God’s Word is absolutely everything. I have learned too many times that I am better off studying His Word than not, so I make the time to immerse myself in it daily. There are many different translations of the Bible. Still, they all have the same purpose: to communicate God’s Word (originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) to the hearts of His people in a way they will understand and as accurately as possible.
I love to cross-reference different translations. Cross-referencing means reviewing another text to enhance understanding of a matter. Doing so gives me a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of God’s Word. I recommend having one literal translation of God’s Word and one paraphrase. Below are five versions of the Bible (literal and paraphrased) that I study from. I have linked the Bible I use if you want to add them to your cart or wish list!
1. The New King James Version (NKJV). The NKJV version is a modern translation of the King James version while retaining the “purity and stylistic beauty of the original King James” (Bible Gateway). This is considered a literal translation.
Example: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
2. The New American Standard Bible (NASB). The NASB version more closely follows the word and sentence patterns of the biblical authors to enable the reader to study Scripture in its most literal format (Bible Gateway). This is also considered a literal translation.
Example: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
3. The New Living Translation (NLT). This version translates entire thoughts into everyday English. It is easy to read and understand while maintaining accuracy with the original texts. This is considered a thought-for-thought Bible translation.
Example: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
4. The Amplified Version (AMP). The AMP version is a unique translation that uses synonyms and definitions to expand upon the meaning of words in the text by using italics and placing amplification in parentheses and brackets.
Example: “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].” Philippians 4:6-7
5. The Message Version (MSG). The MSG, in colloquial terms, is the straight-up version of the Bible. Eugene Peterson, the theologian who paraphrased the original text to the MSG version, says, “While I was teaching a class on Galatians, I began to realize that the adults in my class weren’t feeling the vitality and directness that I sensed as I read and studied the New Testament in its original Greek. I hoped to bring [the Bible] to life for two different types of people: those who hadn’t read the Bible because it seemed too distant and irrelevant and those who had read the Bible so much that it had become ‘old hat.'” MSG is a paraphrased translation.
Example: “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Philippians 4:6-7
What Bible translation(s) do you enjoy reading from? After reading Philippians 4:6-7 in the different translations above, which translation(s) resonated with you the most? I’d love to know!
