There's a
lot of controversy about the different modern
translations. I have heard some
"Men-Of-God" go so far as to say they
(the modern translations) are from hell. I agree.
I like to use either the "New Living
Translation" or the "Living Bible"
but I check it against the KJV or the Geneva.
We are seeing the word of
God being changed daily. I have different copies
of the King James Version that do not read the
same. You can plainly see that the Lord had to
send the Holy Spirit to HIS kids to give us
discernment. I can plainly see that
"man" and organized religion are
changing the meaning of the true word of God.
Most preachers will not agree with that statement
but most preachers don't know God. Some do, some
don't. Think I'm kidding? Ask Jesus... HE will
confirm that! HE warned us of it! They know a
"Jesus" but it isn't the true Jesus.
Now remember - SOME OF THEM DO KNOW HIM AND ARE
TRUE SERVANTS OF GOD. So don't tell people that I
said all of them are not of the true Jesus and
true God. Use your head!
Back to the bible...
I have heard of some radical
new versions that are so far out in left field
you simply can't take them seriously.
However the legitimate,
sincere versions are extremely helpful to many of
us. I always keep a Red Letter King James Version
side by side for insurance. Perhaps most folks
don't need to be exact but if I'm going to read
the scripture I want it to be accurate.
Had it not been for the
first modern english version I would not have
come to know the Lord at that time. I was given a
version of GOOD NEWS FOR MODERN MAN which
contained only the New Testament. It helped me
come to know Jesus as my Friend and Savior.
I recommend a legitimate,
modern translation for fast reading comprehension
and enlightenment. When you study
I would put the KJV and the Geneva Bible side by
side and use them all. The modern translations
give you a pretty good idea but if you want to be
exact I believe you should rely on the KJV or the
Geneva Bible. I find many scriptures that the
modern translation simply will not provide what I
need to know. For example... In the last days
Israel will be attacked by many nations, God
tells how many of the invaders He will kill. I
can find this number in the KJV but nearly all of
the modern translations avoid this number. The
scripture to which I refer is Ezekiel 39.2 - read
it for yourself.
KJV: And I will
turn thee back, and leave but the sixth
part of thee, and
will cause thee to come up from the north parts,
and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel
In other words he will
destroy 5/6 of them... or about 85%. You won't
find this number or anything like it in most (if
not all) of the modern translations.
I can and will use some
better examples but for now,
use the examples below.
Let's examine some scripture
from Chapter 5 of The Gospel of Luke comparing
the New Living Translation to the King James
Version. This example is very subtle. I will give
you some more obvious examples but I am running
behind on everything I want to do. Sorry, I'll be
better.
New Living Translation -
Luke 5.29...
29Soon
Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the
guest of honor. Many of Levi's fellow tax
collectors and other guests were there. 30But
the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law
complained bitterly to Jesus' disciples,
"Why do you eat and drink with such
scum?" 31Jesus
answered them, "Healthy people don't need a
doctor--sick people do. 32I
have come to call sinners to turn from their
sins, not to spend my time with those who
think they are already good enough."
In
this last statement one would be led to believe
that there are those who "THINK" they
are already good enough - implying that they were
NOT good enough but "thought" they
were. Here "they" elevate the meaning
of what Jesus said - see the example below from
the KJV.
Same scripture in the KJV...
29
And Levi made him a great feast in his own house:
and there was a great company of publicans and of
others that sat down with them. 30 But their
scribes and Pharisees murmured against his
disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with
publicans and sinners? 31 And Jesus answering
said unto them, They that are whole need not a
physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
In this same statement Jesus
states that "They are whole and do not need
a physician. They don't only "THINK"
they are whole but indeed they
are not sick.
Comparing the two you can
see that there is a different implication.
Another example: King James
Version, 1st Peter, Chapter one... 3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us
again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead,
Compare that to the
"Living Bible" the modern transalation,
same verse: 3 All praise
to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It
is by his great mercy that we have been born
again, because God
raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
The often misused term
"born again" is one of the most
misunderstood terms in the bible. This modern
translation helps it become
widespread and accepted. To better understand the
true meaning of "born again" see the
next sentence (below). Be careful when you use
the modern translations.
Reference link: www.john33.cpm/bornagain.htm -
Check out this page for my explanation of the
difference between "born-again" and
"begotten."
There are MANY flaws in the
modern translations. I believe the modern
translations are a great help but should be used
with caution for exact understanding. The
footnotes in the Geneva Bible are great! King
James did away with these footnotes when his
translators created the KJV. I learned that he
did this because they did not flatter the
"kingship." In other words the KJV
became a political document. Check out the Geneva
Bible... but if you don't have access to a Geneva
Bible use the KJV to confirm the new
translations.
While the word of God never
changes - man's progression (or) regression does
change and fast reading from a language that is
of another country and language (Old English) may
slow understanding and reading comprehension.
The answer? Use them all and
pray for Divine Wisdom. The modern translations
for speed reading and the KJV and Geneva for
accuracy.
Hope this helps.
Your friend,
John
The Geneva Bible. A Real Eye
Opener!
It Preceded The King James Version. Read About It
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