The Bible is the most read book ever and the most translated book too. Today, the full bible can be found in 736 languages. This post is focused though on the Bible in English. The Bible in its entirety was not translated into English until the 14th century (middle English), with John Wycliffe’s translation in 1382. And since the 16th century, there have been around 900 versions translated into English (modern English). There are formal or “word for word” translations and also functional equivalent or “meaning for meaning” translations.
According to The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association the top 9 best-selling English translations of the Bible in the United States in 2023 were:
- New International Version – The New International Version (NIV) is a completely original translation of the Bible developed by more than one hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. In 1955, Howard Long, an engineer from Seattle, embarked on a 10 year quest for a new Bible translation that would faithfully capture the Word of God in contemporary English. The NIV was finally published in 1978. Biblica/HarperCollins is the copyright holder of the NIV.
- King James Version – In 1604, King James I of England authorized that a new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was finished in 1611, just 85 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526). The Authorized Version, or King James Version, quickly became the standard for English-speaking Protestants. The KJV is public domain in the United States.
- English Standard Version – The English Standard Version is a literal translation of the Bible, firmly rooted in the tradition of Tyndale and King James but without archaic language. Published in 2001 by Crossway, the ESV was created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors. The ESV relies on recently published critical editions of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text and is considered a “literal” translation.
- New Living Translation – The New Living Translation (NLT) is a translation into contemporary English. Published in 1996 by Tyndale House Foundation, the NLT was created by 90 leading Bible scholars. The origin of the NLT came from a project aiming to revise The Living Bible (TLB) and is considered a “meaning for meaning” translation.
- Christian Standard Bible – The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a translation into contemporary English. Published by Lifeway Christian Resources in 2017 as the successor to the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), the CSB “incorporates advances in biblical scholarship and input from Bible scholars, pastors, and readers to sharpen both accuracy and readability.” The CSB relies on recently published critical editions of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.
- New King James Version – The New King James Version (NKJV) is a translation into contemporary English. Published by Thomas Nelson, the New Testament was published in 1979 and the complete NKJV was released in 1982. With regard to its textual basis, the NKJV relies on a modern critical edition (the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia) for the Old Testament,
- New International Reader’s Version – The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) is a translation into contemporary English. Translated by the International Bible Society (now Biblica) following a similar philosophy as NIV, but written in a simpler form of English making it easier for children and non-native English speakers. The full NIrV was first published in the fall of 1996.
- New American Standard Bible – The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is a translation into contemporary English. Published by the Lockman Foundation, the complete NASB was released in 1971. The latest revision was published in 2020. The NASB relies on recently published critical editions of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts and is considered a more literal translation.
- New Revised Standard Version – The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is a translation into contemporary English. Published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches, the NRSV was created by a committee of 30 scholars. A major revision was released in 2021.
Sales today don’t take into account bibles used. Many people receive a bible from their family or their church. A staff member here at Faith Teams received his first bible from his church at 8 years old (King James Version) and then his second (that is still in use) from his in-laws at 30 years old (New International Version). He’s over 60 today!
While the NIV is the best selling bible today, KJV is still the most widely used with NIV being second.
Many today use technology to access the bible. The YouVersion app which is available for both iPhones and Android based phones provides 144 English bible translations. The app is free and easy to use. And it’s available via a browser at here.
Soon you will be able to download the Faith Teams Community Mobile App, and have access to the following Bibles:
- American Standard Version – The American Standard Version (ASV), officially referred to as Revised Version, Standard American Edition, is a translation into English that was completed in 1901 with the publication of the revision of the Old Testament. Work on ASV began in 1870 with an effort to revise KJV of 1611. The revised New Testament was published in 1900. The Revised Version of 1885 (England) and the American Standard Version of 1901 are among the Bible versions authorized to be used in services of the Episcopal Church and the Church of England. The American Standard Version entered the public domain on January 1, 1957 upon expiration of its copyright.
- Bible in Basic English – The Bible In Basic English (BBE) is a translation of the Bible into Basic English. The BBE was translated by Professor S. H. Hooke using the standard 850 Basic English words. 100 words that were helpful to understand poetry were added along with 50 “Bible” words for a total of 1,000 words. This version is effective in communicating the Bible to those with limited education or where English is a second language. The New Testament was released in 1941 and the Old Testament was released in 1949. Cambridge Press in England published the BBE in 1965 and as well distributed it in the USA without any copyright notice and thus it falls in the public domain.
- Darby Bible – John Nelson Darby published a translation of the New Testament in 1867, with revised editions in 1872 and 1884. After his death, some of his students produced an Old Testament translation based on Darby’s French and German translations . The complete Darby Bible, including Darby’s 3rd edition New Testament and his students’ Old Testament, was first published in 1890. Darby’s purpose was to make a modern translation for the “unchurched” who have neither access to manuscript texts nor training and knowledge of ancient languages of the Scriptures.
- King James Version – See Above.
- Webster’s Bible – Noah Webster’s (of dictionary fame) 1833 limited revision of the King James Version, (more commonly called Webster Bible) focused mainly on replacing archaic words and making simple grammatical changes. For example: “why” instead of “wherefore”, “its” instead of “his” when referring to nonliving things, “male child” instead of “manchild”. He also introduced euphemisms to remove words which he found to be offensive: “whore” becomes “lewd woman”. He changed some of the spelling of the 1611 version, some of which had been changed by British usage since 1611 and others that he himself had deliberately changed in his dictionary to reflect an American identity over a British one.
- World English Bible – The World English Bible (WEB) is an English translation of the Bible. The translation work began in 1994 and was deemed complete in 2020. Created by Michael Paul Johnson with help from volunteers, the WEB is an updated revision of the American Standard Version from 1901. The WEB has several versions available on its website, including both American and British styles of English.
- Young’s Literal Translation – Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) is a translation of the Bible into English, published in 1862. The translation was made by Robert Young of Scotland, compiler of Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible and Concise Critical Comments on the New Testament. The Literal Translation is, as the name implies, a very literal translation of the original Hebrew and Greek texts.
