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Which is the best Bible translation?

One of the most asked questions about the Bible is ‘what is the best translation?’

Bible version guide

There are so many English Bible translations. What’s the difference between them, and how should we choose which is the right one for us to read?

Accuracy or meaning?

When translating a text there are a number of decisions to make. One of these is how close to make your translation to the original text.

Some translators make it very close indeed. They translate word by word and keep the sentence structure as close to the original as they can (this is called formal equivalence or word for word). Other translators try to capture the meaning of the original text and don’t worry so much about keeping the sentence in the same structure as it was originally (this is called dynamic equivalence or thought for thought). An extreme version of dynamic equivalence is a paraphrase which begins not with the original language but with another English translation and then attempts to make it more understandable.

Formal equivalence

A formal equivalence, word for word, translation gives priority to what the original language says and how it says it. It aims to be a literal translation.

Pros: it stays close to what the original Hebrew or Greek says; where the original is complex or deep they keep this; they try to avoid interpreting what the original writer meant and leave that to the reader
Cons: sometimes they can be hard to understand and make little sense to a modern reader; sentence structure can be hard to follow; often relies on the assumption that the reader will understand technical language

Dynamic equivalence

A dynamic equivalence, thought for thought, translation gives priority to what the text means. It aims to make the text as readable for a modern audience as possible.

Pros: is often easy to read and understand; it communicates what the passage means in an easy style; avoids technical language
Cons: the translator decides for you what the passage means (which means that you have to follow what they think); sometimes the sentences are very different from what was originally said (or what you find in other translations); often the poetry of the original is lost.

There are very few purely formal or purely dynamic equivalence translations, most are a mix of the two but with an emphasis in one direction or another.

Discover more about different translations

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Date first published: 1995
What kind of translation? Dynamic equivalence, translates the meaning of the text and avoids jargon. It was translated to be read out loud and listened to as well as read
Average reading age? 10+
Gender neutral language? Yes
Features of the translation:
- Designed for people who do not know Bible ‘jargon’
- Easy to understand and to read out loud
- Intended for people who struggle to read other translations
- In 1996, the CEV won the Crystal Mark award from the Plain English Campaign
Sample verse: ‘If we have all we need and see one of our own people in need, we must have pity on that person, or else we cannot say we love God.’ (1 John 3.17)

Easy English (EASY)

Date first published: Online since 2019
What kind of translation? EasyEnglish was developed by MissionAssist for speakers of other languages where English is an additional or second language, as well as for those who need a simplified form of English
Average reading age? 11+
Gender neutral language? Yes
Features of the translation:
- Translated into British/ Commonwealth English
- Began as a project to provide a Bible understood by people in Anglophone Africa
- Accurate and easy to read in simple modern English
- It is a ‘meaning-for-meaning’ translation – not ‘word-for-word’
- Brings the difficult parts of the Bible alive without using jargon
Sample verse: ‘When another believer has trouble, we need to be kind to him. Maybe you have all the things that you need to live. If you see another believer who needs things like that, you should help him. If you refuse to be kind to him, it shows that you do not belong to God. You do not love people in the way that God loves them.’ (1 John 3.17)

English Standard Version (ESV)

Date first published: 2001
What kind of translation? This is a revision of the Revised Standard Version. It is fairly literal and formal, staying close to the original sentence structure but changing it where meaning is compromised
Average reading age? 15+
Gender neutral language? Some
Features of the translation:
- A revision of the RSV, undertaken by various evangelical theologians
- Has tried to keep some of the best-loved passages in a translation that is close to the KJV
Sample verse: ‘But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?’ (1 John 3.17)

Good News Bible (GNB)

Date first published: 1976
What kind of translation? Dynamic equivalence – still a translation but is often very colloquial
Average reading age? 12+
Gender neutral language? Yes
Features of the translation:
- The most sold Bible in the UK, and very popular across the Commonwealth
- Designed to be accessible to (and is very popular among) non-native English speakers, especially in Africa and the Far East
- Its line drawings are iconic and help with understanding the text
- An easy-to-read and understand version

Sample verse: ‘If we are rich and see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God?’ (1 John 3.17)

King James Bible (KJV)

