Modern English Bible translations
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| The Bible in English |
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| Middle English (1066-1500) |
| Early Modern English (1500-1800) |
| Modern Christian (1800-) |
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| Miscellaneous |
There are many attempts to translate the Bible into modern English which is defined as the form of English in use after 1800. Since the early 19th century, there have been several translational responses to the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the world. Various denominational and organizational goals have produced, and continue to produce, Bibles that fit the needs of English speakers in all walks of life. Differing base texts, theological emphasis, style, and translation aims (e.g. readability vs literality) are just a few of the variables that contribute to the wide range of Bibles available today.
[edit] The Development of English Bible Versions
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There was a long gap between the creation of the King James Version of the Bible and the Revised Standard Version. The formal equivalence or literal translations have now been continued with new versions of the Revised Standard, the American Standard and the King James.
One of the biggest changes in the late 20th century was the appearance of Bibles which were much less literal in their style. In 1958, The Reverend Canon John Bertram Phillips (1906-1982) produced an edition of the New Testament letters in paraphrase. It was Letters to Young Churches so that members of his youth group could understand what the New Testament authors had written. Phillips began his work during the Second World War. The introduction was contributed by C. S. Lewis.
Others followed suit. The Living Bible, released in in 1971, was published by its author Kenneth N. Taylor. Taylor had begun quite simply because of the trouble his children had in understanding the literal (and sometimes archaic) text of the King James version of the Bible. His work was at first intended for children, but then he wondered if he could also make it easier for adults to understand the whole Bible. He took as his basis the literal American Standard Version of 1901, and what he produced was like Phillips' version, a dramatic departure from the King James version.
Taylor began, like Phillips, producing paraphrases of the New Testament epistles, in his "Living Letters" published in 1962. What made the difference was that Billy Graham endorsed the Living Letters in 1963, offering them to those who would receive them, and that in 1971, Taylor went on to be the first to provide a paraphrase of the whole Bible. It proved to be a watershed in Bible versions, awaking the world to the advantages of reading the Bible in modern English. However, although The Living Bible is regarded by many as a good version, it has received criticism from various quarters.
In spite of this widespread criticism, the popularity of The Living Bible, itself a paraphrase rather than a translation, created a demand for a new approach to translating the Bible into contemporary English called dynamic equivalence, which attempts to preserve the meaning of the original text in a readable way. Realizing the immense benefits of a Bible which was more easily accessible to the average reader, and responding to the criticisms of the Living Bible, the American Bible Society produced a new English Bible translation in this more readable style, the Good News Bible. This translation has gone on to become one of the best selling in history. In 1996 a new revision of Taylor's Living Bible was published. This New Living Translation is a full translation from the original languages rather than a paraphrase of the Bible.
Another project aimed to create something in between the very literal translation of the King James Bible and the very informal Good News Bible. The goal was to create a Bible that would be scholarly, but not too formal. The result of this project was the New International Version.
The debate between the formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence translation styles has increased with the introduction of inclusive language versions, in which various terms are employed to defend or attack this development, such as feminist, or gender neutral, or gender accurate, with new editions of previous versions being printed, alongside new translations, either furthering the number of inclusive versions or reinforcing the availability of conservative versions.
A further process that has assisted in increasing the number of English Bible versions exponentially, is the use of the Internet in producing virtual bibles, of which a growing number are beginning to appear in print – especially given the development of "print on demand".
Today, there is a range of translations running the full gamut from the most literal, such as the New American Standard Bible to the most free such as The Message and The Word on the Street.
