Bible Version Comparison Chart

Footnotes				1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8				9
										Year
American Standard Version		ASV		2		2		J		1901		RV		no		OT		T		?		?
Amplified Bible		AMP		1		1		L		1987		ASV		no		OT		T		?		?
Contemporary English Version		CEV		?		?		L		1995 / 1998		new		EO*		AP		T		?		none
English Standard Version		ESV		?		?		L		2001		RSV		no		OT		T		?		none
Global Contemporary English Version		GCEV		?		?		L		?		CEV		no		OT		T		?		?
God’s Word		GW		?		?		L		1995		new		RC*		AP		T		?		L
Good News Translation		GNT		?		?		L		1976 / 1992		?		AP		OT, AP		T		RC, SB, LM, PC, EC		?
Holman Christian Standard Bible		CSB		?		?		L*few instances of Yahweh		2004		new		no		OT		T		?		SB
International Children’s Bible		ICB		?		?		?		?		ERB		?		?		?		?		?
Jerusalem Bible		JB		?		?		Y		1966		LBJ*		RC		OT		?		RC		RC
Jewish Publication Society - Tanakh		JPS		?		?		H		1917		new		no		OT		M		?		J
Jewish Publication Society - Tanakh - New version		NJPS		?		?		?		1982 / 1985		new		no		OT		M		?		J
King James Version		KJV		?		?		L		1611		BB		AP		AP		T		?		CE
King James - Oxford Revision		KJOR		?		?		L		1769		KJV*		AP		AP		T		?		CE
Knox Version*		KV		?		?		?		1950		VUL*		yes		OT		V		?		RC
New American Bible		NAB		?		?		L		1970 / 2000		new		yes		OT		M		RC		RC
New American Standard Bible		NASB		?		?		?		1971 / 1995		ASV		no		OT		?		?		?
New Century Version		NCV		?		?		?		?		?		?		?		?		?		?
New English Bible*		NEB		?		?		?		1970		?		yes		?		?		?		none
New English Translation*		NET		?		?		?		1996		new		yes		AP		?		?		ev
New International Reader’s Version		NIrV		?		?		?		1996		NIV*		no		OT		?		?		pr
New International Version		NIV		?		?		?		1978 / 1984		new		no		OT		?		?		pr
New Jerusalem Bible		NJB		4		3		Y		1985		new		RC		OT		B		RC		RC
New King James Version		NKJV		?		?		?		1982		KJV		no		OT		?		?		Ba, PC
New Life Version*		NLV		?		?		?		1969		?		?		?		?		?		?
New Living Translation		NLT		?		?		?		1996		?		yes		?		?		?		ev
New Revised Standard Version		NRSV		?		?		?		1990		RSV		EO		AP		?		?		?
New World Translation		NWT		3		2		J		1960 / 1984		new		no		OT		T		JW		JW
Revised English Bible		REB		?		?		?		1989		NEB		yes		?		?		?		none
Revised Standard Version		RSV		?		?		?		1952 / 1977		ASV		yes		AP		?		?		?
Revised Version*		RV		?		?		?		1885 / 1895		KJV		yes		AP		?		?		?
Rheims-Douay Version*		RDV		?		?		?		1610		VUL*		yes		?		?		RC		RC
Rheims-Douay Challoner Revision		RDCR		?		?		?		1764		RDV		yes		?		?		RC		RC
Rotherham’s Empahsized Bible		EB		?		?		Y		1902		new		no		OT		T		?		?
Today’s New International Version		TNIV		?		?		?		2005		NIV		no		OT		?		?		?
Twenty-first Century King James Bible		KJ21		?		?		?		1994		KJOR		no		OT		?		?		?

1. Study Value is my analysis of the worth of each version for in-depth or comparative bible study

   4	-	Excellent study bible
   3	-	Good study bible, but buy the 4s first
   2	-	Interesting, but only marginally useful as a study bible
   1	-	Little value as a study bible

2. Reading Rating is my analysis of the worth of each version simply for reading and not for in-depth or comparative bible study.

   4	-	Excellent read
   3	-	Good but difficult in some places
   2	-	Poor because of stilted wording or archaic word usage which can lead to misunderstanding
   1	-	Difficult to read and understand

3. The Tetragrammaton (hereafter T) is the four-letter name for God given to Moses (Exodus 3:15), usually transliterated YHWH.  It is commonly translated in one of the following ways:

   J	Jehovah	-	Originally an error in translation from Hebrew.  The speaking of the Holy Name was forbidden, so the vowels from Adonai (Hebrew Lord) were combined with YHWH in text to notify a reader to speak the word Adonai when reading the T.  Jehovah is this combination transliterated.
   L	Lord	-	The usual translation, a result of the common practice of replacing the T in scripture with Adonai (for the reasons described above).  Small caps allow the reader to differentiate between the T and the word Lord.  (See why I find this unsatisfactory.)
   H	HaShem	-	Meaning literally “the Name,” this is the usual representation in modern Jewish bibles since even the titles Lord (Adonai) and God are generally considered too holy to speak.
   Y	Yahweh	-	The commonly accepted pronunciation of the T, though the actual pronunciation is unknown and Yahveh is also widely accepted.

4. Year of publication.  The second date is the date of the latest revision or inclusion of deutero-canonical texts.
5. Bible version used as a Reference during translation.  new means that the translation is taken primarily from the original language (Hebrew & Greek) texts with little consideration of previous versions.  Most other versions translate the original language texts with the express purpose of correcting and modernizing the Reference Version.  Some actually translate the Reference Version into modern English with little or no consideration of the original languages:  these are marked with an asterisk (*).
6. Deutero-canonical collection available with this version.  These are the commonly available collections:
   
   RC - Roman Catholic bibles always include these texts:

   Books Original Language Baruch, including the Letter of Jeremiah Greek & Hebrew Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of Jesus Ben Sirach) Hebrew Judith Hebrew 1 Maccabees Hebrew 2 Maccabees Greek Tobit Aramaic Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon) Greek

   Chapters Added to Original Language Additions Esther Greek Psalm of Azariah & Song of the Three Children Daniel Aramaic Susanna Daniel Greek Bel and the Dragon Daniel Greek

   
   AP - Apocrypha collection, available in most versions, includes the RC collection plus the following:

   Books Original Language 1 Esdras Greek 2 Esdras Hebrew

   Chapters Added to Original Language Prayer of Manasseh 2 Chronicles Uncertain

   
   EO - Eastern Orthodox bibles include the AP collection plus the following texts:

   Books Original Language 3 Maccabees Greek 4 Maccabees Greek

   Chapters Added to Original Language Psalm 151 Psalms Hebrew

   
   
7. Division Style specifies the method used to include the deutero-canonical collection.

   OT	-	all deutero-canonical texts are integrated into the Old Testament
   AP	-	deutero-canonical texts are included in a separate division (commonly titled Apocrypha)
   OA	-	deutero-canonical texts considered canonical are integrated into the Old Testament, while texts considered dubious are included in an Appendix

8. Old Testament verse numbering and chapter division follows one of these methods:  (How to tell.)

   M	-	Masoretic text
   V	-	Vulgate / Septuagint
   B	-	includes both Masoretic and Vulgate methods
   T	-	The Traditional method for English bibles, which follows the Vulgate in most instances but also follows the Masoretic text in significant ways

9. Church Influence is the professed religion of the translators and/or that of the organization funding the translation.  A version may be biased by the teachings of its Church Influence.  none means that the Church Influence consists of a committee of several protestant and orthodox churches, and the translation cannot be said to have any specific sectarian orientation.
   
   

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