A List of Bible Versions
English translations of the Bible abound and the most popular translations can be evaluated by reading level, translation method and purpose for the version. Choose the best translation by knowing a few things about each version.
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King James Version
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The King James Bible (KJV) was translated in the 1600s to be read aloud in services. The translators used poetic language and punctuation to give the text a fresh reading. The Victorian English is above a 12th grade reading level.
New American Standard
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The Lockman Foundation translated The New American Standard Bible (NASB) in 1971. It is an accurate word-for-word translation. The NASB is excellent for in-depth study. This version is at an 11th grade reading level.
The Amplified Bible
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The Amplified Bible (1965, Updated 1987) is word for word and gives an "amplified" meaning of the word in parentheses. It is not a good Bible for reading aloud, but it is used to understand the shades of meaning in Hebrew and Greek words. It is at an 11th grade reading level
New International Version
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The New International Version (NIV) was translated in 1978 (Updated, 1984) as an easy-to-read 7th grade reading translation.
Contemporary English Version
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The CEV or the Contemporary English Version uses simple sentence structure and modern vocabulary. It uses gender-neutral language at a 4th grade reading level.
The New Living Translation
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The New Living Translation (NLT, 1st ed. 1996; 2nd ed. 2004) Scholars compared The Living Bible (a paraphrase) with the original Hebrew and Greek and used the "closest natural equivalent." It uses "gender neutral" 6th grade language.
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