Date first published: 1611
What kind of translation? Formal equivalence – literal, staying close to the original sentence structure but changing it where meaning is compromised
Average reading age? 17+
Gender neutral language? No
Often stated pros of the translation:
- Beautiful poetic language
- Language that has influenced many phrases in modern English
- Very close to the original text
Often stated cons of the translation:
- Archaic language that many people do not understand
- Based on the Hebrew and Greek texts available in the 16th century.
- Some words used in the KJV now have very different meanings (e.g. the word suffer as in ‘suffer the little children’)
Sample verse: ‘But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?’ (1 John 3.17)

New International Version (NIV)

Date first published: 1978 (updated in 2011)
What kind of translation? Mixed dynamic and formal equivalence – attempts to adopt a midpoint between staying close to the original text and communicating its meaning in a way that’s easy to understand
Average reading age? 12+
Gender neutral language? Yes
Features of the translation:
- Balances literal translation with an emphasis on meaning
- Is often clear and easy to read
- Has tried to keep an emphasis on literary beauty, making it a good translation for reading in church
- The language is adapted from American English

Sample verse: ‘If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?’ (1 John 3.17)

New International Readers Version (NIRV)

Date first published: 1996
What kind of translation? A simplified version of the NIV using dynamic equivalence – doesn’t try to follow the original sentence structure and focuses on what the text means
Average reading age? 7+
Gender neutral language? Yes
Features of the translation:
- An easy-to-read version of the NIV
- Designed so that people can go on to read the NIV if/when they want to
- One of the clearest and easiest to read translations around
- Designed for those with a low reading age

Sample verse: ‘Suppose someone sees a brother or sister in need and is able to help them. And suppose that person doesn’t take pity on these needy people. Then how can the love of God be in that person?’ (1 John 3.17)

New King James Version (NKJV)

Date first published: 1982
What kind of translation? Formal equivalence – literal, translated into modern English in the style of the King James Version
Average reading age? 12+
Gender neutral language? No
Features of the translation:
- A maintenance of the poetic language of the KJV updated into modern English
- Uses as much as possible the same version of the original text as the KJV did
- Often follows the translation in the KJV
- Largely based on the Hebrew and Greek texts available in the sixteenth century

Sample verse: ‘But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?’ (1 John 3.17)

New Living Translation (NLT)

Date first published: 1996
What kind of translation? Dynamic equivalence – still a translation but is often very colloquial and renders the original language loosely
Average reading age? 11+
Gender neutral language? Yes
Often stated pros of the translation:
- Began as a revision of The Living Bible but became a full translation from the original language
- Kept The Living Bible’s emphasis on accessibility
- Changes some metaphors from the Bible into more understandable phrases (e.g. being ‘in sorrow’ rather than ‘beating their breasts’)
Often stated cons of the translation:
- Its emphasis on accessibility sometimes makes it feel a long way from the original
- The change of metaphors into more modern language often changes their meaning more than what was intended
- Not one of the strongest among the accessible translations
Sample verse: ‘If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion – how can God’s love be in that person?’ (1 John 3.17)

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Date first published: 1989
What kind of translation? Formal equivalence – literal, staying close to the original sentence structure but changing it where meaning is compromised
Average reading age? 16+
Gender neutral language? Yes
Features of the translation:
- Uses up-to-date language (in particular it uses less archaic language for God)
- The Old Testament reflects Jewish interpretations of the text
- Used more up-to-date versions of the Hebrew and Greek text
- Tried hard to avoid ‘male-only’ language
Sample verse: ‘How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?’ (1 John 3.17)

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue)

Date first published: 2024
What kind of translation? This is the latest update of the New Revised Standard Version, updated taking into account changes in language and scholarship
Average reading age? 16+
Gender neutral language? Yes
Features of the translation:
- Uses up-to-date language
- Uses the latest scholarship from the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Uses more up-to-date versions of the Hebrew and Greek text
Sample verse: ‘How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?’ (1 John 3.17)

Nicholas King Bible (NKB)

Date first published: 2014
What kind of translation? A literal translation from the Greek by Catholic Jesuit scholar Nicholas King, using the Septuagint for the Old Testament
Average reading age? 17+
Gender neutral language? Yes
Features of the translation:
- A fresh literal translation
- Brings you as close as possible to the original biblical voices
- Includes the deuterocanonical books found in the Septuagint
A version that will invigorate personal devotions
Sample verse: ‘If someone who has worldly goods sees their brother or sister in need, and closes their heart to them, how does the love of God remain in them?’ (1 John 3.17)

Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Date first published: 1952
What kind of translation? Formal equivalence – literal, staying close to the original sentence structure but changing it where meaning is compromised
Average reading age? 17+
Gender neutral language? No
Features of the translation:
- Intended to be a readable though literal translation (at the time)
- The Old Testament was translated to reflect Jewish interpretations of the text
- Used more up-to-date versions of the Hebrew and Greek text
Features of the translation:
- Language has moved on and it is no longer up to date
- Old Testament prophecies were translated to reflect their original (Jewish) context rather than later Christian interpretations
Sample verse: ‘But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?’ (1 John 3.17)

Best use of Bible versions

I’m new to the Bible

You might like to start with a translation that avoids too much technical language. Look for one described as ‘dynamic equivalent’.

I’ll be reading the Bible aloud

A translation that focuses more on dynamic equivalence.

I’ll be reading with other people

Decide whether it would help you to have the same version as everyone else, or a different one so that you can see how different translators have translated the passage you are reading.

I want to study a passage in depth

A translation that focuses on formal equivalence will be most helpful.

I’ll be reading big sections at a time (e.g. following a Bible reading plan or lectionary)

A translation that focuses more on dynamic equivalence.

I want this for use with children

You will need a translation with a lower level of English or a specific Children’s Bible.

I want to get a sense of the complexities of the passage and what translators have wrestled with to create their translations

Read a range of translations, choosing at least two formal equivalence translations.

What reading age is the translation?

This may seem to be an odd question but it is important to ask it. It is particularly important if you are choosing a translation for a child or young adult but is important in other contexts too. It may also be worth thinking about if you are choosing a Bible for yourself.

Some translations are rated as being for people with a reading age of over 16-17. In other words the sentence structure and the words used are complex and sometimes technical. This can make them hard to read for all sorts of people for reasons that are not just to do with how good you are at reading. You may find technical words off putting; long sentences hard (or dull) to plough through or poetic language difficult to understand.

Did you know, by the way, that the average reading age in the UK is 9 years old? So there is no judgement made in stating reading ages, the key really is to find one you enjoy reading. A good simple rule is to ask which newspapers you would be most likely to read. Tabloid newspapers (like the Sun, the Mirror or the Daily Mail) have an average reading age of 8; whereas broadsheets (like the Telegraph or the Guardian have an average reading age of 14).

Many Bible translations have a reading age of 16-17+. It is worth avoiding these if you or anyone in your group might find this hard to understand.

It is worth finding a Bible that you feel comfortable reading and the language it uses may well affect the choice you make.

Does the translation use gender neutral language?

The question of gender neutral (otherwise known as gender inclusive) language (for example whether the Bible says brothers and sisters or just brothers) is a controversial one.

Some say that we should have gender neutral translations because in today’s English we don’t often use ‘man’ to refer to men and women or ‘brother’ to refer to ‘brothers and sisters’ and so on. So to be clear for modern readers we should have a version that makes it clear that the text refers to women and as well as men.
Others say that we should stay close to the original text and if the original does not explicitly say women, our English text should reflect this.

Some translations attempt to be very gender neutral (like the NRSV) others like the NIV (2011) mildly so. The choice is yours. People feel strongly in both directions so you need to decide what you think about this and look for a Bible that you feel comfortable with.

Decide whether you are someone who cares about this issue (in either direction) if you do look out for a translation that is either inclusive or non-inclusive language on the chart.

Consider having access to more than one translation

Some people find it helpful to consult more than one translation of the Bible, especially if they are studying a particular passage in depth. In this case look for one that tries to be very close to the original text; one that emphases meaning over a literal translation and then one you don’t know well at all (to get a different perspective on what you are reading).

If you decide to do this it is very important to read with your mind alert to the difference between the translations, and with the question always being raised as to why they have translated it differently.

Is the translation supported/allowed by my denomination?

This will be a more important for some denominations than for others.

The Catholic church has a list of translations which have been approved for use by Catholics in different circumstances, these include: Revised Standard Version; Jerusalem Bible; New Jerusalem Bible; New Revised Standard Version; Good News Bible (may be used for Masses with Children)
The Church of England does not forbid any translation but does recommend: The King James Bible; the Revised Standard Version; the New International Version; the New Jerusalem Bible; The New Revised Standard Version; the Revised English Bible and the English Standard Version.

Most other denominations neither recommend nor forbid any translations but leave it up to personal preference.

(Published with permission from the British and Foreign Bible Society.)