There is an assumption that the term “Bible” is synonymous with what Christians consider, “the Word of God.” There are different translations of the original text based largely on the honest objectives of the translation team. The range of objectives can basically be broken down into three general categories:

Word-for-Word

These include Bible translations that attempt to discern the definitions of each word in the original languages. Often theologians and mature Christians, already familiar with the Bible, use these translations to look for deeper meanings in the text. They include:

• New American Standard Bible (NASB)
• English Standard Bible (ESV)
• King James Version (KJV or NKJV)

Thought-for-Thought

These Bible translations seek a contemporary writing style where the translator(s) wish to express the concepts of the original text, rather than translate every unique word. Often these translations are the starting point for a new believer or seeker. They include:

• Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
• New International Version (NIV)
• New Living Translation (NLT)

Paraphrase

These Bible translations are geared toward storytelling where the translator(s) have broad editorial license to present the original text with their own bias and broad brush strokes. They include:

• New International Reader’s Version (NIRV)
• Contemporary English Version (CEV)
• The Message (MSG)

Heretical Bible Translations

Beyond the standard translations listed above, there are “bibles” that do not offer a full picture of God’s instructions for mankind. This would include:

The Thomas Jefferson Bible (details here) is extremely limited in its books (only the four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and excludes most of the miracles found in the original autographs.

The New World Bible (details here) is a translation of the false teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses that includes the view (John 1:1) that Jesus was “a god” but not “The God” of the Trinity.

However, beyond these obviously unorthodox “scriptures”, there are other books that refer to themselves as “bibles” which are much more obscure, but equally heretical. This would include the Satanic Bible and the Kolbrin Bible. The Satanic Bible certainly speaks for itself in terms of an expectation of its twisted theology. The Kolbrin Bible came to my attention by someone commenting on a post. He quoted from his Kolbrin Bible with the “verse”, 

“If a man follows a false god with goodwill and honesty, serving men well and living in accordance with My laws, I will not repudiate him, and he will not be denied enlightenment on the way.” Kolbrin Bible

So, this false text implies universalism. It suggests that if one follows any god sincerely, he will be “enlightened” as a result. It is unclear if “enlightenment” means salvation or simply an attraction to the true God of the Christian faith. 

From the Kolbrin Bible’s website, this book is defined as, 

“The Kolbrin Bible, is a secular wisdom text studied in the days of Jesus and lovingly preserved by generations of Celtic mystics in Great Britain and is a revealing historical reference for the Holy Bible.”

This is “a historical reference” and not “the Holy Bible” by its own admission. It was written by men, Celtic mystics who had a very unique view of God and the true Bible. Celtic Christians, as they were called, believed in having a “soul friend” who would guide them in the practice of Celtic worship, and the concept of “thin places” that were geographic locations closer to God (details here). 

The Point

The point is that there are both good and bad translations of God’s word. And, even within the theologically sound versions, it is important that one knows what they are looking for when picking a translation to read.

Further, just as one cannot trust the theology of a building that holds meetings on Sunday mornings while calling itself a “church”, one cannot always trust the term “Bible” to mean God’s Holy Scriptures. 

Though many have strong opinions in this area, in my view, the best Bible translation is currently the ESV (English Standard Version).  It does, however, tend to be more of a word-for-word translation from the original languages. If one is interested in a smoother reading style (thought-for-thought) Bible translation, I would recommend the Christian Standard or New Living Translation.