Word-for-word translations: King James Version (KJV), New King James Version (NKJV), Revised Standard Version (RSV), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), Amplified Bible (AMP), New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), New American Bible (NAB), English Standard Version (ESV)

Thought-for-thought translations: Good News Translation (GNT), New Century Version (NCV), Contemporary English Version (CEV), New International Reader's Version (NIrV), New Living Translation (NLT)

Paraphrases: The Message, Phillip's Translation

King James Version
Translation Method & Reading Level: word-for-word, 12th grade
Year: 1611, current edition 1769
Translators: 54 translators
Sponsor: Six panels of translators appointed by King James I of England
Textual Basis: Bishop's Bible (1568) and Tyndale's Bible (1535), OT: Masoretic text, NT: Textus Receptus
Purpose: In response to Protestant concerns of inaccuracies in earlier English versions (Tyndale, Geneva, Bishops)
Notable Facts: The most widely printed and distributed version of the Bible till the NIV. Used for devotional reading and Bible study by adults who prefer the English found in older versions.

Matthew 4:19 and John 3:16-17
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men - Matthew 4:19

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. - John 3:16-17




I WILL DO THIS WITH THE FOLLOWING VERSIONS/PARAPHRASES: KJV, ASV, RSV, AMP, NJB, NAB, NASB, NIV, NKJV, NCV, NRSV, CEV, GW, NIrV, NLT, ESV, The Message, HCSB, and the TNIV.

American Standard Version
Translation Method & Reading Level: Word-for-word, unstated reading level
Year: 1901
Translators: 30 American scholars who were part of the English Revised Version project in 1885.
Sponsor: British scholars from a variety of denominations
Textual Basis: Derived from the ERV and KJV, OT: Masoretic text and Septuagint/NT: Wescott-Hort Greek New Testament
Purpose: To address approximately 300 suggestions from American translators to change the English Revised Version to acceptable American word use.
Notable Facts: ASV has earned the reputation of being very true to the Greek and Hebrew texts. Very formal. Used for serious Bible study.


Matthew 4:19 and John 3:16-17
And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men - Matthew 4:19

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him - John 3:16-17

This post has been edited by JesusRocks4Me: Aug 7 2009, 05:54 PM

Revised Standard Version
Translation Method & Reading Level: Word-for-word, 10th grade reading level
Year: 1952
Translators: 32 translators
Sponsor: International Council of Religious Education
Textual Basis: Based on the ASV. OT: Masoretic text, Dead Sea scrolls, Septuagint/NT: Nestle-Aland text
Purpose: To preserve the best of the English Bible versions that preceded it.
Notable Facts: Because the translation changed words such as "virgin" to "young woman", this version was criticized by conservatives.

Matthew 4:19
And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Amplified Bible
Translation Method & Reading Level: Word-for-word, 11th grade reading level
Year: 1965
Translators: 13 translators
Sponsor: The Lockman Foundation/Zondervan
Textual Basis: Derived from the ASV. OT: Biblia Hebraica, Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint. NT: Wescott-Hort Greek NT, Novum Testamentum Graece (26th ed.)
Purpose: To allow the reader to better understand the meaning of words as they were used in their original context.
Notable Facts: Unique system of punctuation, typefaces, and synonyms to more fully explain words. Used for devotional study.

Matthew 4:19
And He said to them, Come after Me [as disciples--letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!

John 3:16-17
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.


New Jerusalem Bible
Translation Method & Reading Level: Word-for-word, 9th grade reading level
Year: 1966, updated in 1985
Translators: 36 translators
Sponsor: Roman Catholic Church
Textual Basis: Based upon a 1961 French translation called "La Bible de Jerusalem". OT: Masoretic text, Septuagint. NT: Eclectic Greek texts
Purpose: A response to Pope Pius XII's request for a more clear, skilled translation by Dominicans and others at Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem.
Notable Facts: J. R. R. Tolkien, author of LORD OF THE RINGS, was one of the contributing translators. Includes the Apocrypha/deuterocanonicals. Typically used by adult Roman Catholics for serious Bible study.