Translation exasperation

Well, this was difficult. After more than thirty years I have come to the conclusion that the King James Bible just doesn't work for me.

["You're going to hell" comments in 3...2...1...]

OK, let me explain. What I mean is it doesn't work in trying to do extended readings. After reading Genesis through Job the language barrier was just too much, and I wasn't making the progress I wanted to. Having to refer to the notes to see what a word "really" means and doing an on the fly translation as I went showed me that it was really just pride and stubbornness keeping me in the version I'd always used. There's a saying that is frequently attributed to Winston Churchill, which goes something like "When facts and circumstances dictate a change in my position, I change my position." Well, facts and circumstances dictate.

So what version to switch to? Here's a handy chart showing the options along the literal vs. interpretive spectrum:

Well, that clears everything up. Right?

Actually I just wanted to throw that chart up for fun. Those of you that know me personally know I'm rather "old school" in my beliefs, which naturally draws me toward the word-for-word side of the chart. And thanks to the Bible app from YouVersion I have on the iPod, I've been test driving translations and landed on the NASB. Nice phraseology, easy (easier) reading, and preserving as much as possible the original structure. Plus, it's hard to go wrong with the translation Charles Stanley and John MacArthur preach from.

And one more entry in the "there are no coincidences" file, the day after I decided to make this change the MacArthur Study Bible went on sale at gty.org. Thank you, Lord, for $7 markdowns!