Decision changes in Bible Version from ESV to NKJV or retain?
After our bible Marathon cum fasting today, I've been thinking about changing my memorization bible from ESV to NKJV, just a try. So far I am working on my 7th book on my 7th month, that is 14% of the NT. This is not an easy decision to make. Considering I had 1,031 memorized verse base on www.memverse.com and 438+ isolated verse in my AnkiDroid.
I've research again why I chose ESV over NKJV despite that our church mainly uses NKJV. Well, the main reason is its readability and that I could not find an audio bible that is in NKJV while ESV had in YouVersion and Bible.Is. Honestly, my heart is so close to ESV as I've started memorizing from it. However, for the sake of the unity of the church, it is wiser for me to use NKJV, they are not too different anyway, just a few words are different in every verse or order of words.
Besides if I would continue to memorize in ESV and back and forth sing in NKJV, it takes a lot of work for my mind to remember my ESV since as I sing it I'll be memorizing it even I didn't intend to.
An example that I had challenge in memorizing is in Ephesians 1, it used "purpose" 3x (1:5,1:9,1:11) while in NKJV it used that word only once in 1:11 while both 1:5 and 1:9 uses "good pleasure", the latter is smoother. This is minor but because of this I have difficulty recalling Ephesians.
Here are the other reasons why I wanted to change my version:
1. We sang in our fellowship the "Model Prayer" but sad that my ESV does not have the last majestic phrase Matthew 6:13b "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"
2. I've realized how important fasting is and in ESV this verse was dropped Mark 17:21 "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting"
3. Few reasoning from this blog that I also agree:
https://pastorbrett.wordpress.com/2014/08/02/why-i-have-come-to-prefer-the-kjv-and-perhaps-you-should-too/
4. Our church's songs are in NKJV only and I had lots of CDs already
5. Our church's Bible Marathon will be in NKJV only
6. Although ESV uses latest English, there are some that are more difficult to understand for a non-native English like me, example is Psalms 103:9 ESV uses "chide" while NKJV uses "strive". I think "strive" is easier to understand and it is still elegant. Although I liked ESV choice of word "likeness" for James 3:9 while NKJV used "similitude". Truly there is no perfect translation for everyone, its a matter of individual taste.
7. This is an example that ESV is vague, on earlier verse it says 5,000 men were seated. How can Jesus distribute to those 5,000 seated men those bread and fish? In NKJV it is clear that he distributed to the disciples and then disciples distributed to those sitting down.
John 6:12 ESV
Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.
John 6:11 NKJV And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
For now, I'll do myself a favor by using NKJV for memorization and ESV for further study and will start re-memorizing some of the verses that they were different... and see how it goes...
end of blog written on 29 Dec 2015
----------------
Updates after 2 weeks 11 Jan 2016
There were times that I thought it was easy since they aren't really so different, but actually the difference confuses my brain to recall word perfect. As the days progress it becomes difficult to review on ESV and memorize new verses in NKJV on the middle of John. Therefore after committing almost 3 chapters in John in NKJV and not progressing well, I decided to re-think, do I really need to change the bible translation?
Thus, I decided to go back to ESV today and so far so good. It hampers me to change the bible version because there are so many doubts in my mind on word choices. John 10:1 NKJV says "Most assuredly..." but in ESV it says "Truly truly". I looked on my English-Greek Interlinear and it says "Amen Amen", I understood what ESV tries to do, they try to translate word for word. I research why there are missing part of verses, and even whole verses skipped. They did not see on the older manuscripts while the copyist added some words in the manuscript used for NKJV that makes their text had more words. (I meant manuscripts means where they translate their English text, I research that there was no original manuscript, all are just copies and ESV used the older manuscripts)
Truly both are great translation and I understand that there is no perfect translation, both has pros and cons. I realized that since I am doing this as my personal devotion to the Lord, if ESV helps me to memorize better then so be it even I don't have anyone in my current church who uses this version.