[edit] 18th and 19th century translations
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Challoner's revision of the Douay-Rheims Bible | 1752 |
| Quaker Bible | 1764 |
| Thomson's Translation | 1808 |
| Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible | 1830 |
| Webster's Revision | 1833 |
| Young's Literal Translation | 1862 |
| Julia E. Smith Parker Translation | 1876 |
| Revised Version | 1885 |
| Darby Bible | 1890 |
| Rotherham's Emphasized Bible | 1902 |
| Ferrar Fenton Bible | 1903 |
[edit] 20th and 21st century translations
[edit] American Standard Version and derivatives
In America, one of the primary versions has been the American Standard Version, an American adaptation of the English Revised Version (1885) and versions which stem from it, shown in date order:
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| ASV | American Standard Version | 1901 |
| RSV | Revised Standard Version | 1952 |
| RSV-CE | Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition | 1966 |
| NASB | New American Standard Bible | 1971 |
| NRSV | New Revised Standard Version | 1989 |
| NASU | New American Standard Bible - Updated | 1995 |
| RcV | Recovery Version | 1999 |
| ESV | English Standard Version | 2001 |
| WEB | World English Bible | In progress |
| MASV | Modern American Standard Version | In progress |
[edit] Dynamic translations and paraphrases
One of the most notable aspects of the latter half of the 20th century was the appearance of translations which took a much more dynamic approach to translation.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| TLB | The Living Bible | 1971 |
| GNB | Good News Bible | 1976 |
| CEV | Contemporary English Version | 1995 |
| GW | God's Word | 1995 |
| NLT | New Living Translation | 1996, 2004 |
| MSG | The Message | 2002 |
[edit] Internet-based translations
The New English Translation is a project to publish a translation of the Bible using the Internet. It is freely available and accompanied by extensive translator's notes. Another Internet based translation is the The Free Bible. It is a wiki, collaborative project--based on Wikisource.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NET | New English Translation | 2005 |
| TFB | The Free Bible | In Progress |
[edit] Jewish translations
- Main article: Jewish English Bible translations
Jewish translations follow the masoretic text, and are usually published in bilingual editions with the Hebrew text facing the English translation. The translations often reflect traditional Jewish exegesis of the bible. As translations of the masoretic bible, Jewish translations contain neither the apocrypha nor the Christian New Testament.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| JPS | Jewish Publication Society of America Version[1] | 1917 |
| Judaica Press[2] | 1963 | |
| Koren Jerusalem Bible [3]Based on a translation by Harold Fisch | 1962 | |
| The Living Torah by Aryeh Kaplan[4] The Living Nach by Yaakov Elman |
1981 1996 |
|
| NJPS | New Jewish Publication Society of America Version | 1985 |
| Artscroll | Stone Edition (Artscroll) | 1996 |
[edit] King James Version and derivatives
The King James Version of 1611 still has an immense following, and as such there have been a number of different attempts to update or improve upon it.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| CKJV | Children's King James Version Jay P. Green | 1960 |
| KJ II | King James II Version of the Bible Jay P. Green | 1971 |
| KJV20 | King James Version -- Twentieth Century Edition Jay P. Green | |
| NKJV | New King James Version | 1982 |
| KJ21 | 21st Century King James Version | 1991 |
| MKJV | Modern King James Version | 1999 |
| AKJV | American King James Version [5] | 1999 |
| KJV2000 | King James 2000 Version [6] | 2000 |
| UKJV | Updated King James Version [7] | 2000 |
| KJVER | King James Version Easy Reading [8] | 2001 |
| HSV | Holy Scriptures Version [9] | 2001 |
| CKJV | Comfort-able King James Version [10] [11] | 2003 |
| NCPB | New Cambridge Paragraph Bible [12] | 2005 |
| AV7 | AV7 (New Authorized Version) | 2006 |
| RNKJV | Restored Name King James Version In Internet Version Only | ? |
[edit] New International Version and derivatives
