One decision I have faced in starting Christian Kindred is: Which version of the Bible will I quote from on the blog?  I currently read and cross-reference various versions of the Bible, and I believe this helps me better understand scriptures (I am no expert, but I want to be a good student). 

Favorite Bible Versions

I remember the first time the Bible “came alive” for me.  It was 1992, when I was 23 years old, and my parents gave me a Life Application text of The Living Bible.  Until then I had read the King James Version – which I respect and love, but it has always been difficult for me to understand.  I like lots of details and explanations, and The Life Application Living Bible is full of those.  While The Living Bible is a paraphrase, it helped me begin to understand meanings of scripture verses and passages, and that made me excited about reading the Bible and eager to learn more of it.

Other versions I enjoy studying and reading are: The Amplified Bible, The New King James Version, and The New International Version.  I particularly like the in-depth explanation and insight that The Amplified Bible offers.  God’s Word and The Message are two more versions I have enjoyed reading in the past, and I think they are also helpful in understanding scripture.

Copyright Issues

When I began writing posts for Christian Kindred, I was excited about cross-referencing and using quotes from various versions of the Bible, but then I learned a bit more about Bible copyright.  Examiner.com has an intriguing article, “The Tragedy of Greedy Bible Publishing Companies” by Daniel Townsend, about Bible copyright issues.  Daniel raises thoughtful points in his persuasive article, and I tend to agree with him on many levels.  While Bible publishing companies claim that copyrighting Bible translations is meant to protect the Bible from being changed or corrupted, Daniel convincingly points out that financial gain for the publishing companies is likely a motivating factor as well.  The serious problem is that the financial issues can hinder -or even prevent- scriptures and the gospel from being shared.

A Way to Share the Bible Without Restrictions

While writers can legally quote Bible verses within copyright limitations (or beyond those limits with written permission from the publisher), I want to know that I can quote the Bible freely and without limits on this blog.  I also want to be able to use a version of the Bible that is not as difficult to understand as the King James Version.  For these reasons, I have decided to use The World English Bible translation for the majority of Bible quotes and references on this site.  I may occasionally use the King James Version for Old Testament quotes, but when I do this it will be noted “KJV.”

The World English Bible, or WEB, is an updated version of the American Standard Version of 1901, which is in the public domain.  The WEB has been made available in the public domain as well (without copyright limitations) so that anyone can quote it, copy it, and distribute it  – even in its entirety – without being sued, fined, or penalized in any way.

Facts About the World English Bible

The New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs of The World English Bible are almost completely revised and updated (from the ASV of 1901) and are available in print.  Some of The Old Testament is still undergoing editing for accuracy and revisions of archaic grammar.  Information on The World English Bible, FAQs, and the entire text of The World English Bible itself can be found at http://ebible.org/web/.

One notable difference about the World English Bible translation, compared to what many readers are used to in modern translations, is that Yahweh is often the name used for God in The Old Testament.  This is explained in the following excerpt from the WEB website:

“Yahweh” is the most probable best transliteration of this most holy proper name from the Hebrew consonants YOD HE WAW HE, or YHWH. This holy name is sometimes rendered “Jehovah” based on the mixture of the vowels for “Adonai” (Lord) with the consonants “YHWH” as it is written in some later Hebrew manuscripts. The original Hebrew manuscripts had no vowels, and we believe that the vowels for “adonai” were added to reflect the tradition of avoiding pronouncing God’s name, and saying “Lord” instead, and was not an indication of how the name should be pronounced by those so bold as to actually utter God’s name. This is a break from the tradition of the KJV and others that use “LORD” or “GOD” with all caps or small caps to translate “YHWH”, and use “Lord” (normal mixed case) to translate “Adonai” and “God” (normal mixed case) to translate “Elohim.” That tradition gets really confusing in some places, especially since “Yahweh” is used in conjunction with “Lord” and “God” in many places in the Old Testament. Since God’s proper name really is separate from the titles “Lord” and “God” in the original Hebrew, we wanted the English translation to reflect that fact, even when read aloud.

A Good Solution – Thanks to Many

We are blessed to have numerous translations of the Bible to enhance our understanding as we read and study God’s words to us, and I am thankful that there are older translations available in the public domain.  As a layperson who learns better in “plain” English, I am especially happy that The World English Bible is being offered as a modern English version that can be quoted and shared unreservedly.  I appreciate the Bible scholars and volunteers who have worked for years to provide this version.

Please comment and share your opinion about the World English Bible, or tell us what you like about your favorite version of the Bible!