On the other hand I think it would be great if an ambitious member (or members) were to take on the task of a translation. There is, however, something that I don’t like about most translations that I have read. It seems that the poetic structure of the KJV is reduced to shadows. The actual KJV translation might be of poor quality, but there is to me nothing less than a rewarding experience reading the archaic language and structure. Then again, I love reading Shakespeare out loud with a Pseudo-British accent.

There are three qualities that a Mormon translation of the Bible are paramount to me:

1) Accuracy of the translation. It would be nice to read an updated text that considers the known source material. Even better would be extensive, although uncomplicated, notes that mention other possible meanings for words.

2) Poetic and literary flow. I want to read more than a text of scripture put on a page. Scripture should not be merely a textbook manual. That is why I can’t seem to get into non-KJV translations even though I want to for clarity.

3) Retain a relationship to modern Mormon scriptures. Bad as the KJV grammar Joseph Smith used, it still feels part of the whole. I don’t want it at all to turn into a green “World Translation,” but still not feel foreign to the Book of Mormon or Pearl of Great Price. Clearly the KJV is the template for Joseph Smith’s revelations and informs our interpretations of his words. Losing that in the Bible translation might make us lose some understanding of the other Scriptures.

Anyone here who is educated in Bible studies brave enough to take on a translation of their own? Maybe it can be something less ambitious like a KJV Bible translation commentary with Mormonism in mind. In fact, I thought someone from the bloggernacle was working on something like that and was going to publish it.

I use the NRSV all the time, bring it to Church, use it along side the KJV when teaching class etc. The KJV remains my personal fav. because of the emphasis on the figurative richness of the language. I’ve read a number of other translations and they often seem to be created in reaction to the KJV in that they are clearly seeking to reduce the amount of figurative language that they contain. The EVs have produced some terrible translations that ruin great passages in order to make them more “accessible,” a horrid concept.

“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly;”

I don’t think we spend enough time unpacking this idea. I think we should begin by throwing out the idea that a correct translation is one that seeks a 1 to 1 relationship between idioms, and then start to address the idea of translation. There should be a good long discussion of how one can even begin to apply an idea like “correctness” to translation. This is a really big issue but one that rarely gets its due as most people prefer greatly reduced notion of what a translation is does and why it is necessary.

“The most reliable way to measure the accuracy of any biblical passage is not by comparing different texts, but by comparison with the Book of Mormon and modern-day revelations.”

This is such an important point, we need to keep in mind that one the huge differences between us Mormons and other Christians is that the LDS institutional view is that the Bible is not actually a source in the same sense that others take it to me. JS and subsequent Church leaders have always treated the Bible as a text that needs to be brought into conformity with the prophetic voice that leads the church. No solo scriptura here!

I could create such a poll, but I’m laaaaaaazzzzzzzzy. so if hawkgrrrl wants to do so, I would be gracious. :3

My vote is for NRSV as well. I love the HarperCollins Study Bible. I have the 1997 edition. I’m waiting to buy the 2006 revised and updated edition to see if HarperCollins will improve the quality of the paper they printed it on: you can see the words on the other side of the page very easily on the new HarperCollins bibles, so much so that there have been tons of reviews by people complaining of eye strain. Too bad.

I may prefer the ESV to the others if I had to pick just one. Why the church can’t at least update their own KJV version doesn’t make sense to me. The new Spanish LDS Bible is “a very conservative revision, focusing on modernizing some of the outdated grammar and vocabulary that had shifted in meaning and acceptability” of the Reina-Valera Bible, why not do the same for ours?

Another thing I wish they would do is copy the paragraph and poetry format of the modern translations. Each verse being a paragraph is a much more difficult way to read if you’ve ever branched out into the modern translations of the Bible. You can also see the superiority by reading the Reader’s Edition of the Book of Mormon.

Joseph, I’d be quite interested in seeing that when it’s done.

Maybe one day the Church will take the extra step and sanction a new translation.

Yep. Realizing I could talk to Him in the familiar opened up the way I view and interact with Him. I personally prefer it, and have adopted the practice in my private prayers in English. I tend to either try to avoid “you” pronouns in public prayers, or conform with standard Mormon expectations.

Jack, I’m tickled too. Thanks for the help.

(Well, maybe not my best friend, but you get the idea.)

BTW, *cough self promotion cough* I did a paper on the Johannine Comma and its relationship to Mormonism back when I was an undergraduate at BYU.