Howard Long, a Seattelite engineer for General Electric, saw a growing need for a Bible every day people could read and understand. He saw people struggle to read and understand the KJV and knew he needed to do something. Long was the kind of person whose conversations often turned toward faith, and who wanted everyone to know and have a relationship with Jesus. He was not a scholar of Theology but his love of the gospel sparked the desire to create the NIV so that everyone could learn about God’s love, power, and salvation in a way they could understand.
Long reached out to many scholars, which then led to extensive communication between them, Christian publishers, churches, missions organizations and Bible societies. This caused the National Association of Evangelicals to start their own committee and investigation. In 1961 the two committees came to work together, and in 1965 a Bible Translation Conference was held.
What was the NIV translation process?
In 1955, Howard Long began his journey for a modern English Bible that he could trust. Ten years later the translation of the NIV was commissioned. In 1968 Biblica financed the translation. In 1969 “The Gospel According to John: A contemporary Translation” was published. After Zondervan agreed to be their sole publisher in 1971, they published the New Testament only two years later with their new name, the New International Version (NIV).
In 1976, Zondervan brought back Biblica in an effort to help with financing. Two years later, in 1978, the completed New International Version was published. In 1984, after only 6 years of publication, the translation was revised and a Study version was released one year later in 1985. In 1986, NIV became the “Best Selling Bible in Modern English”.
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In 1996 there was a children’s NIV Study Bible published, another revised copy in 2005 to incorporate contemporary gender language, and a fully revised version in 2011. The 2011 version includes some updated language in order to keep it modernized. 2017 saw the publication of the famous “thinline” NIV Bible, making it easier on the eyes and more comfortable to hold.
Why was the NIV translated?
On their website, NIV says this about the philosophy of their translation, “When the books of the Bible were first written, they spoke clearly to people in their heart language. There was no gap between hearing God’s Word and understanding it. The translation philosophy of the New International Version (NIV) is to recreate this experience for you in contemporary English.”
They believed that there should be a version that can be easily read and understood. Where many translations focus on the eloquence of the form, grammar, and word orders of the original languages, the NIV was approached with the understanding that no two languages follow the same sets of rules. They saw it as more than just replacing words from one language with another, but instead as a means to help the reader grasp the meaning of the Scriptures and message of the Bible in clear, transparent, and modern English.
According to a 2014 study from The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture and Indiana University and Purdue University, the NIV was the second most-read version. In 2019, according to Christian Book Expo, NIV is now ranked as the #1 selling translation, with KJV at #2.
What is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation?
The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) comes from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), which is an Optimal Equivalence or Moderate translation. Their belief was that the form should not be separated from its meaning. Holman Bible Publishing assembled a team of over 100 scholars from around the world and from 17 different denominations. They completed the New Testament in 1999 and the full Bible in 2004.
1984 saw Arthur Farstad, the general editor for the NKJV, begin a new translation project based on the same texts used for the NKJV. When Farstad died 5 months into the work, the project halted and leadership transferred hands. The text used for the NT changed to the Koine Greek (Novum Testamentum Graece) instead of the Greek Majority Text, which Farstad had helped write.
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From HCSB to CSB
The original CSB was to be published by LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) which is why we know it as Holman Christian Standard Bible.
In 2017 Holman Bible Publishers joined Lifeway and became B&H Bible Publishing. CSB translation was then released as an update to the HCSB. The revisions include using ‘Lord’ in place of ‘Yahweh’ for God’s personal name, in a return to the traditional practice seen in other English Bible versions, along with some other updates.
Should I use the CSB translation?
The Christian Standard Bible translation was translated with the support of many denominations and focused on being accurate and readable. The time it took to complete the translation speaks to the dedication given to the work. Moderate translations can be great for beginner Bible readers and are great companion translations to thought-for-thought translation.
What is the Lexham English Bible (LEB) translation?
Lexham English Bible (LEB) calls itself "your second Bible". It is a moderate Bible translation that Lexham says complements other translations as a sort of study buddy translation. Its purpose is to help readers make sense of complicated terminology, idioms, and phrases in the more literal translations while remaining moderately literal. It is also a great translation to begin interlinear studies to cross-examine the original texts to English.
The simplicity of this translation allows for an easier first step into the original languages. Lexham recommends using this translation with software such as the Logos Bible Software. The translators prided themselves on having extremely transparent translation processes, again referencing the Logos Bible Software.
