Occasionally after a Bible study session someone will ask me “What is the best Bible translation?” I am tempted to say, “the one you will actually read.” With a very few exceptions all Bible translations are attempts to be accurate and convey the biblical material faithfully. That having been said, the process of translation is a difficult one. There may not be an exact equivalent for a word or phrase between two different languages. Structure in one language may be missing in another language. Even within a language usages may change over time and culture. British English and American English can be startlingly different. Old English works can require a translation to be fully available to moderns. Translation purposes can vary as well. Does the translation intend to convey the structure and vocabulary of the original or does it intend to convey the meaning in modern idiom or does it combine the two in some form? Different translations may be suitable to different groups. A translation of the bible in Basic English attempted to convey the Bible’s message with a limited vocabulary for those whose vocabulary was limited. Paraphrases like the Living Bible or the Message attempt to restate the meaning of the text while translations like the New American Standard Bible, the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, or the English Standard Bible try to stick closer to the text. The Authorized version (King James Version) preserves the familiar language of the 1611 translation. My advice is read them all. The all will help expose the richness of the biblical text. But whatever you do “Read your Bible.”