So, I'm the product of a liberal US education system that made it a mission to change reading from a fun activity into a grueling punishment. It was remarkably successful, and I've come to loathe breaking open the spine of a book.
Recent events in my life are causing me to become involuntarily agreeable towards bible study, I'm still sifting around for an app to help me, but in the meantime I consulted Grok on easier to read versions of the bible.
"The Bible can feel daunting, especially if reading’s been a slog in the past. For an easier-to-read version, go with the New Living Translation (NLT) or the New International Version (NIV)."
Would either of these be good for a neophyte to start with? Or is there another version that might work better?
Edit: I wake up all these replies! Thank you all so so so much! I'm definitely going to be looking at biblegateway and checking out some of these audibles, thank you all for helping down this path, god bless you all frens!
KJV
https://ttb.org/
That’s the only one I use.
The KJV is emotionally powerful. Other versions are, to me, flat and dry. Like television in comparison.
"The KJV is emotionally powerful. Other versions are, to me, flat and dry. Like television in comparison."
...indeed...
...a wee bit too "fiddling" with those "versions" for my liking,,,
Check out.
https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/
You can read different versions and see which version you like best plus compare the different translations.
I agree with Bible gateway as a great resource to find a good fit for you. The message is a translation that reads more like modern language, but a comparison of many versions is easily accomplished at the site Bible gateway.
The Great Adventure Bible organizes the books in a way that helps readers get past books such as Numbers/Leviticus which tend to bog readers down. The Bible in a Year podcast will help you get through everything in a year with explanations and uses that version. You’d put aside generally 15-20 minutes a day. I’m on my 4th go through. You can read along while the part for that day is being read. If you just want the reading plan, you can get it free from Ascension Press. This would work with any translation you wanted to use.
ESV , then graduate to KJV
My suggestion: Find a Bible with Jesus' own words highlighted in red, and begin your study by going straight thru the New Testament reading His words and ignoring all else.
It's an interesting project.
I have used the NIV and compared it to KJV in my past studies. A bible concordance may also be helpful.
5 years after the 1599 Geneva King James was so worried he decided to spend a boat load of money to have another translation ASAP. What was he worried about that the Pilgrims were reading and understanding ?
AZTrumpette1776 recommended YouTube channel Koinonia House and I would like to second that opinion and add a recommendation, listen/watch the series “Learn the Bible in 24 hours” if you have had very little instruction in the Bible. This overview by Chuck Missler will give you a nice breakdown of what is happening in various books as well as the highlights. Missler is one of those teachers that inspires you to learn and as you tackle each book you will already have a foundation as to what is going to happen in that book.
Amen.
I use the free Bible app, it is quite user friendly and you can toggle between versions and get a feel for the style you like. There are Bible studies, you can highlight and take notes, etc. it will even read it to you, I believe.
Also, most Salvation Army stores or other Christian thrift stores will give Bibles away for free.
Edit: https://versebyverseministry.org/ is also good.
Bible in a year is good for covering entire Bible in one year, in podcast format, which includes prayer and short talk on the readings each day.
NLT is easier to read in the sense that it uses modern English and units of measurements, etc., but occasionally misses some nuances. KJV uses thee’s and thou’s and older English word order and constructs. Some like it, some don’t.
Being Catholic myself, I will point out Catholic bibles have 73 books, Protestant ones only 66, due to several books that were dropped. Since the Bible itself doesn’t tell us which canon of books is correct, clearly some authority apart from scripture itself was or is still needed.
New King James keeps the scripture intact but changes the thee/thou to you. Makes it a little easier reading. I use the Olive Bible for my Bible app. It’s free and you can switch between translations, highlight and make notes.
I'm personally a fan of the NIV version. It's written in modern English and very easy to read.
What I would recommend you do is to go to a bookstore and spend some time comparing translations. Find one that resonates with you. Being that this is your first foray into the Bible, it is more important that you read it, than to get bogged down on which translation to choose. The best translation is worthless if it isn't one that makes you want to read it. After you've read it once, you can always try another translation later.
Oh, and just be aware that there are Catholic Bibles and Protestant Bibles. The Catholic Bibles will include a few more books than the Protestant Bibles will. If you need help, ask one of the booksellers.
