You may have noticed (or not…) in yesterday’s blog that I was using the NIV when I started going through Philippians, but I switched to ESV before I was done. I’ve been asked before how I choose which translation I’m quoting from. There are several possibilities:

• If I’m blogging on the reading program, I’m often quoting from the translation I’m reading from. This year, it’s mostly The Message as I go through the Historical Books.
• Sometimes, I have the quote in my head, and I want to find the translation that uses the phrasing I’m thinking about. That’s what happened yesterday. I’m used to Philippians 3.1 as “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord,” and NIV’s “Further, my brothers and sisters,…” didn’t sound right to me so I switched.
• Sometimes, I just quote from the translation that’s open in the computer without giving it a lot of thought.

So, no consistent reason. I hope you don’t mind.

I recently read Why We Worry When Choosing a Bible Translation by Peter J. Curry, about whom I know nothing. It opens this way:

By far the most common question I get asked about Bible translation is What’s the best one? What I’ve noticed is that, very often, the question comes with a hint of worry—worry that, depending on my answer, the person may discover they’ve been using a second-best translation. And when it’s God’s word we’re reading, no one wants to settle for second best! The anxiety is understandable.

But can anything be done about it? …How much should we worry that we’ve picked the wrong translation?

It’s a long and useful article if you’re interested in this sort of thing. What struck me was that people worry about their translation choice. It’s definitely an English speaker’s problem. We’re the ones who have over 60 options at Biblegateway.com. There are 20 Spanish translations, 5 German, and 4 French at that site.

I was greatly helped by an Internet presentation a few years ago. I don’t remember who the presenter was, but he was an expert in Bible translations. Here are some things I remember:

• NO translations are literal word for word. If they were, we wouldn’t understand them. “Heart,” for example, in Hebrew is really “kidneys,” or something, as I recall.
• There is a spectrum of translations from word for word to thought for thought. One type is not automatically better than another.
• When asked “What is your favorite translations?” the presenter said, “You give me a verse, and I’ll tell you my favorite translation for that verse.”

In other words, fret not. God can and does speak, even through “poor” translations. Peter Curry, the author of the original article I cited leaves us with these suggestions:

1. Reduce your options. When you reduce your options, it makes the decision feel less momentous. There are any number of ways to do this with translations. The simplest is to simply adopt the translation your church or denomination uses. If you trust your church or denomination enough to be a member, it makes sense that you would also trust their choice in translation. So, pick theirs and be done.
2. Be content with good enough. If this still leaves too many options, ask yourself if you’re making perfection the enemy of the good. I think many Christians who are worried about choosing the “wrong” translation need to hear that any mainstream, evangelical translation is going to serve them very well. They are all very good—even if they are good in different ways. If you already use the NIV or the NASB, ask yourself why you feel the need to switch. Is there really something wrong with your current translation? Or, have you fallen prey to the comparison trap? If so, it may help to remember that you can always supplement your main translation with others by using any number of free online resources. I highly recommend it.
3. Be Grateful. Finally, I think the best way to overcome the paradox of choice is to turn angst into gratitude. Behind the angst is a blessing: we have so many good English translations to choose from! Most Christians in history, and many Christians around the world still today, do not have the rich legacy of Bible translation we have in English. We should be enormously grateful for this rich heritage. Instead of worrying about choosing the wrong translation, most of us should just be grateful we have a choice at all.

I would add, there is no “credit” for having the “right translation” or despising a “bad” translation if you’re not prayerfully reading some version and putting it into practice.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1.22, NIV)

But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. (Matthew 7.26, MSG)