The biggest selling version of the 20th century has been the New International Version, which has appeared in a number of different editions:
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NIV | New International Version | 1978 |
| NIrV | New International Reader's Version | 1996 |
| NIVI | New International Version Inclusive Language Edition | 1996 |
| TNIV | Today's New International Version | 2005 |
[edit] Messianic translations
Some Bible translations find popular use in, or were prepared especially for, the Messianic Judaism movement.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| CJB | Complete Jewish Bible (by David H. Stern) | 1998 |
| God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation (by Heinz Cassirer) | 1989 | |
| OJB | Orthodox Jewish Bible[13] | 1996 |
| TS98 | The Scriptures | 1993 |
[edit] New English Bible and derivatives
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NEB | New English Bible | 1970 |
| REB | Revised English Bible | 1989 |
[edit] Public Domain Translations
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| WEB | World English Bible | In Progress |
| MASV | Modern American Standard Version | In Progress |
| CPDV | Catholic Public Domain Version | In Progress |
| DRP | David Robert Palmer Translation[14] | 2007 |
| UKJV | Updated King James Version | 2000 |
| TFB | The Free Bible | In Progress |
[edit] Roman Catholic translations
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| WVSS | Westminster Bible | 1936 |
| SCM | Spencer New Testament | 1941 |
| CFY | Confraternity Bible | 1941 |
| Knox | Knox's Translation of the Vulgate | 1955 |
| KLNT | Kleist-Lilly New Testament | 1956 |
| JB | Jerusalem Bible | 1966 |
| RSV-CE | Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition | 1965-66¹ |
| NAB | New American Bible | 1970 |
| NJB | New Jerusalem Bible | 1985 |
| CCB | Christian Community Bible | 1986 |
| NRSV-CE | New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition | 1989 |
| CPDV | Catholic Public Domain Version | In Progress |
¹Second Catholic Edition released 2006.
[edit] Septuagint translations
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Brenton's English Translation of the Septuagint | 1851 | |
| AB | The Apostles' Bible | 2004 |
| EOB | The Eastern Orthodox Bible | 2007 |
| NETS | New English Translation of the Septuagint | 2007 |
[edit] Simplified English Bibles
There have been a number of attempts to produce a Bible which greatly simplifies the English. (Some of these versions are also listed in other categories: for example, the NIrV is also found under the NIV section). These are translations which are not necessarily a very dynamic translation, but go beyond simply everyday English into a restricted vocabulary set, often aimed at non-native speakers of English.
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BBE | Bible in Basic English | 1949 |
| BWE | Bible in Worldwide English [New Testament only] | 1969 |
| TEV | Today's English Version | 1976 |
| NLV | New Life Version (Gleason Ledyard) | 1986 |
| SEB | Simple English Bible (Dr. Stanley Morris) [6] Simple English Bible | ~1978 |
| ERV | Easy-to-Read Version (previously English Version for the Deaf) | 1989 |
| NCV | New Century Version | 1991 |
| NIrV | New International Reader's Version | 1998 |
| EEB | EasyEnglish Bible [15] | 2001+ |
[edit] Translations published by Jehovah's Witnesses
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NWT | New World Translation [7] | 1950 |
| LivEng | The Bible in Living English | 1972 |
| ASV | American Standard Version | 1944 |
[edit] Other translations
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| MNT | A New Translation (by James Moffatt) | 1926 (NT 1913) |
| Lamsa | Lamsa Bible (by George Lamsa) | 1933 |
| AAT | An American Translation (by Smith and Goodspeed) | 1935 |
| BV | Berkeley Version | 1958 |
| AMP | Amplified Bible | 1965 |
| MLB | The Modern Language Bible (New Berkeley Version) | 1969 |
| TSB | The Story Bible | 1971 |
| BECK | An American Translation (by William F. Beck) | 1976 |
| LITV | Green's Literal Translation (by Jay P. Green) | 1985 |
| NLV | New Life Version (by Gleason Ledyard) | 1986 |
| The Clear Word (Seventh-day Adventist paraphrase) | 1994 | |
