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Sender's name: carol

I usually read the king james version of the bible, but recently purchased an NIV bible.  Do you believe the NIV is accurate?

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Having the ability to read Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, I can say that most of the major committee translations are fairly reliable. I don't normally use the NIV. Of the times that I have used it, I grow to like it less and less simply because it takes some liberties which I feel are not necessary. However, I would not call it an unreliable translation. The King James translation also has its problem, the most obvious being that the English in it is outdated, making it hard to read.

I would recommend that when you do in depth Bible study, use several translations. Stick to the committee translations as they will generally be more reliable. You can read the preface to see if a translation was done by a committee or an individual. Some committee translations include the New American Standard, New Revised Standard, and the New International Version. Bibles I would recommend against would be the Living Bible, which is clearly a paraphrase rather than a translation interprets rather than translates, the Message, which should be read more as a commentary rather than a translation, The New World Translation, which is a Jehovah's Witness Bible that has inserted their own theology into the Bible without any warrant in the actual text.

For in depth Bible study I would recommend doing so with only an NIV. I would read it alongside an NASB and a NRSV.

John Telgren

P.O. Box 452

Leavenworth, KS 66048

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