Psalm Translations

[DhoxaPatri]

Amongst many trails in my life, I’ve been trying to develop my prayer life and try to grow in my love for the Lord.

Recently I’ve sprouted a sudden interest in the Psalms and started to incorporate them in my prayer life. But I was wondering… if someone could recommend a certain translation of the Psalms in English, please?

I’m not looking for something super poetic or something super accurate in terms of translations— a good middle ground would be nice (unless there happens to be a transitions that’s done a great job of preserving the meaning of the original text or written in poetic elegance).

So far i’ve heard of the King James Version, the Dhouey Rhemys, or the Vulagte. If anyone can provide some background contexts about those 3 such as their pros and cons that would be greatly appreciated. Don’t be afraid to share other suggestions to; please do so!

So you’re able to provide a transition (and a reason why preferably), that would be very much appreciated!

Deo gratias!

 

[po18guy]

For prayer that is understandable the Knox Bible is one of the best. The Psalms in the Confraternity Bible (1941-1969) came in at least two versions - both are good, but the first word of Psalm one is either “Blessed” or “Happy” - many prefer the more accurate term “Blessed”. The Revised Grail Psalms are also very good.

 

[EugeneCharles]

the King James Version, the Dhouey Rhemys, or the Vulagte.

They are good Bible Translations! You may also like NAB or NABRE because it preserves the original translation of the Book of Psalms from the Hebrew so well : )

 

[Todd_Easton]

When the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition comes out in the United States in the next couple of years, it is expected to include The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, a modified version of the Revised Grail Psalms.

By the way, if you like praying the Psalms, you might want to look into incorporating the Liturgy of the Hours into your prayer life, as the Psalms make up a large part of the Liturgy of the Hours. There are free online Liturgy of the Hours resources, such as iBreviary, Universalis, and Divine Office.

 

[Xarto]

If you have a smartphone you can download many of these Bibles free and see which one you like. I like both the Douay-Rheims and the RSVCE/RSV2CE and the Jerusalem Bible too.