The English Bibles are all translated from other languages; in other words, none of our Bible versions are the original work of the authors.  Assuming that the translators were professionals, why are there so many different versions, some even exhibiting significant disagreement with others?

The problem is that many words can mean different things in different languages.  For instance, the German word for equal can also mean “very soon”.  Moreover, idioms in one language are usually meaningless in another language, or even in the same language but in a different country.  When a novel is translated, the translator will have to leave out many of the cultural minutia to render the text relevant to the intended audience, but with the Bible every word counts.

An important note:  There are some “Bible translations” that are nothing but the twisted interpretations the apostle Paul is warning us about in 1 Timothy.  I am not addressing those, but only legitimate translations by God-fearing translators who may disagree with others about the proper interpretation of certain passages.

It is difficult to accurately translate the original intent of the Scriptures where every (Greek or Hebrew) word would be translated into an English word with the same exact meaning.  Thus, translators need to resort to substituting similar English words or even whole phrases for the word in the original language.  This is where the differences arise, even though the core message of salvation by Jesus Christ remains the same in all valid translations.  However, sometimes the translator may not be familiar with the subject at hand and may totally miss the point of the passage.  For instance, Proverbs 14:4 in one translation says:  “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean….”, while another says: “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty….”.  The translator of the second version likely has never been to a farm, for there is a reason why the farmer wears rubber boots…  This verse clearly is about the dirt the farmer has to deal with if he wants to have any animals. “Empty” completely misses the point of the passage.

Many of the Bible translations have just been updated to reflect our changing language and to make them more understandable to people who are not familiar with the concepts of the Christian faith. Other translations are more suited for serious students of the Bible, who will usually compare each passage in different versions of the Bible to understand all of the nuances in the passage of interest.

Whatever your stage of your walk with God, there is a Bible translation that will answer most of your questions and there are mature believers who may be able to help you in choosing the most suitable translation.