This article will explore three main areas:
· - Is the King James Bible the Best/Most Accurate?
· -Translations That I Don’t Recommend, and Why
· - Three Great Translations, and Choosing Which One(s) Work Best for You
Is The King James Bible the Best/Most Accurate?
I got saved at around 10pm, on November 18, 1995. My friend led me to Christ at the kitchen table. He told me to only read the King James Bible. That was no problem for me, because the Bible I already had was a King James Bible. I didn’t know there was any other kind. The only Bibles I had ever seen up to that point all said “King James” on the spine.
I read through the King James Bible several times, and then in 1999, I was watching a Christian television show, and a guest came on, and said that other Bible translations are corrupt, because they are missing verses. I never paid attention to other Bibles, as I was still happily reading and re-reading in the same Bible I had when I got saved.
Then they put charts up on the screen, and this person claimed that translators of new versions are working for the devil, and removing important passages from the Bible. On the chart, I saw verses from the KJV, and next to them, it showed parts or all of these verses missing from new translations. I decided that I was okay, as I was already reading the KJV, and saw no reason to even look into the new translations.
Several years ago, the Lord lead me to the Young’s Literal Translation, and then a few years after that, He told me to start studying the Bible in the Greek, and go from there.
My life changed.
My gifting from the Holy Spirit of God is to teach and preach His Word to all people, of both genders, and all ages, but especially Christian adults who want to get deeper into the Word. Read the KJV, and it seems clear that women aren’t allowed to do that. For years, I said “The Bible says that women aren’t allowed to be pastors. If they were, I’d be one.”
I am now an ordained minister.
What changed? I studied the scriptures in the Greek. There are many women pastors in the Bible, and Paul actually DEFENDS women preachers, but you don’t see this in the KJV.
What about the missing verses in the new Bible translations? There aren’t any. Many of these “missing verses” have been found to be absent in the older Bible manuscripts. These passages were written into the margins as notes in later manuscripts, and some scribes mistakenly wrote those passages from the margins into the text. Many of the “missing verses” are actually repeats from other places in the Bible, where the scribe may have accidentally written it in there, because that’s how it was written earlier in the text.
If you are going to use “missing verses” as your smoking gun, then I’ve got news for you. The KJV is missing words, passages, and full sentences. Let’s take a look at the Wycliff translation from 1382:
Wycliff |
King James Version |
2 Sameul 21:19 |
2 Sameul 21:19 |
Psalm 14:3 3 All bowed away, (al)together they be made unprofitable; none is that doeth good, none is till to one (But they all have turned away, they all be made utterly unredeemable; there is no one who doeth good, no not one). The throat of them is an open sepulchre, they did guilefully with their tongues; the venom of snakes is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet be swift to shed out blood. Sorrow and cursedness is in the ways of them, and they knew not the way of peace; the dread of God is not before their eyes. |
Psalm 14:3 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. |
John 7:29 |
John 7:29 |
Acts 14:7 |
Acts 14:7 |
Romans 4:23 |
Romans 4:23 |
There are many more, but the above is enough of a sampling to show my point.
There are also words and phrases in modern versions which are missing in the KJV. Such as:
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition |
King James Version |
John 1:18 |
John 1:18 |
John 14:14 |
John 14:14 |
Acts 4:25 |
Acts 4:25 |
Acts 16:7 |
Acts 16:7 |
There are plenty more, but the above sampling suffices as an example.
As more and more older manuscripts have been found, we’ve been getting more accurate Bibles in the English. For example, the very old Dead Sea Scrolls corrected something that never made sense in the KJV, but now makes perfect sense:
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition |
King James Version |
Deuteronomy 32:8 |
Deuteronomy 32:8 |
There were no “children of Israel” at the Tower of Babel. They didn’t exist yet. But “the gods” existed, as God’s Divine Council. This makes other passages make sense, such as Daniel 10:13.
A massive inaccuracy with the King James Bible is that it is translated in patriarchal language, making women think they aren’t equal to men. (Complementarianism is a red herring.)
I therefore cannot recommend the KJV as an accurate translation for one to read or study from.