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Why was the LEB translated?
The Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible and the Lexham Greek-English Interlinear New Testament were used for this translation. Many translations are started with the mission of creating a more literal or accurate translation. The Lexham English Bible, however, was always intended to be used alongside your primary Bible in order to gain a new perspective and understand the difficult texts better.
Should I use the LEB translation?
This translation is definitely not intended to be the go-to, day-to-day Bible. Lexham is designed specifically to be a companion for people navigating the original Biblical languages. Pairing this translation with a word-for-word translation may give a better overall picture of scripture.
We live in an incredibly fast paced world. It is a world of “me”, “now”, “want”, “desire”. It is too easy to get caught up in this mentality, and get carried off by the pace of society and absorbed into the instant gratification mentality.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
When we rest in the knowledge that God always taking care of us, we are reminded that there are so many benefits to sticking to His plan rather than going with the flow of the world. Rest your trust in God who provides for all of our needs and gives us the desires of our heart, which when our heart is focused on seeking God never lacks satisfaction, peace and joy. Thirst for the Lord above everything else. It is a challenge we all face as visitors on this earth but remember your home is with God and that take a lot of patience, faithfulness, obedience, and hope.
What is the Revised Standard Version (RSV) Bible translation?
Both the RSV and NRSV Bible translations are Word-for-Word translations. The Revised Standard Version (RSV) was published in 1952 as an authorized revision of ASV, which as we learned in a previous study was a revision of the KJV translation. One of the pivotal focuses of RSV is that the translators wanted it to be a copy of God's word that was truly appropriate for everyone in personal use, worship, study, and instruction.
It was developed to be an all-purpose translation for any type of use. They took the language of the KJV and, rather than updating it to a more modern language, they preserved the beautiful language and simplified it for a better everyday reader's experience.
RSV happened to be the only English translation that included standard Protestant canon, as well as the "Apocryphal", or "Deuterocanonical", books that were traditionally used by Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches. In 1989 a revised version, the NRSV, began. Both the RSV and NRSV were prepared by the National Council of Churches (NCC), an organization of 35 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, African-American, and other denominations.
What is the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible translation?
NRSV is widely used and recommended by Protestant and Catholic churches. It was made available in a standard edition that can be found with or without the Apocrypha, a Roman Catholic version that does include the "Apocryphal", or "Deuterocanonical", books in the Roman Catholic canonical order, and The Common Bible which is a combination of the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox canons. NRSV is accepted and authorized by a large portion of Protestant, Catholic, and Greek Orthodox churches throughout the US and Canada.
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The NRSV ended up updating some of the languages from KJV, such as Thee, Thou, wast, dost, and more. They replaced words whose meanings had drastically changed since the release of RSV in order to improve the accuracy and continue to preserve the original meanings. Improvements were also made in areas where gender was specified in the original texts and had been inconsistent in RSV.
While this translation and its revisions are highly esteemed by Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant believers it is condemned by many others, such as C. P. Lincoln, A.M., Th.D., who feels it is filled with the translating scholars’ own personal points of view as well as some heretical views. There is an additional claim that NCC, the translating foundation, and publishers of RSV and NRSV were found to be unbiblical.
In his article “A Critique of the Revised Standard Version”, C. P. Lincoln, A.M., Th.D. states that some, but not necessarily all, of the translators of RSV “depart from the true doctrine” in areas such as denial of the divine inspiration of the original scriptures, of the virgin birth of Jesus, of Jesus as Deity, of many historical events throughout Scripture, a contradiction of the Trinity, questioning the character and authenticity of OT prophecies, Psalms, and the Gospel of John, and much more. Some may say this does not mean these scholars could not have produced an unbiased translation, but some also claim RSV and NRSV as unreliable and inaccurate translations.
Should I use the RSV or NRSV translations?
RSV and NRSV seem to be the most controversial Word-for-Word translations of Scripture. Depending on where you stand it may be put aside as inaccurate, or it may be what you rely on. There is a lot more information to be discovered about these translations in order to make the best decision for you.
If God came to you and said He was buying you everything on your Amazon Wishlist, would you start thinking of what you want next, or would you be content and appreciate the things you have? Would you appreciate the things more, or the grace that provided it? We live in an incredibly materialistic world. This is a world of “me first” and “I want it, so I will have it” but Jesus teaches us a different lesson.
