People change God’s words to match their ideas because the Bible contradicts some of those beliefs.
You should refrain from reading some Bible versions if you don’t belong to religious organizations with various views.
Since the Bible was originally written in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, there are many translations in other languages.
There are several versions available; therefore, before choosing one, you should be aware of the Bible translations to avoid.
Continue reading if you want to learn which Bible translations you should use instead.
Why Bible Translations Are Important
What distinguishes a Bible translation? Are specific versions better than others? Do we require many translations? How may the solutions to these issues make us better Bible readers?
Although many people think that Bible translations are unnecessary, certain people find them to be of utmost importance.
Bible translations assist us in reading and comprehending Scripture more clearly by giving us a more precise grasp of the translation process.
We can comprehend the biblical text’s meaning more entirely because of the range of translations available.
Pastors, undergraduate and seminary students, missionaries, Bible study leaders, and anybody involved in Christian ministry will find Bible translation helpful, readable, and enlightening as it makes their work more accessible and enjoyable.
Bible Translations To Avoid
1. The Clear Word
This translation was officially released as the Clear Word Bible in March 1994.
Jack Blanco, a former dean of the School of Religion at Southern Adventist University, translated The Clear Word by himself.
Blanco initially wrote TCW for himself as a spiritual activity. Later, his family and friends persuaded him to publish it.
After the controversy surrounding the Clear Word Bible’s publication, Jack Blanco changed the word “Bible” to “expanded paraphrase.” The Clear Word, according to John Blanco, is “an enlarged paraphrase to establish strong faith and nurture spiritual growth” rather than a translation of the Bible.
TCW is frequently used as a Bible rather than a paraphrase for devotions. And this is entirely incorrect. A lot of God’s words have been misinterpreted, according to TCW, which is 100% paraphrasing.
2. New World Translation
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society have translated the Bible and released it under the name New World Translation (WBTS). The Jehovah’s Witnesses use and disseminate this translation of the Bible.
The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was the title of the English translation of the New Testament that WBTS released in 1950.
As the New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, WBTS began publishing translations of several Old Testament books in 1953.
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society first began translating the NWT in 1961. WBTS published the whole New World Translation Bible in 1961.
The New World Translation Committee requested that its members remain anonymous, according to a statement made by WBTS during the release of the NWT Bible. Therefore, no one is aware of the committee’s members’ level of expertise in Bible translation.
However, it was later discovered that four of the five stated translators lacked the necessary training to translate the Bible because they were ignorant of the Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic languages.
Only one translator has the required proficiency in the biblical languages to attempt Bible translation.
The NWT Holy Scripture was allegedly directly translated into current English by a group of Jehovah’s witnesses, according to WBTS, from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Jehovah’s Witnesses primarily utilized the King James Version in English-speaking nations before the publication of NWT (KJV).
Because most Bible translations were in archaic languages, WBTS decided to publish its version of the Bible.
3. The Passion Translation
One Bible translation to avoid is the Passion Translation.
The principal translator of The Passion Translation, Dr. Brian Simmons, describes TPT as a contemporary, simple-to-read Bible translation that reflects the zeal of God’s heart and his blazing love-merging emotion and life-altering truth.
TPT is quite different from what he said, and it differs significantly from other Bible translations. In reality, TPT is more accurately described as a paraphrase of the Bible than as a translation translating the Bible; Dr. Simmons explained it in his own words. Simmons claims that the ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic manuscripts were the foundation for TPT.
Only the New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Solomon are on TPT. The Passion Translation of Genesis, Isaiah, and the Harmony of the Gospels were all published individually by Blanco.
Bible Gateway deleted TPT from their website in early 2022.
4. The Living Bible
The founder of Tyndale House Publishers, Kenneth N. Taylor, translated a paraphrased version of the Bible and called it The Living Bible.
The inspiration for this paraphrase came from Kenneth N. Taylor’s children. The children of Taylor had trouble understanding the KJV’s archaic terminology.
However, Taylor inserted his misunderstood Bible scriptures. The American Standard Version was used as the basis for TLB, which did not use any original Bible texts.
In 1971, The Living Bible was first released. Taylor and his colleagues recruited a group of 90 Greek and Hebrew scholars at Tyndale House Publishers to update The Living Bible in the late 1980s.
A completely new translation of the Bible was later produced as a result of this initiative. The Holy Bible: New Living Translation, a publication of the new translation, was released in 1996. (NLT)
Because NLT was translated using dynamic equivalence, it is more accurate than TLB (thought-for-thought translation).
5. The Message (MSG)
You should avoid The Message bible translation, another Bible translation that uses paraphrase. Between 1993 and 2002, Eugene H. Peterson translated the MSG version in a paraphrased manner.
Eugene H. Peterson has radically altered the meaning of the Bible. He changed many of God’s Bible words while adding many of his own.
The publisher of MSG asserted that a group of renowned Old and New Testament scholars had carefully reviewed Peterson’s work to ensure that it was accurate and true to the original languages.
Because MSG is unfaithful to God’s words and contains several faults and erroneous doctrines, you should avoid this translation.
Summary
Avoid reading paraphrases, if possible. Since readability is prioritized in paraphrasing, there is a lot of leeway for error. Bible paraphrases are not literal translations but rather the translator’s interpretation of the text.
Have a great day.