Translations that I Don’t Recommend, and Why
Unfortunately, many translations hide many Women of God in the Scriptures, either because they don’t translate certain words at all, or they change female names to male ones, even though the manuscripts have the female names. These versions will also add words that are not in the original languages, which change the meaning of important doctrines. We’ll take a look at some of this below, and will alternate in using some of the troublesome translations:
Troublesome Translations |
Better Translations |
Explanation |
Genesis 1:27 ESV |
Genesis 1:27 NRSVue |
The Hebrew word underlying
the ESV “man,” and the NRSVue “humans” is 'āḏām, which is
the Hebrew word for “human being.” It
doesn’t have a gender stipulation. |
Genesis 2:18 ESV |
Genesis 2:18 Darby 18 And Jehovah Elohim said, It is not good that Man should be alone; I will make him a helpmate, his like. |
The Hebrew literally says “I will make a helper before him.” If it were translated that way, instead of as “fit” like in the ESV, then perhaps more Christians would see the power of women. The word “helper” or “helpmate” is from the Hebrew word ʿēzer. This word is mostly used of God in the Old Testament, such as in Exodus 18:4, where it says “The God of my father was my help ʿēzer and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.” As you see, the woman wasn’t created to serve the man. She was created to go before him, and to help him in mighty ways, as God helps His people. |
Psalm 68:11 KJV |
Psalm 68:11 NIV 2011 |
The KJV obfuscates the fact that there were and are women proclaiming the Word of the Lord. |
Romans 16:1 NASB 2020 |
Romans 16:1 NRSVue |
The Greek underlying the
NASB “servant,” and the NRSVue “deacon” is diakonos, which is literally
“deacon” in English. |
Romans 16:7 NASB 1995 |
Romans 16:7 CEB |
This name is a Latin name, and it is the female name Junia. Junias would be a male name in that spelling, but the Latin name Junias didn’t exist. The NASB 1995 and similar translations literally changed the name of a prominent female apostle into a male name, changing the Word of God. |
1 Corinthians 11:10 ESV |
1 Corinthians 11:10 NIV 2011 |
Notice that the NIV 2011 doesn’t have “a symbol of.” That’s because that phrase is NOT in the original Greek! That phrase is purely added, and it completely changes the meaning of the first 16 verses of 1 Corinthians 11. “A symbol of” sounds like the woman is to wear a head covering as a symbol to show that she is under her husband’s authority (head means ‘source’ and not ‘authority,’ btw). However, when you are true to what the Word of God actually says, and don’t ADD to it, we see that this verse sums up and concludes that the woman has authority over HER OWN HEAD. As for “because of the angels,” see 1 Corinthians 6:3. – Women, along with men, will judge angels. The two verses after verse 10 emphasize that the head (source) of the woman is the same as the man’s – it is GOD. 1 Corinthians 11:10 actually teaches that Christian women have authority over themselves, but this is hidden, when the words “a symbol of” are added, and those words are not in the Greek. |
Ephesians 5:22 CSB |
Ephesians 5:22 TLV |
Notice the word “submit” is missing from the TLV. This is because the most reliable manuscripts don’t say “submit” here. This word is added. Verse 22 is supposed to go along with verse 21, where it teaches mutual submission. In the marriage both partners submit to each other. This is also taught in 1 Peter 3:7. |
Colossians 4:15 KJV |
Colossians 4:15 NIV 2011 |
The KJV changed this woman’s name to a man’s name. This Scripture is about a female pastor of her house church. |
2 John 1 KJV |
2 John 1 YLT |
The second letter of John was written to a woman who was a house church pastor named Kyria, which was a very common female name at that time. Most English versions don’t show this. |
There are literally hundreds of Scriptures I can show you, where women are hidden or removed from certain Bible translations. The above was a mere minute sampling. Versions that I’ve noticed remove women are: the King James Version, the New King James Version, the English Standard Version – probably the WORST – worse than the KJV, the Christian Standard Bible, The New American Standard Bible 1995 and 2020 and the older editions, the NIV 1984 and older editions, and many more. The translations I just mentioned, and ones like them, I recommend you stay away from. They are all translated with doctrinal slant towards certain denominations.
The above mentioned translations have also unfortunately lead
to abuse within the church, specifically of mislead (or sometimes downright
evil) patriarchal men, forcing women to do what they want – usually this is
sexual in nature. Women get raped or
molested in the name of God, because of poor translations and bad men who use
them to their advantage. Below is a
small sampling of two passages that are dangerous, when translated incorrectly.