I like NIV because it's easier English and absorb better..for those saying KJV I think when you have advanced a level or 2, you can read KJV and discover new things.. remember the Bible is Living word... doesn't matter if KJV NIV or in a different language... the word of God should resonate in you and lit up the fire in your soul.
Please don't read it like textbook or manual guide or research.. just read it like a story.. understand with your heart and not your brain and let your Holy Spirit guide you.
I would like to recommend a YouTube channel Koinonia House. I started with Ron Matsens Genesis playlist. Then moved to Chuck Missler going through Exodus. I'm now at Ron Matsens Joshua playlist. I am learning so so so much.
Ok. Gonna set you up with an epic scholar , Wess Huff : https://www.youtube.com/@WesHuff
He answers alot of questions and is a stellar reference, peeps here even turned me on to him, so I am doing the same.
Me, Been Ten years into one on one study and that is the way to go. I study with an elder from Jehovahs Witnesses. Many do not aggree, nor understand. Thats O.K. ! I studied with many others before and this person worked out for me beyond belief.
When you listen to Wes Huff, he tells you alot of detail, but in the end, he does say , JUST READ THE BOOK !.
I am not reducing things to that. I am offering my experience. So the Catholics are NOT where you want to be, they import their own stuff, which is very old and stale and thats just the start. The Venue, the Vatican is pure evil. Thats for you to discover if you go that route.
The word is the word and it gives an immense amount of SPECIFIC instruction.
Find it.
Because most religions are fake and are in it for influence, money or control. OR, they are satans lair like the Vatican.
Choose wisely, but read the book. The big thing about the Jehovahs Witnesses are they go by the book, they evolve. Why evolve ? Because every time you read the book, you , yourself evolve and understand more and its intricicies.
Thats where Wes comes in with the details, the interpretations, the transfer from one language to another. He also says, "Just read the book ". So the first version you get is not that important.
The thing is that you start and get on your way. Find a study partner or group. Hey you may not find it first shot. I had like ten of the best friends you can imagine and I did not end up with them in study. Not for any other reason than it was not right. The right teacher shows up when the student is ready. Thats the real deal. So GO FOR IT !.
Just be careful about simple rules, thats where the Jehovah Witnesses come into play, they make sure the first read through is pure and of the book and no fake rainbow religions. Then you can take that to the bank and be grounded and expand into other things also like I do. I study with my Jehovah Witness friend and Wes Huff. Wes is the super scholar detail and the Jehovahs are super insightful, pure Love, and so serious its sobering.
I cannot dial it all in yet to be honest, I am digesting, trying every day and improving every day and my insight is the best I can afford from over 40 years of exploring it ALL. Best Wishes and Do Be Careful !
Are you using the Jehovah witnesses bible to study?
As a suppliment to my previous rant, JW.ORG is a great resource for all things, Bible or questions etc. Your on a great path to higher self!
I am, however the Wes Huff is NOT comfortable with it. He has a segment on the deal. I am loose enough where I GET his point, however continue. I have other bibles that I reference. For example, Gods name is a big discussion, as is Jesus. I believe thats important because when you pray, the name is very important. When you understand we have 40K fake , false, satanic religions. . . they do not want you nailing prayer every time. So they do what they can to mislead and make sure you do not call God , by name and in full power. Do you think they , for example make an entire $200 Movie and during their 'off shoot' prayer shank the name of satan or whatever that dirtbag is called in the cult? No, they nail it. And people die, get eaten and their pineal glands get milked.
I am very concerned that you are learning false teachings. Maybe consider doing research in the differences found in the JW Bible and the KJV. Might also consider researching what JWs believe and how they differ from Biblical teaching.
You may walk away from your research even more committed to the JW belief system, maybe you won't be, but you will be making a more informed decision either way.
I recommend steering clear of the Watch Towers resources to answer those questions, obviously those are skewed. Just like it's good to watch CNN every once in a while to stay informed of what the other side is saying and doing, you might want to go to some Christian resources to get that perspective.
God Bless you in your search for Truth.
