As
Latter-day Saints, we need to collectively warm up to other translations of the
Bible, If you don’t believe me, just ask if you felt your King James fists fly
up when reading that previous sentence. The KJV is currently the English
standard for the restored Church, perhaps because it is the intertextual language
of Restoration scripture. That said, much is to be gained from reading other
faithful Bible translations. Brigham Young once suggested that if someone “understood
Greek and Hebrew,” that person “was under obligation” to render a better
translation of the Bible if he or she saw shortcomings in the KJV (Journal of Discourses, 14:226-27). At times,
King James expressions can be awkward, generally when its translators chose not
to use Tyndale’s original phraseology. For example, look at Matthew 6:34, about
why Jesus said we should take no thought of tomorrow:
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King James
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Tyndale
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“Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof.”
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“The day
present hath ever enough of his own trouble.”
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To me, Tyndale’s
translation offers more clarity than the King James Version.
Aside from
King James, the two other most popular English Bibles are the New International
Version (NIV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). There are many
others, each with its strengths and weaknesses. See, for example, Matthew
6:16-17 rendered in some of these popular Bibles, and note the insight gained
from looking at multiple translations:
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King James
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NIV
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NRSV
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NLT
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“Moreover
when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they
disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say
unto you, They have their reward.”
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“When you
fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces
to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward
in full.”
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“And
whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they
disfigure their faces to as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell
you, they have received their reward.”
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“And when
you fast, don’t make it obvious as the hypocrites do, for they try to look
miserable and dishevelled so people will admire them for their fasting. I
tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.”
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(Anthony
Sweat, Seekers Wanted: The Skills You
Need For the Faith You Want [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019], 67)
