This is a brief description of many of the currently available Bible translations taken from the American Bible Society and Accordance Bible websites. ABS is an excellent source for low cost, quality printed Bibles in a variety of translations. Accordance is the excellent Macintosh computer Bible study software program.
AMP: Amplified Bible This one-of-a-kind translation uses a system of brackets, parentheses and italics to capture the rich meaning of the Bible’s original languages. It takes both word meaning and context into account in order to accurately capture the full meaning behind the original Greek and Hebrew. It does this through the use of explanatory alternate readings and amplifications to assist the reader in understanding what Scripture really says.
ASV: American Standard Version Published in 1901, the ASV has a very literal translation style and was one of the first major updates of the the King James Version for the American reader. It uses "Jehovah" as the divine name in the OT.
CEV: Contemporary English Version Uncompromising simplicity marked the American Bible Society’s translation of the Contemporary English Version Bible that was first published in 1995. The text is easily read by grade schoolers, second language readers, and those who prefer the more contemporized form. The CEV is not a paraphrase. It is an accurate and faithful translation of the original manuscripts.
ESV: English Standard Version Published in 2001, it stands firmly in the King James tradition and is based directly on the 1971 Revised Standard Version (RSV). As an essentially literal translation, the ESV seeks to capture the precise meaning of the original text and carry over the full range of meaning.
GNT: Good News Translation The Good News Translation, formerly called the Good News Bible or Today’s English Version was first published as a full Bible in 1976 by the American Bible Society as a “common language” Bible. It is a clear and simple modern translation that is faithful to the original Hebrew, Koine Greek and Aramaic texts. The GNT is a highly-trusted version.
KJV: King James Version Published in 1611, the King James Version Bible has served as a standard of measurement for subsequent English translations. Faithfulness to the original Hebrew and Greek text was of utmost importance. The result: a time-honored translation that has been enjoyed for almost 400 years. It is known for its majesty of style and poetic rhythms.
TM: The Message Eugene Peterson's striking, modern, colloquial language paraphrase is best used for devotional reading. Introductions to each book are provided.
NAB: New American Bible Originally published in 1970 as a meaning-based translation intended primarily for Roman Catholic readers. The New Testament was revised in 1986, shifting more toward a word-for-word or formal translation. This is a fresh translation of the Bible produced by post-Vatican II Roman Catholic scholars. It includes the Deuterocanonicals (or Apocrypha) as well as translation and study notes.
NASB: New American Standard Bible Published in 1971 and updated in 1995. This is an evangelical Protestant translation that follows a more formal equivalence theory of translation. The resulting literal translation is designed to adhere as closely as possible to the wording and grammatical structure of the original Greek and Hebrew, while maintaining a readable English style. This edition uses "You" and "Your" instead of "Thy", "Thee", and "Thou".
NET: The New English Translation is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The extensive translator and study notes form a mini-commentary or study Bible..
NIV: New International Version Published in 1978 and updated in 1983. It is a “thought-for-thought” and not a literal translation by evangelical scholars. Updated as TNIV (Today's New International Version) described at end of this list.
NJB: New Jerusalem Bible Published in 1990, this is the latest revision of the 1966 Jerusalem Bible, and is a fresh translation of the Bible produced by post-Vatican II Roman Catholic scholars. It includes the Deuterocanonicals (or Apocrypha). It also uses "Yahweh" as the divine name in the Old Testament. The NJB, like the JB before it, is known for its literary qualities. While the JB tended to more meaning-based (or functional equivalent), the NJB has moved toward more of a word-based (or formal equivalent) translation.
NKJV: New King James Version Published in 1982, it retains both the standard and theological terms in a poetic and devotional style. It attempts to maintain the beauty of the original King James while updating its language for contemporary readers.
NLT: New Living Translation Published in 1996, is a paraphrase by evangelical scholars based on the most recent scholarship and translation theory.
NLT-SE: New Living Translation-Second Edition The second edition of the NLT represents a major revision along the following lines: more consistency of word translation, more concise translation instead of paraphrase of difficult phrases, repeated words included to reflect the original, and poetic sections treated as poetry. The resulting translation is still easy for the modern reader to follow, but also accurate and faithful to the words of the original.
NRSV: New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version is a thorough revision of the RSV of 1947/52 and 1971, which itself is a revision of the ASV of 1901. It includes a moderate attempt at using more gender-inclusive language. It has been rightly labeled “An Ecumenical Edition,” that has been widely used by both Protestant and Catholic worshippers since 1990.
REB: Revised English Bible The latest (1989) revision of the New English Bible of 1970, is an idiomatic translation by a broad ecclesiastical cross-section of English biblical scholars. It moderates some of the extreme "Britishisms" of the original.
RSV: Revised Standard Version Published in 1952 and updated in 1971, it is an authorized revision of the American Standard Version of 1901. It has a literal style that also takes into account modern scholarship. It retains the use of "thee" and "thou" in addresses to God.
TEV See GNT above
TNIV Today's New International Version With advancements in biblical scholarship, clarity, and gender accuracy, the TNIV is a new translation based on the NIV. It uses contemporary English and gender accurate language.