Thank You for sharing. Perhaps you could advise me further. What I have done is taken Wes Huffs comparison to the JW as you described. He does not get very in depth which is unfortunate. But he does reference the best translated bible and like you said, I do reference the two. I am not in any one camp. The JW partner is very good at explaning each section we study and that includes corrections the JW's have made along the way. They are ongoing and still learning. So your advice is very GOOD and I Appreciate you taking the time to care and share this with me. Wes Huff does not have a vast catalog, perhaps you know of some others that I could look towards as I study. I am moving very slow through the books so I can easily reference, and also the JW material is easily cross referenced. So I am very open to corrections and proper insights !! Thanks again !
I highly recommend Koinonia House. I have been working through the playlists. Started with Genesis and am now in Joshua session 8. The second link is another perspective regarding Jehovah Witness. Regardless, confirm everything via the Word of God.
https://youtube.com/@koinoniahouse
https://youtu.be/Kox1QCcaAsc
Thank You VERY MUCH ! This kind of dialouge is increadible and I really appreciate you taking the time to share friend !
Even more important I think than the version of the Bible is where you start reading. I would encourage you to focus first on the New Testament, specifically the 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), then Acts, then the various letters or epistles.
This will give you the core truths of Christianity, and some sense of the early Church.
The Old Testament is larger and contains a wide variety of different types literature: poetry, songs, proverbs, philosophy, history, prayer, wisdom, etc, and a neophyte can fizzle out trying initially to read the whole Bible on their own, cover to cover; though it can be done.
You need a good Bible first off And there’s a Bible series workbook my own Bible group uses to study the specific books.
The series is called Engaging in Gods Word. We are currently studying the workbook on Joshua and Judges. You can purchase these workbooks on Amazon.
You can work these out on your own as you read through your Bible. But the best way to get a lot out of what you read is to join a bible study group. I get some great insight from my fellow Christians in the group as we discuss what we read.
Don't discount audio Bibles. Even book by book. Hearing God's word spoken aloud is powerful.
Here are a few examples..
https://youtu.be/PKiAXVxOm6o?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/l9GKSceIips?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/lqCwZlP9qoc?feature=shared
I think the best way to start is to read the gospels which is at the heart of Christianity. From there you can read and listen to many great sermons based on the gospels, often linking back to earlier books like the prophets which you can read for context. It’s very difficult to just start at Genesis as if reading any other book.
I used the NIV for years, but also used an Exhausive Concordance with it to do Hemeneutic study (using the Bible to reference itself). Both were open during deeper studies. Lately I've been using the pre-KJV 'Geneva Bible', originally published in the late 1500's.
You can find many translations on line, and compare on either 'The Blue letter Bible' or 'The BibleGateway'.
These referencing techniques are great, because, for instance, when Jesus talks about [keeping lamps filled with oil], or [new wine skins], you can see what previous importance those things had during events in the time of the Prophets or the Kings, or earlier.
Q speaks in such referencial code as well. So all this can help hone skills in studying drops, if you're inclined.
The Filament Bibles are helpful if you want more information on specific chapters and verses.
https://www.tyndale.com/lp/filamentbible?srsltid=AfmBOoodmscbVlrjfNZqRXOrM_KPtcuTmRt7cdIloGTfBF7RPbNFh_fx
You just scan the little icon on the Bible page and then choose what you want (videos, maps, notes, etc.)
Thank you for this! I just scanned comments to see if it was mentioned. I’ve just bought a new NLT with the Filament app Included.
I also think you can search within the app if your Bible is not a filament Bible. It has great explanations and back stories for the books of the Bible.
I think you're right about searching within the app. I haven't used it in a while since I'm in a structured Bible study class that has a workbook to go with our reading.
The KJV is the best. It was translated from the best manuscripts. You can get an electronic Bible that reads the Scripture to you and you can follow along. The two versions you mentioned in my opinion are not good because they leave out verses and some complete chapters. And they substitute words that completely change the meaning to the verse. If you stumble on understanding the meaning of words in KJV, a good dictionary and Strong's Concordance are handy tools to have. God bless you as you read His Word.
You can download the Audible app and listen to each book of the bible read and explained by Chuck Missler. Excellent way to absorb and understand the bible.
https://www.audible.ca/pd/The-Book-of-Genesis-A-Commentary-Audiobook/B07HKX6Z47?