Which Bible Translation is your Favorite?

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Ok, I know it has been discussed elsewhere that people use several versions of the Bible-one for reference-and one for reading but what is your favorite? Possibly the one you think best incorporates accuracy and readibility.

This should be intresting!

God Bless,
 
peace be with you! for me there is no question…it is the Ignatius Bible (RSV-CE). i love it. i can read it both for prayer and study trusting that it is close enough to the originals to get the sense of what is really going on. i have compared it with a few other versions and i really only like using that one. however, i do hope that at some point in my life i could learn the greek and hebrew!
 
Me too…I love the RSV-CE but I keep a copy of the NAB ‘just cause’

PS-Hope this hasn’t already been done…if it has…woops…forgive me please. Also I forgot to put this on my origional post:

IF YOU VOTE OTHER PLEASE LIST YOUR CHOICE 😃

That’ll help us see where you’re coming from.

Thanks, and excuse my stupidity please.
 
I’m not sure what translation it is, but it is the Catholic Youth Bible that I enjoy the most.
 
I own both the Ignatius and Douay-Challoner…I personally prefer the Douay…but, they’re both great.
 
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mjdonnelly:
I’m not sure what translation it is, but it is the Catholic Youth Bible that I enjoy the most.
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It’s the New American Bible.
 
I’ve been bouncing back and forth between the NRSV and NASB. I like the NASB best. George
 
My favorite for readability and fidelity is the RSV-CE (c1966), but I like the NAB and Jerusalem Bible notes. I also like the Douay Rheims when it comes to a standard, but the old language is sometimes difficult. The Catholic Youth Bible I used with a CCD Confirmation class a couple of years ago has some interesting comentaries, but some of those are questionable, and as the preface says, “it offers the fruits of the best biblical scholarship in the idiom of today while being sensitive to the contemporary concern for inclusive language when referring to human beings.” As I’ve commented in other threads, when catholics make great efforts to be “sensitive” to “contemporary concern for inclusive language” we are feeding into femininity/masculinity debates that can only cause friction and division. Since we have official guidance on what the norms should be, let’s not go there.
 
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agname:
I also recommend for people to invest in the New Jerome Biblical Commentary…if you don’t have it already.

amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0136149340/qid=1086508333/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-3109295-0880640?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
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Personally, I would not recommend this commentary, especially for people just starting out in Bible Study. It is imbued with the Modernist influences of it’s main contributor and editor Fr. Raymond Brown (who also granted HIMSELF an imprimatur !). It’s a lot of money for something that may end up damaging someone’s faith, IMHO. Instead, I would recommend both the *Navarre Bible * series or The Ignatius Study Bibles, available at most Catholic bookstores or at amazon.com.
 
The Navarre Bible and St Ignatius Bibles have the best study notes, articles, and commentaries.

The New Jerome Commentary and NAB articles leave much to be desired.

A good book on the subject is Scripture Matters by Scott Hahn
 
For private reading I prefer Msgr. Ronald Knox’s translation. It is long out of print.
 
This is tough for me. Of the ones listed I would have to say the New Jerusalem Bible. (The translation, NOT the notes :nope:).

My favorite is probably a tie between the New American Standard and the English Standard Version. Both are literal translation well-regarded by many, although they don’t contain the deuterocanonicals (which even as a Protestant I enjoy reading from time to time).
 
Depends on what you mean by “translation” – Because I enjoy exercising my Latin, for private devotion I often turn to the Vulgate. 👍

For other matters, I often turn to the NAB, not because I find the translation particularly good 😦 , but because it is the version I am most likely to find in liturgical use.
 
For a literal translation, I like the New American Standard Bible. While it is Protestant, its literal nature makes little room for theological interjection. I find the New American Bible very readable, but I gnash my teeth when I read some of the absurdities in the notes and introductions.
 
i love the NAB, but the 1971 version - it is much more lyrical and romantic in its interpretation and it took me quite a while to find it…

otherwise, i enjoy the NRSV - CE for the same reasons.

~peace~
 
It depends on how and why I am reading at the moment. I love the flow of the language in the Jerusalem Bible( don’t care for the PC New Jersualem), The RSV-CE for study and and ecumenical conversations, the KJV for the poetic beauty of the Psalms and the NAB for Church occassions since it is the text normally used for the Liturgy.

So I guess I can’t make a single vote.
 
I would recommend the New Living Translation to anyone. Also, The Message is an amazing Bible. THese are both good for personal reading. For studying I would recommend the NAS.
 
For ease of reading and good organization of the material, I prefer the NAB. For an authoritative translation, the RSV-CE. I wish someone would print the RSV-CE in a user-friendly version. The Ignatius version is awful with its razor-thin pages, smooshed-together type, no chapter headings, few notes, and difficult-to-use cross-references. It’s almost impossible to find a verse you’re looking for in there if you don’t know the chaper and verse off the top of your head. Often, I’ll flip through the NAB looking for it, then go to the RSV for an authoritative translation with chapter and verse from the NAB.
 
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