Reading The Bible...

Which version do you read? I used to like the NIV, because of exactly what you said...have you tried that one?

I think it's a brilliant idea! :) Before reading the Bible I ask the Lord to help me understand it .... because I agree it is tough sometimes and I always read the Bible a lot slower than I woudl any other book But I like your idea... what matters is that you WANT to read it and learn about the Word of the Lord :)) Many Blessings

I have always read the KJV. I am also opened to the books that King James did not include. Having said that, I love the begats and begots. It is the family tree and it all goes to jesus' lineage. It lets you know where he came from. I find it fascinating. I find ancestry fascinating. For my part, I don't trust the newer versions of the bible. I find that they take too many liberties. The anachronisms are abundant. They could call a camel a car. both are means of transportation, but they are not the same. This is a hypothetical example. The KJV is really not that difficult to understand. Shakespeare is worse. LOL. The thing about the older interpretations is that it is left to the reader to understand. It's not someone telling me what it means. It's me, figuring out what it means. Feeling the words and the stories and believing through feeling. That's faith. Sorry for zoning. I'm speaking off the cuff. I suggest King James. I also suggest reading the lost books. WWW.earlychristianwritings.com is an excellent resource. Great topic.

There are literally hundreds of versions of the bible. YOu don't have to read the King James version, you can find another adult version that is clearer to read. I'm not keen on any of them, because you can take the same passage, read it in 4 different bible versions and they can be interpreted completely differently.

Hi, twoey68, if you'll go to BibleGateway.com, they have a lot of different versions on there available, the one I seen was the New American Standard Bible, they updated the 'thees' and the 'thous' to modern English, and easier to understand ! Check it out ! musicman

There are many different ones that are easier to read. The New King James version (NKJv), Revised Standard version (RSv), American Standard Version (ASv)/New American Standard version (NASv) are good TRANSLATIONS. The New International version (NIV) too is very simple to read, but some don't like the way its been translated. I highlighted "translations," because there are others out there that are PARAPHRASES. If you wish, you could read these too; just take note, these are men's thoughts on the Bible, not direct literal translations from the original texts. They are clearly labelled as such, so it shouldn't be a problem differentiating between them. You can always ask the bookstore's staff for assistance if you're not sure. I started out with a KJv too and found myself in the same boat as you, so I got to using the NIv when I became a Christian. I now use both a NKJv and the NASv. It's totally fine to drop the KJv, because of its old English style. If your aim is to familiarize yourself with what the Bible teaches, I personally don't see anything wrong in using a children's Bible. It says basically the same thing, just written in kid-friendly language. I'm pretty certain you won't keep using it for too long, and will "graduate" to adult versions in the future. There are even ones out there written for teens, if you need these. God bless, and all the best...

Reading the Bible in old English can be a problem. Not only do we not talk like that anymore, but some of those words have completely changed meaning. There are several good translations, however, that are written in today's English. The Living Bible by Tyndale is one and The Bible in Living English by Byington is another. However, my personal favorite is The New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures published by Jehovah's Witnesses. It was translated directly from the oldest original scrolls of the scriptures in existence so as not to compound any errors caused by translating from another translation.