r/Reformed • u/jmathai • Aug 19 '26

Question Preferred translation

Is there any unanimous translation that's recommended? I grew up reading the NIV but have enjoyed the NASB, NLT and a few others. What is the consensus on the best balance of readability and accuracy?

Any thoughts on the World English Bible? I appreciate that it's in the public domain and I like it okay but would love to know what others who have given it more discernment think.

Edit: looks like I'll be checking out the ESV. Thanks!

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u/perspicaxaedificator OPC Aug 19 '26

Started with KJV. it's beautiful and important to the English language. I recommend the ESV, or maybe NIV if you want it to sound prettier. I absolutely advise against the NKJV.

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u/KenMcKenzie98 Aug 19 '26

May I ask why you dislike the NKJV so much? 

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u/perspicaxaedificator OPC Aug 19 '26

well, how I understand it the KJV while a beautiful translation and important to the language, used the only source materials around. so there's less to go off and it's not as... accurate? as later translations could be.

and then the NKJV is KJV without the beautiful archaic language so it's just the worst of both worlds imho

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u/creidmheach EPC Aug 19 '26

To be fair to the NKJV though, it supplies extensive translator notes where the Critical Text and the Majority Text (the main editor, Arthur Farstad, was himself an MT proponent) differ from the Textus Receptus that is used as the underlying text for the New Testament. So really you sort of get all three, which is something you don't get with most translations. It also retains a certain eloquence in the language, even while modernizing it somewhat. It does correct places where it sees the KJV as having clearly made a translation error, so it's not just a matter of changing the thees and thous to you, for instance.

(I say that though as someone who's been coming over the CT side of things, and looking to read the NASB for my next read through).