NEVERTHELESS, NO REASON TO BE ANXIOUS, THE LORD IS BIGGER THAN ANY BIBLE VERSIONS... THE SPIRIT INTERCEDES FOR US TOO DEEP FOR WORDS (ROMANS 8:26B)
Updates on 21 February 2016
Here's a blog that really helps me to understand about bible translations, it is truly a blessing to me, from now on I will not doubt the bible translation I am using:
http://www.deliveredbygrace.com/why-i-changed-from-kjv-to-esv/
I've research again why I chose ESV over NKJV despite that our church mainly uses NKJV. Well, the main reason is its readability and that I could not find an audio bible that is in NKJV while ESV had in YouVersion and Bible.Is. Honestly, my heart is so close to ESV as I've started memorizing from it. However, for the sake of the unity of the church, it is wiser for me to use NKJV, they are not too different anyway, just a few words are different in every verse or order of words.
Besides if I would continue to memorize in ESV and back and forth sing in NKJV, it takes a lot of work for my mind to remember my ESV since as I sing it I'll be memorizing it even I didn't intend to.
An example that I had challenge in memorizing is in Ephesians 1, it used "purpose" 3x (1:5,1:9,1:11) while in NKJV it used that word only once in 1:11 while both 1:5 and 1:9 uses "good pleasure", the latter is smoother. This is minor but because of this I have difficulty recalling Ephesians.
Here are the other reasons why I wanted to change my version:
1. We sang in our fellowship the "Model Prayer" but sad that my ESV does not have the last majestic phrase Matthew 6:13b "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"
2. I've realized how important fasting is and in ESV this verse was dropped Mark 17:21 "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting"
3. Few reasoning from this blog that I also agree:
https://pastorbrett.wordpress.com/2014/08/02/why-i-have-come-to-prefer-the-kjv-and-perhaps-you-should-too/
4. Our church's songs are in NKJV only and I had lots of CDs already
5. Our church's Bible Marathon will be in NKJV only
6. Although ESV uses latest English, there are some that are more difficult to understand for a non-native English like me, example is Psalms 103:9 ESV uses "chide" while NKJV uses "strive". I think "strive" is easier to understand and it is still elegant. Although I liked ESV choice of word "likeness" for James 3:9 while NKJV used "similitude". Truly there is no perfect translation for everyone, its a matter of individual taste.
7. This is an example that ESV is vague, on earlier verse it says 5,000 men were seated. How can Jesus distribute to those 5,000 seated men those bread and fish? In NKJV it is clear that he distributed to the disciples and then disciples distributed to those sitting down.
John 6:12 ESV
Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.
John 6:11 NKJV And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
For now, I'll do myself a favor by using NKJV for memorization and ESV for further study and will start re-memorizing some of the verses that they were different... and see how it goes...
end of blog written on 29 Dec 2015
----------------
Updates after 2 weeks 11 Jan 2016
There were times that I thought it was easy since they aren't really so different, but actually the difference confuses my brain to recall word perfect. As the days progress it becomes difficult to review on ESV and memorize new verses in NKJV on the middle of John. Therefore after committing almost 3 chapters in John in NKJV and not progressing well, I decided to re-think, do I really need to change the bible translation?
Thus, I decided to go back to ESV today and so far so good. It hampers me to change the bible version because there are so many doubts in my mind on word choices. John 10:1 NKJV says "Most assuredly..." but in ESV it says "Truly truly". I looked on my English-Greek Interlinear and it says "Amen Amen", I understood what ESV tries to do, they try to translate word for word. I research why there are missing part of verses, and even whole verses skipped. They did not see on the older manuscripts while the copyist added some words in the manuscript used for NKJV that makes their text had more words. (I meant manuscripts means where they translate their English text, I research that there was no original manuscript, all are just copies and ESV used the older manuscripts)
Truly both are great translation and I understand that there is no perfect translation, both has pros and cons. I realized that since I am doing this as my personal devotion to the Lord, if ESV helps me to memorize better then so be it even I don't have anyone in my current church who uses this version.
NEVERTHELESS, NO REASON TO BE ANXIOUS, THE LORD IS BIGGER THAN ANY BIBLE VERSIONS... THE SPIRIT INTERCEDES FOR US TOO DEEP FOR WORDS (ROMANS 8:26B)
Updates on 21 February 2016
Here's a blog that really helps me to understand about bible translations, it is truly a blessing to me, from now on I will not doubt the bible translation I am using:
http://www.deliveredbygrace.com/why-i-changed-from-kjv-to-esv/
Comments
Post a Comment