Calling all Christians! What's a faithful literal translation of the New Testament?

[theJJ]

I just finished reading the Tanakh cover to cover. Now it's time for the New Testament, and I'm looking for a translation that's faithful and literal to the original Greek. I read the Artscroll/Stone edition of the Tanakh [because that's what was lying around] which incorporates Rabbinical interpretation in the translation itself. Luckily, I know a little Hebrew so I was able to check. Don't have that luxury with Greek. I suppose an ideal edition of the New Testament for me would be a literal translation with commentary in the margins. Greek and English on facing pages like a lot of Torahs would be extra sweet.

So which hard-copy New Testament editions fit the bill?

If there's no such thing as a stand-alone New Testament, which Bible would be closest to what I'm describing? (Original Hebrew and Greek, literal English translation, commentary.)

 

[_JP_]

You may have your best luck contacting a vendor of Christian supplies for churches.

 

[ouch]

I can get you an autographed copy.

 

[Matt_Bloodletter]

It sounds like your needs may be more demanding than mine but my take is that I believe that the 1611 translation is possibly one of the greatest works in history to the extent of being inspired. However, I found it terribly hard to read the first time through. As I researched translations, I wanted to find one which is as literal as possible while being easier to read. There are paraphrase and literal translations. The NKJV is supposed to be a good literal translation. I finally read it through and I tell you I never envisioned how vivid it could be. I compared surprising passages with the KJV for support and it was really quite faithful. While I see the KJV as the ultimate version for English, I value understanding over 100% accuracy, now that I've actually read the KJV.

I think the grid at the grid near the middle of this page may be useful.

 

[Galengwath]

My favorite literal translation is the English Standard Version (ESV). Quite accurate and readable by modern standards, but I don't know if there's a good ESV-Greek interlinear available. Defintely something to keep an eye out for, IMO.

 

[StillShaving]

I recommend caution on "literally" wanting a literal translation. But I am not trying to get into a religious discussion here or make light of your question with that quip.

It is my understanding/impression that the best, most faithful translation is the KJV. But it was written for people of 17th century. So I would think that learning the vocabulary and language from that time period would be a good way to get a more in depth understanding. There was interesting documentary that I saw sometime over the past few years on the making of the KJ bible. It would probably interest you a lot if you have not seen it. I am not certain, but I think it was this show: King James Bible 400th Anniversary

 

[alaskazimm]

You might also want to take a look at inter-linear bibles - that is the greek is on one line and the translation is above that.

But for a solid translation the ones most recommended are the ESV, NASB, and NKJV. Of those I use the ESV and NKJV the most.

 

[Saxman11290]

There are entire departments of Classics at many liberal arts institutions that study these types of issues. I'm sure a quick search of some of the syllabi online, if available, or contact with a professor or two might point you in the direction you are looking for. That's how I would approach it, at least.

In terms of an actual recommendation, I don't have one, sorry!

 

[theJJ]

It sounds like your needs may be more demanding than mine but my take is that I believe that the 1611 translation is possibly one of the greatest works in history to the extent of being inspired. However, I found it terribly hard to read the first time through. As I researched translations, I wanted to find one which is as literal as possible while being easier to read. There are paraphrase and literal translations. The NKJV is supposed to be a good literal translation. I finally read it through and I tell you I never envisioned how vivid it could be. I compared surprising passages with the KJV for support and it was really quite faithful. While I see the KJV as the ultimate version for English, I value understanding over 100% accuracy, now that I've actually read the KJV.

I think the grid at the grid near the middle of this page may be useful.

Helpful link there. I'm leaning towards the KJV, or maybe the NKJV if it's basically the KJV minus the "thou" and "-eth" stuff. lol Especially for Proverbs, the literal translation is ironically far more poetic than modern paraphrasing.

 

[bamafan64]

Mistakes can be found in every translation. Get two or three translations and compare, along with a good concordance.

 

[kirkdujaan]

U can always try web based translation applications ( greek to english). Expect grammatical errors.. Or IMO read translation of the Koran .. Whose every translation by any author is exactly the same in literal meaning.. Unlike Bible whose no two translations are same.. (no offence to christians)

 

[RatMan]

I went through a class one time and discovered the most acuratly translated is the New Amercian Standard Bible. After all that is what the class was about. which traslation was closest to the original language.

 

[YetiDave]

I don't think you'll ever find one that's a faithful and literal translation, just ones that are maybe a bit more faithful and a bit more literal when compared to others

 

[A3M0N]

I'll also echo the English Standard Version (ESV), its the version that I use to study and teach from.

 

[Grimakis]

http://store.holycrossbookstore.com/grennewtenea.html

 

[petr]

http://www.ignatius.com/promotions/catholic-study-bible/

 

[Phog Allen]

My understanding of things is the New American Standard Bible(NASB) is the most accurate literal translation in English language. I certainly love the prose of the KJV but there are some issues with the translation. I guess. I am not a translator. Of course if you could read Greek you could understand it in the language it was written in. As an aside I was unaware that currently the Southern Baptists(I am a member) have the largest group of Greek translators dedicated to getting the Word delivered in its original language. They have men who read and translate directly from the pulpit. Very interesting. If you have a Lifeway store close by they should have a good selection.

Cheers, Todd

 

[Jasonian]

My favorite literal translation is the English Standard Version (ESV). Quite accurate and readable by modern standards, but I don't know if there's a good ESV-Greek interlinear available. Defintely something to keep an eye out for, IMO.

I agree. I keep going between 1611 KJV (I'm not fond of the NKJV) and the ESV. I've been leaning towards ESV lately for relevant interpretation rather than literal translation.

Meaning isn't always carried when when languages are translated literally. "cool" in English doesn't always mean what it literally means, for example. English is also neither the only, nor the first language with figures of speech.

 

[Galengwath]

I agree. I keep going between 1611 KJV (I'm not fond of the NKJV) and the ESV. I've been leaning towards ESV lately for relevant interpretation rather than literal translation.

Meaning isn't always carried when when languages are translated literally. "cool" in English doesn't always mean what it literally means, for example. English is also neither the only, nor the first language with figures of speech.

Sure, there are always trade-offs, and the ESB and KJV both interpret figures of speach and find ways to surmount the difficulties of translation. Neither are truly pure word for word translations, and both rely greatly upon the linguistic instincts Tyndale in his translation. That being said, I prefer the more modern form of the ESV, as well as the fact that he ESV translators, and of course the translators of most modern versions, had more resources at their disposal (in terms of ancient textual fragments) with which to refine their translations.

 

[josh_k]

I would support the ESV for ia literal translation in modern English. That said, the translation issues for the New Testament are much different than the Old Testament. The Hebrew manuscripts underlying English translations are quite uniform since Jewish scribes were very rigourous in the attention to detail in copying. Thus, when a standard Hebrew manuscript like the Leningrad Codex (written around the year A.D. 1000) was compared with the Dead Sea Scrolls (written about 1000 years before that) there were very few differences. However, the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament are a far different story. There are many textual variants which tend to get grouped into four different manuscript families. Also, the Greek language is fairly complex in terms of the many tenses for verbs and cases for nouns. For this reason, there isn't always one "right" or "literal" way to translate a given word or phrase into English. I know that may now be terribly encouraging.

Having said that, I would recommend the ESV (English Standard Version) as a good choice. They provide footnotes when there are significant other possibilities to how they translated it. Also, you might want to check out the NET Bible. They have provided more thorough notes which are often quite technical, but provide more detail about translation possibilities on tricky constructions.

Or you could just take the long road and learn the ancient languages. It's a tough haul, but it is very helpful.