Published in 1901, the American Standard Version is an Americanization of the English Revised Bible. Though it still includes many archaic word forms, it is an update of the King James Version, using less archaic spelling, which makes it more understandable to the modern reader in many passages. The ASV is the product of the work of over 50 Evangelical Christian scholars. This text is Public Domain in the United States.
Read the American Standard Version.
This isn’t just another English translation; this version translates the Bible into Basic English, a simplified English language created by Charles Ogden, which, with only 850 words, is able to express most things that can be said in English. Working from Basic English, a translation committee added 150 Biblical words to the 850 initial words to create a 1000-word dictionary from which to work. Using just those 1000 words, the Bible in Basic English is an excellent resource for non-native English speakers. This text is Public Domain in the United States. [For more information about Basic English, see: Bible in Basic English]
Read the Bible In Basic English.
This literal translation of the Bible was made by John Nelson Darby. The New Testament was published in 1884, and the Old Testament followed six years later. Many passages of Darby’s Translation are very similar to the King James Version. This text is Public Domain in the United States.
Read the Darby Translation.
The ESV Bible is a relatively new Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and readability.
Read the English Standard 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. Its flowing language and prose rhythm has had a profound influence on the literature of the past 300 years.” — Gospel Communications Network. This text is Public Domain in the United States.
Read the King James Version.
The Message is a paraphrase from the original languages written by Eugene, H. Peterson. The Message provides a fresh and unique Bible-reading experience.
Read the Message Bible.
The NAS is written in a formal style, but is more readable than the King James Version. It is highly respected as the most literal English translation of the Bible.
Read the New American Standard Bible.
The NIV offers a balance between a word-for-word and thought-for-thought translation and is considered by many as a highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English.
Read the New International Version.
The NKJ is a modern language update of the original King James Version. It retains much of the traditional interpretation and sentence structure of the KJV.
Read the New King James Version.
Using modern English, the translators of the NLT focused on producing clarity in the meaning of the text rather than creating a literal, word-for-word equivalence. Their goal was to create a clear, readable translation while remaining faithful to original texts.
Read the New Living Translation.
The New Revised Standard is a popular translation that follows in the traditions of the King James and Revised Standard Versions. It was written with the goal of preserving the best of the older versions while incorporating modern English.
Read the New Revised Standard Version.
The Revised Standard Version is a revision of the King James Version, the Revised Version, and American Standard Version. This text is intended for both private reading and public worship.
Read the Revised Standard Version.
The WEB Bible, as it is abbreviated on Christianity.com, is in the process of being translated specifically for the purpose of being distrubuted over the Internet. In the words of those working on the translation from the ASV 1901, “...there is NO OTHER complete translation of the Holy Bible in normal Modern English that can be freely copied (except for some limited ‘fair use’) without payment of royalties. This is the vacuum that the World English Bible is trying to fill.” This text is Public Domain in the United States. [For more information, see: World English Bible]
Read the World English Bible.
Young’s Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.
Read Young’s Literal Translation.
The HCS is a highly readable, accurate translation written in modern English. It is published by Holman Bible Publishers, the oldest Bible publisher in America.
Read the Holman Christian Standard Bible at BibleStudyTools.com
