What is your 'primary' Bible translation?

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Like many other people on this forum, I use many different Bible translations. My primary Bible translation is the RSV-2CE.

I like this translation because 1) it is used in the Catholic Lectionary (in a few countries) in its current form, it does not need to be altered, 2) Retains familiar biblical language terms, 3) dignified yet very readable, 4) some archaic language removed (such as ‘thees and thous’), 5) does not try to alter the text by using inclusive language, 6) it is a good translation to use when conversing with other Christians (many who are familiar with the RSV), numbering of verses match up with other Protestant Bibles (esp. in the Psalms).

So these are a few of the reasons I like this translation. So what is your favorite translation and why?

(Please let us keep this positive and not put down or trash anyone else’s favorite translation of the Holy Scriptures) 👍
 
I’ve given similar answers to similar questions before, so forgive my broken record. I love the RSV-2CE but I am away from home most of the day and use public transportation so my Bible has to be portable. Also, it’s just easier for me to handle and read a smaller Bible than the giant RSV-2CE. That means the compact RSV-CE. Wow, the entire Bible in my bag! I have both the maroon zipper type which is great for throwing in your bag, and the Pacific Duvelle cover which is easier for flipping back and forth (I carry one or the other; not both at the same time!). After using it for some time, I think I now prefer the text over the 2CE especially since I grew up in “Thee and Thou Land”.
 
RSV-CE. I have a maroon zippered compact version similar to if not the same as the one Russ speaks of, as well as a larger one at home. The compact version comes with me when I’ll be out for the day, when I’m traveling, and when I go to Adoration.

My primary reason for favoring this translation is simple: I just like the way it reads. I also have a lot of Protestant friends, and I’m married to a Protestant. I’ve always found it easier to talk with them about the Bible, and the Church’s interpretation thereof, when using the RSV-CE over the other translations I own and am familiar with.
 
I use the King James Version. I have a cheap basic edition from Thomas Nelson with no notes but a minor dictionary, and I pair this with a standalone Apocrypha from Cambridge. i was raised on the KJV, and in many passages, I have found that no other translation can match the beauty of the KJV rendering. I have also found that it provides, within my circle of acquaintances, friends and family, a nice base text.
 
I like the RSV-2CE, although right now I’m reading some from the NAB because of not having the Old Testament of the RSV. The RSV seems to be easier for verse memorization. That’s what is remembered most when praying the Rosary.

And, is it just me or does St. Paul’s letters read like a Bishop who really loved his flock more in the RSV-CE than in other translations? Maybe that’s an influence from listening to the Truth & Life Audio Bible NT. 🤷
 
Which is my “primary”?

Let’s see…

I have NAB on my coffee table, douy rheims on my night stand, new Jerusalem in my office cubicle, rev in my Carr, all plus the Jewish bible on my kindle.

So, while i have and use many bibles, i would say all of them have the same “primary translation”’ …
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        That being the translation given in my heart by the LORD.
Peace and all good.
 
I tend to read the NAB most often, although I use the RSV-2CE if I’m looking for footnotes or want a different perspective on a biblical metaphor. I prefer the RSV-2CE, but alas, it is not used in the Church’s liturgy.
 
Russ_of_Tokyo said:
I’ve given similar answers to similar questions before, so forgive my broken record. I love the RSV-2CE but I am away from home most of the day and use public transportation so my Bible has to be portable. Also, it’s just easier for me to handle and read a smaller Bible than the giant RSV-2CE. That means the compact RSV-CE. Wow, the entire Bible in my bag! I have both the maroon zipper type which is great for throwing in your bag, and the Pacific Duvelle cover which is easier for flipping back and forth (I carry one or the other; not both at the same time!). After using it for some time, I think I now prefer the text over the 2CE especially since I grew up in “Thee and Thou Land”.
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If I need a larger print Bible I will use the RSV-CE, it comes in large and giant print editions. Unfortunately, I don’t think that Ignatius Press has any plans to release a large print (11-14) anytime soon. 🤷 If anyone has any information to the contrary, please post it.
 
HillbillyHermit said:
I And, is it just me or does St. Paul’s letters read like a Bishop who really loved his flock more in the RSV-CE than in other translations? Maybe that’s an influence from listening to the Truth & Life Audio Bible NT. 🤷
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IMHO, Paul’s letter’s have always sounded clearer in the RSV/CE/2CE translation to me. Some other translations (more dynamic) try to interpret in the text by adding more words, this to me can bog down a translation, and it some instances make it harder to understand.
 
bearer said:
I tend to read the NAB most often, although I use the RSV-2CE if I’m looking for footnotes or want a different perspective on a biblical metaphor. I prefer the RSV-2CE, but alas, it is not used in the Church’s liturgy.
Click to expand...
I use the NAB for my Bible study class, because it is the Bible that most people have. I like the NABRE, after the RSV-CE/2CE, it would second on my list of translations that I use.
 
RSV-CE and RSV-2CE. With the Saint Benedict editions, I have kinda leaned back to the original RSV-CE.

I still like the idea of a, well, “pure” RSV-CE even with some archaic language, which St. Benedict Press put out with new typesetting, section headings and words of Christ in red. Between the Scepter/blue Ignatius editions and the horrible typesetting and the St. Benedict, there have been no good “genuine” 1966 RSV-CE’s, although Oxford’s Reader’s Edition was close).
 
Overall, if I could only pick one translation it would be the RSV-2CE. However, the original RSV-CE comes in more attractive editions, most notably from Saint Benedict Press, and therefore I like actually reading from it more than the 2nd edition. With that being said, the NABRE is a considerable improvement over the previous edition, so we shall see what happens when the upcoming full revision of it is completed, sometime in 2022.
 
As said so many times before. This would all be solved if the RCC would put out a modern good quality Bible. Seems like all we have is Protestant versions with a CE at the end (RSV-CE or NRSV-CE). I end up using a combination of Confraternity NT, NASB and 66’ Jerusalem Bible.
 
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