When we seek the Giver more than the given we lack for nothing. Everything we have is from the Lord, but when we focus on those want, want, wants we forget where they come from. We think we earned them, we worked for them, we got them of our own accord - but we would have nothing if it weren’t for the grace of God.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
The Lord will provide for all of our needs and we will lack for nothing in His care. Bring your focus back to Him who gives all good things and you will never be left wanting. You will be left feeling inexplicably content with all you have, knowing it is from Him who values and loves you.
Sometimes it's hard to know how to pray and what to say. Sometimes we aren't sure how we feel, or we have so much moving around in our minds we can't slow it down enough to tell God about it. Sometimes we just feel so drained, so empty that we can't even find the words to Express the emptiness. Sometimes we just need some help just to understand what's going on inside ourselves.
It's okay not to be okay. It's okay to not know what you need. It's okay to need help. It's okay to pray even when you can't find the words.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
Sometimes, we just need to lean on God more and let Him sort through the chaos and fill the emptiness.
We don't know everything, nor were we meant to handle everything on our own. When life gives you lemons, let God make lemonade out of it. Then drink that refreshment and be filled with His peace. God has so much to offer you. When you turn your focus back to Him and lift up your stress, anxiety, chaos, depression, hurt, suffering, struggles, finances, relationships, and your whole life up to Him, He will work wonders in and through you. Let Him use you. Allow yourself to be His vessel.
It's okay to not know how, you only need to open yourself to Him and let Him do the heavy lifting.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
What is the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation?
New American Standard Bible, NASB, is prized as the most literal word-for-word English Bible translation. It was originally completed by The Lockman Foundation in La Habra, CA in 1971. The translation ended up getting a refresh in 1995 for clarity, grammar, vocab, and sentence structure updates. It was then updated again in 2020, which we will study at a later time.
In the 1995 update, the translators compared parallel passages in order to update their uses within each specific context. They also modified some paragraphing and punctuation, and added some new manuscript notes. Use of Thee, Thou, Thy, and other archaic and difficult word orders was updated to more modern English.
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Using literal translation principles they based their translation on KJV and ASV. New research and resources that had come available for them to study were also utilized. Hebrew texts used were Rudolph Kittel's Biblia Hebraica, Dead Sea Scrolls, lexicography, and cognate language. Greek texts used were 26th Edition of Eberhard Nestle's Novum Testamentum Graece.
Who translated the NASB?
It took ten years for the nearly 20 conservative Bible scholars to complete the original version of 1971. These scholars utilized their combined variety of denominational backgrounds, degrees, theology, and languages. It took three years to complete the revision of 1995.
There was a variety of denominational backgrounds, but all of the scholars believed that the words of scripture were inspired by God and needed to be preserved. They put rigorous review processes in place in order to ensure the final product would be accurate and honoring to the original texts.
Should I use the NASB translation?
They referenced the most recent research of the time and the oldest and most reliable manuscripts available. The original order of words and phrases was translated where it would be acceptable in English. Where it was unacceptable in English they used modern idioms. The literal rendering was included in the margins.
The NASB is an incredibly literal yet modernized English translation. The goal was to honor the original texts while letting the reader be the interpreter. It is used in many popular children's Bibles and can be helpful to early readers.
The Bible has been translated and revised many times in English. The goal of ESV is to provide an English Bible that corresponds with changes in culture, the English language, definitions, and writing styles. Most importantly, it focuses on keeping up with the increased knowledge of the original texts and relevant cultures to improve the accuracy of the English translation.
The English Standard Version is a word-for-word or literal translation that follows the same translation philosophies of the KJV and ASV while taking into consideration differences between the original languages and English.
What is the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible translation?
The English Standard Version was published in 2001. The translators used KJV, ASV, RSV, RV, and Tyndale’s NT. They also heavily cross-referenced against the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic to help ensure accuracy and clarity. The translators also wanted to avoid any over-translating or overlooking of any variations.
Sentences, punctuation, and paragraphing were translated so that they flow well in English. The repetitiveness of words like “and”, “but” and “for” were kept intact to avoid diminishing the flow of the scriptures. In areas where gender is specified in the original languages, ESV captures those instances. Previous losses of gender specification were corrected, and specifications, where the original texts did not indicate gender, were removed.
