How to Compare the King James Bible to the New English Translation
The King James Version of the Bible dates to 1611. Biblical critics have called it "the noblest monument of English prose," according to Jack Lewis in the "Anchor Bible Dictionary." However, modern readers consider the language used in the translation to be antiquated and hard to understand.
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The New English Translation
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The New English Translation of the Bible is an online and independent version of the Bible. It was conceived in 1995 and completed in 2005.
Translation
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The NET, according to its preface, attempts to produce a translation that is readable and understandable to the contemporary reader. The KJV attempts to preserve the beauty of the English language. The reader must determine which emphasis is most important to his purposes, understandability or beauty of language.
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Notes
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The NET has approximately 61,000 notes throughout the text. The KJV, as requested at its inception by Bishop Richard Bancroft, has no notes throughout the text. The reader must decide if the presence, or absence, of notes enhances her readings.
Purpose
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King James ordered the translation to conform with various principles and tenets of the Church of England. The NET has no such ties, and attempts to connect the reader with the original languages. In comparing the two versions, the reader must decide which perspective agrees with his own theology.
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References
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