How do you know for sure which bible translation is most accurate?

There are several versions of the holy bible,like king james version with different years with different meanings. Also The Jehova Witness bible. How can you tell which one to go by? Which translation is proven to be most accurate.

First, take a look at the translator’s introduction in the front of a translation. Most will tell you whether they aimed for accuracy, readability, or something else. Because of the differences in grammar between English and the original languages, a 100% accurate word for word translation would be almost impossible to read.

For example, the Greek language uses almost no pronouns, but indicates the pronoun by changing the ending of verb of the sentence. There is no way to do that in English. Greek puts the nouns before the adjectives, meaning they would say “house yellow” rather then “yellow house”.

There are several translations that are very accurate. Those will have names like “The Young’s Literal Translation”, or “The Englishman’s Interlinear Translation” (which is so word-for-word that it has to number the words in a suggested reading order for most people to understand it). Those kind of Bibles are usually only sold in the section with Hebrew and Greek Bibles, commentaries, and other high level study material.

Probably the best “readable” word for word is the New American Standard Bible. It does an excellent job of being as word for word as it can, but still make it understandable.

There are other popular translations, such as the New International Version, which trade off some of the word for word for readability. I would recommend either it or the New King James as a good starter Bible. They do an excellent job of balancing between “word for word” and readability.

Then there are “translations” like the Message Bible and the New Living Bible. But are “paraphrases”. Neither is an attempt to translate the Bible word for word, but rather though for though. They can be an interesting read, and by using contemporary language and expressions can make you think about many of the verses in a new way. But neither are intended as a “study” Bible. They are closer to a commentary and will tell you that in their introductions.

If you are looking for the “best” Bible, may I recommend that purchase a “Parallel” Bible. There are several on the market. They will usually include the KJ Bible, a modern more readable version, one of the more literal translations, and a paraphrase all in one book side by side. That way you get the best of all four. When you actually compare the text, you will find that the differences between the versions is style, not content. They all have the same meaning, they just use different styles for translating it.

Finally, there is the JW’s translation. I am able to read the original Hebrew and Greek from which all Bibles are translated. The JW’s New World is one of the poorest translations I have ever found. It alters entire passages, drops phrases, inserts phrases, and totally mistranslates many many sections. If you are unsure, may I recommend that you place it next to ANY four or five other translations and compare them. You will find the New World translation will vary – not just in style – but in content and context widely from all the other versions.

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