Why was the ESV translated?
Crossway, the copyright owners of the English Standard Version, state in the preface of the printed ESV Bible “faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of accuracy were combined with simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression.” Crossway wanted to update the language for the new modern-age reader while keeping to the accuracy and honoring the dignity of the well-loved and trusted translations before it.
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Should I use the ESV translation?
The translators took great care in how they approached important terms such as names for God and naming Christ. Words that have completely different meanings now than they did when the original texts were written, capitalizations of deity pronouns, and the term “behold” were a focus for the translators.
The goal was to honor the original languages and meanings and translate them into the most accurate modern English. Accuracy and flow certainly seem to be the biggest focus with the ESV. This makes it a well-loved translation for its modern readability with accuracy and literalness.
Who are you when you're at home, in your comfort zone? Who are you behind a keyboard? Who are you at work or school? Who are you with your friends, family, strangers?
I am sure you've heard the saying you should "practice what you preach". It feels like a hit to the pride if it's ever been directed at you, but it actually holds some real value. See, God knows who we are, truly. He knows our inwards most being, He know the things we hide from the public eye, and He knows how we are when were comfortable. He sees us as we truly are.
When we come to God as our true selves and are the truest versions of ourselves with Him it is much easier to be ourselves with the rest of the world.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord , plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
God doesn't want us to hide. He wants us to have pure integrity by being who He designed us to be in every aspect of our lives. It can take a lot of work to figure out who we are, but when we focus on who God intends us to be we will discover ourselves and become the best version of ourselves wherever we are, no matter who may or may not be watching. We can rest in the confidence that God designed us. He wove every piece of us together and He wants us to honor Him by being who He made us to be.
I spent much of my childhood bullied, beat up, and gossiped about. The people around me hated me and I started to believe the things they would say about me. I let their words chain me to a hatred for myself. I would ask God why He made me so ugly, so strange, and so despised. Their words hurt me badly.
Years later, I heard a sermon on 1 Peter that changed how I felt about all those hurtful words.
'Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. '
I didn't totally understand it yet, but I understood well enough that the hurt I felt for so long could not compare to the love Christ had for me and the healing powers of His kindness toward a broken, sinner like me. Christ loved me even when the world hated me, even though I was broken, even though I was hurting.
Kindness goes a long way and even when we feel no kindness around us we can find hope in the loving kindness of Christ. He is always there ready to help us, support us, love us, and heal us with His kindness and mercy. No matter how broken we feel or how damaged we think we are Jesus love us and is reaching out to heal our wounds and remind us how precious we really are.
Don't let the world convince you or your worth. Remember that your true value is with Jesus, who sacrificed Himself for you so that you can find healing in His love and kindness and a healthy, satisfying, blessed relationship with your Heavenly Father.
When you're feeling beaten, broken and hurt seek Jesus' healing kindness. He can heal any wounds you have and set you free of the pain you've been holding onto for so long.
Sometimes it is very difficult to know what to pray for, or what we need help with. It is hard to ask for direction when we don't know where we are going. Fortunately, we don't have to know everything because God already does.
'And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. '
We have the beautiful gift of the Holy Spirit that helps and guides us. When we lack the words to say and don't know how to pray, what to ask for, or where we need help the Holy Spirit knows our heart and intercedes for us with God. The Holy Spirit fills us up with God's peace, wisdom and grace and everything we lack.
If you are feeling overwhelmed or unsure you can trust in the knowledge that no matter what you are facing God knows the past, present and future and He also knows exactly what we need every step of the way. Lean on Him even when you don't know what to say to ask for, even when you don't know what to be thankful for, and even when you think you have everything you need. Seek Him and His love and guidance. Seek his purification in your heart and He will not let you down.
Have you ever felt rejected? Have you ever thought you would never be accepted anywhere, or by anyone? You ever think maybe you have gone too far, sin too much, broken too many "rules" to find peace or acceptance?
This is the lie Satan wants you to believe, but I promise you it is all far from the truth.
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
"Love covers a multitude of sins." In other words, love is unconditional. Love does not give up. Love prevails. Love has the power to bring you back to spiritual life, and God is the source of love. God loves us no matter how far we run away, how badly we mess up, and no matter how many people may reject us.
