Which Version of Bible Should I Choose?

One of our web site visitors (a frequent reader of the Bible) wanted to know which version of the Bible he should choose as there were too many versions of the Bible available.

He further quoted the following two verses of the Bible as a starting point:

“He is the one who has enabled us to represent his new covenant. This is a covenant, not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives life.

That old system of law etched in stone led to death, yet it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away.” (2 Corinthians 3:6-7 NLT)

Many times people (mostly the Jews) told me that they did not want to know Jesus as there were too many versions of the New Covenant and the contents did not match each other. Therefore, they believed that the New Covenant was made out by man, not from the Words of God.

In Jeremiah 31:31-34, God promised the Jews that He would give them a New Covenant and this time He would write it on the hearts of the people instead of on stone.

The most important issue in the relationship between God and man is:

“For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”(John 4:24 NLT)

Likewise, if one is indeed seeking God, God promises that He can be found. (see Matthew 7:7-8, Jeremiah 29:13-14, Proverb 8:17, 35, Luke 11:9-10, Hebrews 11:6 and Isaiah 65:1)

The secret is in the Holy Spirit (see John 14). To have a better understanding the importance of the Holy Spirit, in John 3:5, Jesus said that:

“The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of WATER and the SPIRIT.” (NLT)

A wise person like King David or King Solomon – should humble himself/herself and depend on God – ask God (the Holy Spirit) to lead him/her at all times, especially when seeking God and His Words.

Jesus said: “It is the Spirit who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”(John 6:63 NLT)

Hence, it is less important as which version of Bible you should choose. The key issue is whether you have asked the Holy Spirit to lead in each of your Bible readings/studies.

For reference purposes, you may wish to have two or three versions and to compare their meanings in case of doubt. There are quite a few versions using simple English: New Living Translation, New Complete Jewish Bible, New King James Version, Amplified, New American Standard and New International etc.