Versions of the Bible suit many preferences

Versions of the Bible

suit many preferences

The choice of vocabulary is one element people consider.

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — Trying to decide among the available versions of the Bible can be overwhelming.

You can pick the King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version, Today’s New International Version, Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version — and that’s just the beginning of a very long list.

Whether you’re a new Christian or a longtime believer, young or old, Protestant or Catholic, there is a Bible to suit your needs.

But people who go into Berean Bookstore in the Brettwood Village shopping center often get confused when it comes to buying a Bible, said the store’s manager, Joy Trichel.

“The first thing we try to ask a person is what version of the Bible it is that they want,” she said.

“The King James Version is old English and harder to read, where the New International Version is more popular because it’s a lot easier to read.”

So what’s the difference?

Take the verse John 6:56. The King James Version states: “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”

The New International Version modernizes the phrase: “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

The New Revised Standard Version makes the language inclusive: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.”

Some of the finest scholars in England helped produce the King James Version, and it has literary quality, said Michael McClymond, a professor of theological studies at Saint Louis University.

“Ernest Hemingway kept a King James Version Bible no more than elbow length away from him — it’s the rhythm of the words,” McClymond said. But he added that the New International Version has a better flow of the English vocabulary compared to others.

“Most people should just start out with a plain Bible with annotations to encounter the text of the Scriptures and let God speak to you,” McClymond said.

Trichel said her staff gets requests from customers who want study Bibles. Going down the list, she opens the NIV Study Bible, which has a commentary at the bottom of each page, archaeological sites, graphs and history with scriptural references.

The Life Application Bible tends to be the most popular, Trichel said, because of the personal notes that apply to everyday life.

“Someone told me this Bible was like comparing the Herald Review newspaper to the Wall Street Journal; the local paper hits you where you are and what’s going on in your life at the time,” she said.

The Family Foundations Study Bible is widely used and has a list of topics that apply to everyday family life, Trichel said. The owner of Berean Bookstore, David Byrne, is the contributing general editor of that Bible.

Bibles are available for members of every branch of the military: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard. “These Bibles have special notes and devotions from military leaders,” Trichel said.

Young people can read the Beginners Bible. There’s the 2:52 Boys Bible, designed for boys age 8 to 12, which refers to Luke 2:52: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

“It has fun gross facts in it about different things, and they love it,” Trichel said flipping to a page that reads: “Jesus spat and put his spit on the deaf and mute man’s tongue. Jesus spat again and put his spit on the blind man’s eye. Jesus did this to heal people. But unless you are called to a healing ministry, keep your spit where it belongs.”