Trouble Passage |
Explanation |
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 ESV
People will use this to say that women cannot have authority in the church, and nor can they have any at home, since if they want to learn something from the church, they have to ask their husbands at home. Some predators have used these verses to violate women at church, then say that the woman is not allowed to speak out about it, because women are “not permitted to speak, but should be in submission.”
|
Paul quotes various people in 1 Corinthians. He quotes the Corinthians themselves, and philosophers and poets, such as Menander. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is quoting Cato the Elder. The people in Corinth thought that they had to follow this teaching from Cato, so Paul quotes it in these two verses, thus what “as the Law also says” refers to. There is no “law” in the Bible that states this, so the ESV capitalizing “Law” here is misleading. The law was a cultural one, not one in the Bible. Paul responds to this quote from Cato the Elder by saying: 36” Did the word of God originate with you? Has it come only to you?” CEB >Did God command that women be silent in the churches? No. A man did.< 37-38 "If anyone thinks that they are prophets or “spiritual people,” then let them recognize that what I’m writing to you is the Lord’s command. If someone doesn’t recognize this, they aren’t recognized." CEB >Paul is saying that what he is teaching is the word of God, but what they were saying from verses 34 and 35 are the words of just a man – probably Cato the Elder.< 39 “So then, brothers and sisters, use your ambition to try to get the gift of prophecy, but don’t prevent speaking in tongues.” CEB >Both men are women are encouraged to speak in the church. Paul is defending women speaking in the church, not condemning it.< |
1 Timothy 2:12 NKJV
Predatorial men have taken this verse to women who think they are following the Bible, and show them that they (men) have authority over them (women). The predator tells the woman that she has to do what he says, because he is in authority, and she is sinning if she doesn’t obey him. He says she is not allowed to speak out, because she is supposed to be “in silence.”
Patriarchal churches will run to this verse, and say that it teaches that women are under the authority of men, and are not allowed to be pastors or leaders. |
This is NOT what this verse says in the Greek! The ISV is much closer to the Greek. It says: 12 “Moreover, in the area of teaching, I am not allowing a woman to instigate conflict toward a man. Instead, she is to remain calm.” ISV >This verse is about how the women were going from house to house, teaching Artemis worship (1 Tim. 5) and they are also misleading their own husbands, as Eve mislead Adam – thus the verses that follow verse 12. This verse is specifically about the wives who were new to Christianity not trying to draw their husbands away from Christianity. This was a local problem in Ephesus – not in all churches.< |
Three Great Translations, and How to Choose What’s Best For You
There are many great translations I can recommend, such as the International Standard Version, however the ISV (ISV 2.0) and many of these great versions are either not available in print form, or are very hard to find or get. Therefore I’m going to recommend three translations that are superb, and fairly easy to get in print form, especially off of ChristianBook.com, or Amazon.com.
1)
Common English Bible - CEB. This Bible is GREAT. It is almost 100% gender accurate. If you are looking for an easy to understand
Bible, that converts measurements and distances into English equivalents, and
instead of using formal churchy language, uses common words at about the
reading level of a standard newspaper, then the CEB may be for you.
However, if you would like to have some more accurate terms, such as Deacon,
instead of Servant, and Overseer instead of Supervisor, then you may want to
try one of the other below translations.
2) New International Version, 2011 edition – NIV 2011. The 1984 NIV is horrible, but the 2011 edition is surprisingly great. The NIV 2011 does a great job in more properly translating 1 Corinthians 11:10 and 1 Timothy 2:12, but it is only about 75% gender accurate. Also, if you want to dive deep into things more about the sprit realm, such as the Divine Council, Sheol/Hades, and Shades, then you’ll want to try the next translation…
3)
New Revised Standard Version updated edition –
NRSVue. The NRSVue is a new translation,
which first came out in electronic format in 2021, then began coming out in
print in 2022/2023. There are new study
Bibles and more NRSVue Bibles coming out, or soon to come out. According to Zondervan:
“With revisions based on new textual evidence, historical insights, and
linguistic precision, the NRSVue delivers a translation of Scripture based on
meticulous care for accuracy and readability.”
The NRSVue is a literal translation, and wonderfully done. It is more academic than the CEB and the
NIV2011, but it’s also the most accurate.
NOTE: Only the Common English Bible of the above three translations properly translates gender accurateness in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Most Bible translations add the pronoun “he” and related in these chapters, in regards to church leaders, but there are NO masculine pronouns in those passages in the Greek. The CEB stays true to the Greek, and doesn’t add to the word of God, by adding “he” where it isn’t in the Greek.
Hopefully one of the above translations has gotten your attention, and you are interested. If you’re like me, you’ll use all three. I love all of them, but I think my favorite is the NRSVue.