| CJB | Complete Jewish Bible | 1998 |
| TMB | Third Millennium Bible | 1998 |
| VW | A Voice In The Wilderness Holy Scriptures [16] | 2003 |
| AB | The Apostles' Bible | 2004 |
| HCSB | Holman Christian Standard Bible | 2004 |
| CAB | The Complete Apostles' Bible | 2005 |
| ACV | A Conservative Version (NT only in print OT & NT Internet versions) | 2005 |
| ARTB | Ancient Roots Translinear Bible (Old Testament Only) | 2006 |
| MGB | [17] | NT 2007, OT in progress |
| Orthodox | Orthodox Study Bible | In progress |
| TEB | The Original Bible Project (OBP) [18] -- Transparent English Bible (TEB) [19] | In progress |
| ISV | International Standard Version | In progress |
| Jubilee2000 | English Jubilee 2000 Bible | |
| Murdock | James Murdock's Translation of the Syriac Peshitta |
[edit] Partial translations
[edit] Old Testament
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Brenton's English Translation of the Septuagint | 1851 |
| The Five Books of Moses, Everett Fox | 1995 |
| The Five Books of Moses, Robert Alter | 2004 |
| The Bible with Sources Revealed, Richard Elliott Friedman | 2005 |
The Wisdom Books (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, also Lamentations and Song of Songs) John Edgar McFadyen D.D. published by James Clark & Co. London date unknown
[edit] New Testament
| Abbreviation | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Diaglott | Emphatic Diaglott [20] by Benjamn Wilson | 1864 |
| Sinai and Comparative New Testament [21] by Edwin Leigh | 1881 | |
| The Twentieth Century New Testament | 1902 | |
| Weymouth New Testament (New Testament in Modern Speech) | 1903 | |
| Centenary New Testament (by Helen Barrett Montgomery) | 1924 | |
| The Four Gospels, by E. V. Rieu, Penguin | 1952 | |
| The Authentic New Testament, by Hugh Schonfield | 1955 | |
| Phi / PME | Phillips New Testament in Modern English and Four Prophets (by J. B. Phillips) | 1958 |
| The Simplified New Testament, by Olaf M. Norlie | 1961 | |
| WET | Wuest Expanded Translation (by Kenneth Wuest) | 1961 |
| The New Testament: a New Translation, by William Barclay | 1968 | |
| TransLine, by Michael Magill | 2002 | |
| CPG | Cotton Patch Gospel [22] | 1968-1973 (4 vols) |
| The Four Gospels, by Norman Marrow, ISBN 0-9505565-0-5 | 1977 | |
| The Original New Testament, by Hugh Schonfield, ISBN 0-947752-20-X | 1985 | |
| McCord's New Testament Translation of the Everlasting Gospel by Hugo McCord | 1988 | |
| God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation by Heinz Cassirer, ISBN 0-8028-3673-9 | 1989 | |
| Jewish New Testament, by David H. Stern | 1989 | |
| Gaus | The Unvarnished New Testament [23] | 1991 |
| The New Testament, by Richmond Lattimore, ISBN 0-460 87953 7 | 1996 | |
| TCE | The Common Edition New Testament [24] | 1999 |
| ALT | Analytical-Literal Translation | 1999? |
[edit] References
- ^ The Hebrew Bible in English
- ^ The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with Rashi
- ^ http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/scriptures/jbk.htm
- ^ Available online
- ^ American King James Version
- ^ King James 2000 Version
- ^ Updated King James Version
- ^ [1]
- ^ The Holy Scriptures. Rabon Vincent Jr., translator. Victoria: Trafford, 2001. ISBN 1-55369-199-7
- ^ The Evidence Bible
- ^ Amazon Online Reader : The Evidence Bible
- ^ New Cambridge Paragraph Bible
- ^ Available online
- ^ Download new translation Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John Revelation in Microsoft Word
- ^ Simple Translations of the Bible in Easy English - available to download or read online
- ^ A Voice in the Wilderness - Oasis of Biblical Truth
- ^ The Manga Bible
- ^ Original Bible Project
- ^ Original Bible Project » Project Information
- ^ DCL: Emphatic Diaglott - New Testament
- ^ The Sinai and Comparative New Testament. - 1881
- ^ The Cotton Patch Version
- ^ [2] [3]
- ^ [4] [5]
[edit] See also
- Comparison of English Bible translations - comparing verses, in the many different Bible versions is often the best way to judge a translation
- Jewish English Bible translations
- List of English Bible translations
- Bible translations - for a view of translation into languages other than English.
- Bible errata