Think about this - Jesus was sent to earth to be rejected and sacrificed so that we could have a relationship with God. God wanted a relationship with us, us sinful creatures, so much that He sent His son to earth knowing what He would experience so that we could be with God. There was an incredible purpose to the suffering and rejection Jesus experienced. He was the most rejected man in existence, and now He sits at the right hand of God.
People are sinful, hurtful, hateful, dirty creatures. We need God and God wants us despite the filth and grime, despite the sin and human rejection we receive. God seeks us out even when the whole world rejects us, hates us, persecutes us. God went the furthest lengths possible in order to pull us close to Him. He made us special. He made us who we are. He made us to be in relationship with Him and He will do whatever He needs to in order to show you the love and blessings He has stored up for you.
With God, you are welcome even when the whole world feels like it is against you. You are never alone, never unloved, never lost. You are special to the God who created you because He simply loves and wants you no matter where you have been, no matter where you come from, no matter what you've done.
I want to challenge you for a moment to think of this differently than we normally do. We automatically relate this verse to loving others, but let's take a moment to think about self-love and self-care.
'And a second [commandment] is like [the first]: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. '
How can we love our neighbors if we don't first love ourselves? It is simple - not very well.
We usually think of self-care and selfish actions. We think that if we put ourselves first then we are selfish, so we neglect the self-care in an attempt to avoid that selfishness. The problem is not the actions of self-care, but the intentions. When we take care of ourselves, show ourselves love, allow ourselves to breathe, relax, enjoy things for the sake of our own amusement, but with the intention and purpose of taking care of and loving ourselves so that we can in turn love others better, treat others more kindly, tackle work, family, life less stressed and more productively - that is the right way to love yourself. Love yourself so that you can then love others better. If we don't love ourselves well, how can we possibly listen to commandment two and "love others are yourself"?
Selfishness is the opposite of love. Selfishness is not just putting yourself above everything else, your wants above others', but it is also the act of neglecting yourself for the sake of others. Neglecting your own needs tells God you don't trust His commands and teachings, and that you think you know better than He. It also says you don't trust God with your stresses, anxieties, and most importantly with your life. But let me tell you; when you let God lead you in every way and appreciate His teachings, listen and follow His instructions for your life, that is love.
'And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. '
Love God by being obedient, and by respecting and following His commands and instruction, which includes all kinds of ways to have self-care. So don't be afraid to take a step back, take a little "me" time, collect yourself, refresh, breathe, and appreciate yourself in a healthy, God-centered way. Self-love is important. Self-care is not selfish with the right motives.
When I was about 14 years old, a rebellious, depressed, and utterly miserable teenager my dad told me something that at first I scoffed at but later would change a vital piece of my outlook on life.
"You can choose to be happy, or you can choose to be miserable. That is your choice and only you can make that choice for yourself."
I thought he was crazy. How could I be happy in such unhappy circumstances? He couldn't possibly understand what it was like, how hard it was to find happiness in my chaotic life. But after years of being completely hateful and resentful I grew completely exhausted of being upset all. the. time. And all of a sudden his words started to make sense.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.
We have a choice. We can choose to be at peace in our circumstances or we can choose to deny the blessings we do have in the midst of chaos. Everyone has trials, everyone suffers, everyone faces their own challenges. And everyone chooses how to respond to those circumstances. Everyone has light in the darkness to focus on, even if it is a tiny little light. We all also have God to help us move from darkness to light, from chaos to peace, from hate to love.
Strive to be a peacemaker. Strive to be an example. If you find yourself judging, resenting, lusting, hating, miserable, and upset - take a step back and seek God's wisdom. Seek His peace and He will not fail you. It is not too late to let go of the darkness and pull back into the peace that only God can provide. You got this.
Do you need to let go of some darkness and find that light again? Where can God infiltrate your heart and guide you back to the peaceful life?
Dear Lord, Help me be a peacemaker today. Help me to see where I can be a better example, where I can release control to you, where I can let go of hurt and resentment, where I can treat people better. God please help me where I am struggling and heal me where I am broken. Bring your peace and light back into me. Please, Lord, fill me with all that is you so that I can put you on display today in the right way. Amen.
I am a wife, mom, writer, crafter, and above all, a Child of God. I love to study the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, and serve God. I am thrilled to invite you to join me in seeking to satisfy our thirsty souls with the Living Water of Christ, which is what Water On Thirsty Land is here to do.
