Which Bible Translation Should I Use?

First, a reassurance: the existence of many English translations is not a sign that the Bible is unreliable or that the truth has been lost. Nearly all mainstream translations are the honest work of scholars rendering the same Hebrew and Greek text into readable English, and on every teaching that matters, they agree. Translation is a normal, good, and necessary thing—when Ezra’s helpers read the Law, they “gave the sense, so that the people understood” (Nehemiah 8:8). That is what a translation does.

Translations mainly differ in philosophy. Some aim for word-for-word closeness to the original (“formal equivalence”—the ESV, NASB, and the classic KJV lean this way); others aim to convey the meaning in natural, contemporary phrasing (“dynamic equivalence”—the NIV sits in the middle, the NLT further along). For serious study, a more literal translation is generally preferable, because it keeps you closer to what the text actually says and lets fewer interpretive decisions be made silently for you. For first-time reading or reading aloud to children, a smoother translation can help.

A good general recommendation for most readers is a faithful, essentially literal translation in current English—the ESV is a common choice among confessional Lutherans, and the NKJV and NASB are solid as well. Paraphrases like The Message can be worth a glance for a fresh angle but should not be your main or study Bible, since they lean heavily into one person’s interpretation.

But do not let the search for the “perfect” translation become an excuse. The best translation is, in a real sense, the one you will actually open and read. A dusty, technically superior Bible on the shelf profits no one; a well-worn faithful translation makes you “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Pick a trustworthy one, and read it.