NABRE vs NRSVCE?

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normdplume

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Hi. I’m working on a Catholic novel primarily for a North American audience. I use various quotes from the Bible and would prefer they all come from one source. As I understand it, the two most common are NABRE and NRSVCE. Any recommendations as to which would be best? I’m in Canada, so I was going to use the NRSVCE, but some of the wording is less traditional than in the NABRE. Is either of these the preferred Bible in the US?
 
If you’re going to publish this story, you’ll need to check on the royalties charged by different publishers.

A friend of mine wrote a book on spirituality using NABRE quotes. His publisher changed it to the NRSV because they charge much less.
 
I guess the other way of thinking about it is that your manuscript can use whichever translation you prefer. Once it gets to the publication stage your publisher will have (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
For a novel it may not make much of a difference; it even makes little difference in liturgy or bible study.
 
I personally prefer the RSVCE over the new revised versions of both the RSV and the NAB. The wording in the RSVCE may actually be more traditional than either of the NAB editions since the NAB is more of a dynamic equivalence translation. The RSVCE is not perfect but neither are the NRSVCE or the NABRE and the RSVCE is going to have a more traditional and probably literal wording and rendering of the text than either of the other two.
 
Richca said:
the RSVCE is going to have a more traditional and probably literal wording and rendering of the text than either of the other two.
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I like it already. I’ll look it up on Bible Gateway.

Thanks
 
Why do none of these Bibles (except the old Douay-Rheims) refer to Hell when quoting Jesus in Matthew 16:18 (where Jesus declares that the powers of Hades/the netherworld/death shall not prevail against his Church)? I find Hades an especially odd translation.
 
For literary purposes, you really cannot go wrong with the King James Version.

Yes, I know it’s not a Catholic Bible.

No, I don’t care that it isn’t. If you want a Bible for literary and not study or preaching purposes, the King James is your go-to version, and it’s public domain.
 
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I would say the RSVCE if you want the best wording that sounds much more traditional than the two you mention, yet works great for more information ears.
 
Its a Catholic novel, it would seem strange to have Catholic characters quoting from the King James. When I read any novel with a subject matter I am somewhat educated, it is always a big negative when the author gets little details wrong, even if they don’t affect the plot. It shows a lack of research.
 
Thank you, everyone. I’ll include RSVCE when I look up Bible quotes. Of the two I’ve looked at so far, the NABRE usually has the better wording/translation IMO. I may contact the three publishers of these and see what their rates are.
 
If it were me, I’d just write my novel. Your publisher will take care of details like royalties for using copyrighted works. They also may have a license in place that allows them to pay a flat fee for whatever text they need from a particular translation.
 
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