Which Bible translation should you read?

Every translation here was produced from the Hebrew and Greek by a team of scholars. They tell the same story, but they make different choices about wording and readability. Those choices can help you find a Bible that fits the way you read.

The main difference between translations

Translators decide how closely to follow the original wording and how naturally the result should read in English. Staying close to the wording lets you see more of the original structure, though the English may feel stiff. Smoother translations are easier to follow, but some of the translators' decisions become less visible.

No translation does only one of these. Each one sits at a different point between them, and that is what the labels below are describing. “Formal” means it stays close to the wording. “Balanced” means it moves between the two. “Simplified” means it has been restated in the shortest sentences that will carry the meaning.

Accuracy and reading level

Every translation on this page is a serious translation. Their teams sometimes make different judgments when the original wording allows more than one clear English rendering.

Reading level tells you how long the sentences are and how familiar the vocabulary is. A third-grade reading level uses shorter sentences; it is not a lesser Bible. Many adults find that a simpler translation helps them read whole books without losing the thread.

How to choose

If you have not read much of the Bible, try the NIV. Choose the NIrV if you prefer even shorter sentences. A formal translation can help when you want to study how a sentence is built. The Amplified is most useful when you are slowing down over a single verse.

And read more than one. The cheapest way to find out whether a verse means what you think it means is to read it in a translation that words it differently.

The translations

Each translation has its own page with its history, approach, reading level, best uses, and limitations.