Which Bible version for memorizing scripture?

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nissa_ami_kato

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I’m trying to decide which Bible version to use for memorizing Scripture texts. I’ve just finished reading ‘Riven’ by Jerry B. Jenkins and it inspired me to get back into memorizing Bible verses as I did during my Protestant childhood and youth.

Back then I loved the King James Version and wouldn’t have used any other version. Now I mostly use the Douay-Rheims which I have on my Kindle as well as a secondhand print copy, I also have a copy of the New American Bible.

I had thought maybe I ought to use the Bible version used at Mass, but I understand the NAB is being replaced by the NABRE and that discourages me as I’m thinking if it keeps getting revised and re-revised I’ll just have to keep re-memorizing so I might as well pick some other version.

I haven’t got a copy of the RSV-CE, I hated the RSV as a kid, it just seemed like a watered-down KJV.
 
nissa_ami_kato said:
I’m trying to decide which Bible version to use for memorizing Scripture texts. I’ve just finished reading ‘Riven’ by Jerry B. Jenkins and it inspired me to get back into memorizing Bible verses as I did during my Protestant childhood and youth.

Back then I loved the King James Version and wouldn’t have used any other version. Now I mostly use the Douay-Rheims which I have on my Kindle as well as a secondhand print copy, I also have a copy of the New American Bible.

I had thought maybe I ought to use the Bible version used at Mass, but I understand the NAB is being replaced by the NABRE and that discourages me as I’m thinking if it keeps getting revised and re-revised I’ll just have to keep re-memorizing so I might as well pick some other version.

I haven’t got a copy of the RSV-CE, I hated the RSV as a kid, it just seemed like a watered-down KJV.
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All signs are pointing you back to the KJV. Pray about it, God will lead you.
 
The KJV Bible is missing the Deuterocanonicals, though. (I do have a KJV study Bible I use for reading, but don’t really want to use the KJV for memorizing now that I’m Catholic.)
 
The KJV is also an older translation that can be misleading. King James also ordered a purposeful mistranslation of certain passages that went against his personal beliefs (and I guess those of the Anglican Church)… not to mention it is missing several books so it’s an incomplete Bible. On the plus side, it’s a better translation than the JW bible, but it’s still not that great. Even Eastern Orthodox Churches accept the deuterocanonical books, so the two oldest Christian Churches accept them but the newer ones do not. Interesting…
 
I would stick with your Douay-Rheims for memorizing–the beauty of the language is a powerful memory aid, afaic!👍
 
nissa_ami_kato said:
The KJV Bible is missing the Deuterocanonicals, though. (I do have a KJV study Bible I use for reading, but don’t really want to use the KJV for memorizing now that I’m Catholic.)
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I actually have the “apocrypha” as originally presented in the KJV from Barnes and Noble, but I am unaware if it is still available or not.
 
nissa_ami_kato said:
The KJV Bible is missing the Deuterocanonicals, though. (I do have a KJV study Bible I use for reading, but don’t really want to use the KJV for memorizing now that I’m Catholic.)
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Please… don’t fault the KJV for the way it’s usually printed in modern times. True, it may be tough to find one with the additional books, but that’s the fault of publishing companies and not the translators. If you’re memorizing from Matthew it makes not the slightest bit of difference if the book of Wisdom is within the same covers.

And let me assure you, if I ever swim the Tiber the KJV will be firmly strapped to my back in a watertight bag. 😉
 
Now I’m all tempted to go back to the KJV… I do have the ‘apocrypha’ of the KJV in a separate book, so I’m set if I want to memorize verses from those books. And I did to a lot of memorizing when I was young, I did the Topical Memory System from the Navigators, where you have the verses on little cards. I’m planning to make my own cards on my computer, just like one would make up business cards.

Right now I was planning to re-memorize Psalm 51— we learned it in seventh grade at a Christian school I attended— and the idea of going back the the KJV version for that at least is tempting…

I guess I was worried using the KJV wasn’t Catholic enough…
 
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