I lead a Bible study group at a local jail in Boston, and the men I talk with use and love a diversity of Bible translations. However, I often hear that many of these men find the words of the King James Version hard to understand or relate to. The New International Version (NIV) is the Bible in currency at the jail. I find it to be a wonderful translation that, for the most part, helps the men access and understand its ideas, making the Bible, for them, not be from another time or place.
For myself, I love to read and study many Bible translations at once. When I do, I feel as if I’m looking at many facets of a beautiful sculpture. Each translation provides a slightly different way of understanding the Word of God. I have come to know that the Word is not in the letter, but is a spiritual, living reality, which the words of the Bible lead us to see and feel. Seeing these many facets of the beautiful gem that is the Word, through different Bible translations, has been most useful to me.
