Bibles

(KJV) Job 37:14 Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
Translation/Version	Paraphrase or type of Translation	____Comparisons____ John 3:16-17	Target Audience	Reading Level	Denomination/ Theological Affiliation	Publisher/Year Released
AMP Amplified Bible	Word-for-word plus additional amplification of word meanings	"For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not parish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him."	Those looking for more detailed shades of meaning in scripture. Adds explanatory and alternate readings and amplifications within the Bible text to help the reader understand Scripture.	11	None	Zondervan 1965, 1987 (expanded edition)
CEV Contemporary English Version	Dynamic equivalence	"God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!"	Unchurched. Gives the meaning of the text in plain modern speech. It smoothes out rough places and eliminates repetition, making it a good choice for casual reading and devotional use.	5.4	Conservative, evangelical, & mainline	American Bible Society 1995
ESV English Standard Version	Essentially literal, word-for-word, formal equivalence	"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."	Bible readers of all ages. Is essentially literal and noted for its accuracy and traditional style, while using clear modern language. Good for personal reading, worship and study.	7.4	Evangelical, interdenominational, conservative.	Crossway Books & Bibles 2001
GNT Good News Translation (formerly Good News Bible/now: Today's English Version)	Thought-for-Thought	"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior."	Evangelical & mainline Protestant; Catholic; Orthodox. Seeks to express the ideas in Scripture as they would be expressed if they were being written today in everyday English. Good for reading and understanding the message of the Bible.	6	Evangelical & interconfessional	American Bible Society 1976, 1992 (second edition), 2001 (GNT/Zondervan)
GOD'S WORD Translation	Closest natural equivalence	"God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world."	Christians & non-Christians; adults & children	4.3	Evangelical	Green Key Books 1995
HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible	Optimal equivalence	"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."	Bible readers of all ages. A newer translation (2003) in modern English that maintains traditional style and accuracy. Its footnotes are highly regarded. Works well for study, reading, and teaching.	7.5	Protestant, evangelical, conservative, interdenominational	Holman Bible Publishers 2000 (NT), 2002 (Psalms & Proverbs), 2004 (complete Bible)
KJV King James Version--(also known as the AV--Authorized Version)	Formal equivalence	"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved."	Conservative Protestant The all-time bestseller for four centuries, is the choice for those wanting a traditional Bible. It is good for study because of the huge selection of reference works that are available for it. Widely used for memorizing scripture and for worship.	12	Church of England, conservative, & evangelical	Various 1611
The Message	Paraphrase	"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son. And this why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again."	Christians who want a fresh Bible-reading experience, and seekers An innovative translation of the Bible in free, natural language that is often surprising and which grabs the readers attention. Good for devotional reading and discussion.	5.5-10 depending on the passage	Evangelical	Navpress Publishing Group 2002
NAB New American Bible	Formal equivalence	"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him."	Catholic Used predominantly by Roman Catholics. Accuracy and ease of reading make it useful for worship, school and Catholic teaching. Its detailed notes and references suit it well for study.	6.6	Roman Catholic	Various 1970, 1986 (revised NT,) 1991 (revised Psalms)
NASB New American Standard Bible	Formal equivalence	"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."	Conservative, evangelical, Protestant Updated 1995, is highly regarded for its literal accuracy. Great for word study because it pays close attention to the wording and structure of the original Hebrew and Greek and attempts to use words consistently. Good for personal and small group studies.	11	Conservative & evangelical	Various 1971, 1995 (updated edition)
NCV New Century Version	Dynamic equivalence	"God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in may not be lost, but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him."	Those who want a highly readable translation of the Bible in today's language. A modern language translation that emphasizes clear communication. It is good for devotional reading, group study, and useful for outreach and for people new to Bible reading.	5.6	Conservative & evangelical	Thomas Nelson Publishers 1988, 1991 (revised)
NIrV New International Reader's Version	Simplified NIV with an emphasis on meaning when necessary	"God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him."	Children ages 10 and under. Uses language understandable to children and other early readers, with an emphasis on readability. Good for education and outreach to learners and nonreaders.	2.9	Conservative & evangelical	Zondervan 1996, 1998 (revised)
NIV New International Version	Balance between word-for-word & thought-for-thought	"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."	Most Protestant denominations, especially adults 35 and over. A modern English translation that achieves a good balance between accuracy and readability. It is good for reading and individual or group study. Many good Bibles and study resources are available for the NIV.	7.8	Conservative & evangelical	Zondervan 1978, 1984 (revised)
NKJV New King James Version	Complete equivalence	"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."	Those who want a readable translation of the Bible that is great for study but maintains the poetry of the King James Version. Keeps the traditional King James Version style and accuracy while using up-to-date English. Good for devotional use and study. Many good study and application-oriented Bibles use the NKJV.	8	Conservative, evangelical Protestant; Orthodox	Various 1982
NLT New Living Translation	Dynamic equivalence	"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world but to the world through him."	Adults & children Prepared with the goal of making the Bible especially usable for reading aloud in group teaching or worship settings. It presents the meaning of the Bible in common, everyday language.	6.3	All mainstream evangelical denominations	Tyndale House Publishers 1996, 2004 (revised)
NRSV New Revised Standard Version	Formal equivalence	"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world but to the world through him."	All mainline denominations Maintains a traditional Bible style. The NRSV and its predecessor, the Revised Standard Version (RSV), are used by many in mainline Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox churches. They are both accurate and readable, making them good choices for study or devotions.	8.1-10.4	Mainline and interconfessional	Various 1989
TLB The Living Bible	Paraphrase	"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it."	Adults and children	8.3	All denominations	Tyndale House Publishers 1971
TNIV Today's New International Version	Balance between word-for-word & thought-for-thought	"For God loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."	Most Protestant denominations, especially adults 18-34. Updates the language of the New International Version and provides improvements for today's generation. It is good for reading, devotions, and study.	n.a.	Conservative and evangelical	Zondervan 2002 (NT), 2005 (complete Bible)