Which Bible Is The Best?

One of the best ways to begin growing your relationship with God is by reading the Bible. Generally speaking I would say the best Bible is whatever one you will read. Now there are some exceptions to that. Some like the "New World Translation" (The Jehovah Witness bible), or "The Passion Translation" are both examples of Bibles you should probably never read, unless you are doing so to see where they venture into heresy and try point people away from them and to a good translation. But that's a topic for another time.

Right now I want to talk about some good translations. Bibles that you can trust to pick up and start digging in on your own. I'm going to give you my #1 overall pick, and outline some other translations that would work for people at different stages in their walk currently.  I'll also provide links to each so if one of these sounds good you can go straight to it.

I'll also note that each of these is a study Bible. That is something that is very helpful, especially when really digging into the Bible for the first time. A study Bible will have notes along with the reading to help you better understand the original context of the passage, and sometimes explain why the translators went with a certain translation over another.

CSB Apologetics Study Bible

I just recently discovered this Bible and it very quickly became one of my favorites. It's very easy to read, a solid translation, and the apologetic notes put it over the edge. Rather than going into all the details, I've included a video I made going over this Bible and why it is my top recomendation.

CSB Apologetics Study Bible

NIV & NLT

NIV (New International Version)

The NIV is one of the most widely used Bibles in the world. It strikes a balance between being faithful to the original text and easy to read in modern English. It’s a great choice if you’re new to the Bible and want something clear, accurate, and accessible without being too academic. One warning I will throw out with the NIV is on the more recent editions. The 1984 edition is the best in my opinion. The newer editions do seem to soften up some of the gendered language in an attempt to be more "politcally correct". I don't think it goes so far as to be heretical, but is still worth taking note of. You can still by a 1984 edition online, but they are expensive.

NLT (New Living Translation)

The NLT is written in very natural, conversational English. It focuses on clarity and readability, making it an excellent choice if you’ve never read the Bible before. It captures the meaning of the text in a way that’s simple to understand while still being true to Scripture.

NIV Bible
NLT Bible

ESV & NASB

ESV (English Standard Version)

The ESV is a word-for-word translation that aims for accuracy while still being readable. It’s a favorite for serious Bible study, memorization, and preaching. If you want something reliable, a little more precise, but still understandable, the ESV is a solid choice. While the ESV is one of my favorite translations, it is worth noting that the company that owns the rights to it is a reformed company. Because of this the study notes do have a reformed/ calvinistic leaning to them. While Calvinist are brothers, I believe they are in error on some bigger topics. With that being said though. My ESV study Bible is still one of my favorites to read.

NASB (New American Standard Bible)

The NASB is one of the most literal translations available in English. It’s highly trusted for in-depth study because of how closely it follows the original Hebrew and Greek. While it can feel a little less smooth to read, it’s excellent for digging deep into God’s Word. Similarly to the NIV before. The newer versions of the NASB seem to have updated some language (specifically around gender issues) to be more politically correct. But as long as you are aware of this, it should not be problematic. The NASB '95 is still one of my most used versions when I want something that follows the original language very closely.

ESV Bible
NASB Bible