greek New Testament translated by the Dutch Catholic scholar and humanist Desiderius Erasmus and originally published in 1516. Erasmus created his Greek text by combining the readings of several manuscripts, and in places where he lacked Greek manuscripts, he translated from the Latin Vulgate back into the Greek. He dedicated his translation to Pope Leo X. (See also “What Is the Textus Receptus?“) 

(Amazon.com, ChristianBook.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk)

The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The HCSB is sort of an off-shoot of the NKJV, with some of the original translation having been done by the chief editor of the NKJV. Readers see it as being somewhere between the familiar KJV and the NIV in both style of language and equivalence. You can read more of the history of the HCSB off-site.

New International Version (NIV)

There is some debate regarding whether this translation belongs in the “formal equivalence” or “dynamic equivalence” category because it is less literal than the translations listed above. 

(Amazon.com, ChristianBook.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk)

The Amplified Bible

(Amazon.com, ChristianBooks.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, AbeBooks.com)

NRSV (New Revised Standard Version)

Some regard  the NRSV the most accurate of English-language translations, based on the available manuscript evidence, textual analysis, and philological understanding. Others are not so sure and still consider the NASB as the most accurate formal translation. 

(Amazon.com, ChristianBooks.com, AbeBooks.com)

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Dynamic Equivalence Translations

Dynamic equivalence translations seek to faithfully reproduce the original sense of the text in modern equivalent language. Sometimes this can result in a more accurate translation than a word-for-word translation. (Consider, for example, what translating the North American English “hot dog” would mean in another language. This illustrates the difficulty of translating idioms and figures of speech from  one language into another.)

New Living Translation (Sabbath School Net page)

The New Living Translation, NLT for short, differs from word-for-word translations such as the KJV, NKJV, ESV and NIV in that it is more of a sentence translation. It is a faithful and accurate translation in modern language which stays true to the original manuscripts in thought, while not necessarily translating each word literally. It has made the Bible accessible for thousands of people who could not “get into” the Bible through the older translations. See more …
(Go directly to Amazon.com, ChristianBooks.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk)

NET Bible

(Amazon.com, ChristianBooks.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk)

Good News Bible (GNB)

(Amazon.com, ChristianBooks.com, Biblia.com)

The Voice

(Amazon.com, ChristianBooks.com)

Audio Bibles

Parallel Bibles Bible Paraphrases Premium Bibles Bible Accessories Youth & Kids Bibles

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Your thoughts? Please share your experience with a favorite Bible version in a comment below.