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I use Sword Project Bible software to read Bible.

Currently I use WEB (World English Bible), sometimes KJV.

But in WEB there are such things as intermixing soul, heart, spirit and other words, as if these would be one the same word, that is they translate somehow arbitrarily.

Please advise me a more literal (however not too literal) translation of Bible, preferably available in Sword Project.

porton
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    Young's Literal Bible (1862) and Green's Literal Bible (1993) are accepted standards. See Textus Receptus Bibles for comparison with KJV. – Nigel J Dec 01 '18 at 16:31
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    I'd warn you that translation is hard. The fact that one word is translated in different ways doesn't necessarily mean inconsistency (though admittedly it might). There are different philosophies behind translation and one isn't inherently superior to another. – lonesomeday Dec 01 '18 at 16:40
  • @NigelJ I know these. Notice that I ask "however not too literal". I want it to be proper English not a calc from Hebrew like YLT/GLT. – porton Dec 01 '18 at 19:24
  • @porton I am not familiar with the term 'calc', I'm afraid. – Nigel J Dec 01 '18 at 19:33
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    NASB is usually considered somewhat more literal than KJV, and the English is modern. If you prefer a textus receptus (TR) or Byzantine/Majority (MT) Greek source, be aware that NASB is based on the UBS critical text (NU). There are a number of public domain 'updated KJV' translations that remain quite true to the original, American KJV is one, available in 'the Word' program and online, I'm sure. – Bit Chaser Dec 01 '18 at 22:12
  • @disciple It seems that there is no NASB in Sword Project :-( – porton Dec 01 '18 at 23:06
  • Yes I know that. I'm thinking about what we call a "frame challenge" answer to your question: since it's impossible to get the exact flavor of literalness you want, you may need to understand the possibilities and limitations of translation better, examining interlinears and various shades of more natural translation. You can download the concordant version from http://www.scripture4all.org/download/download_ISA3.php if you want, but to study, not as sword module. – Bit Chaser Dec 01 '18 at 23:20
  • The CV and SBLGNT study Bible are both proprietary but available in different versions of literalness. It would help me if I knew what Greek texts you prefer. It is well worth while to get several different translations in sword modules, and I can help you some in choosing the most useful ones, but 'shopping list' questions do not work well at this site. – Bit Chaser Dec 01 '18 at 23:23
  • @disciple I have no idea how to choose the Greek text. I can only say that I would prefer ones from conservative/fundamentalist camp – porton Dec 01 '18 at 23:32
  • There is a lot to learn about translations, the most important thing to know is that it is incredibly hard to translate accurately, and easy-to-read is often in conflict with precision of translation. You need to understand the benefits and risks of always using the same word in translation. For Greek text types, I suggest you look at the introduction to a NKJV and read about their footnotes that identify Greek texts as TR MT or NU. We need to continue this in chat if you want to dialog some more. – Bit Chaser Dec 01 '18 at 23:44
  • @porton I just announced the question and my answer on the Upper Room chat area. You're welcome to come over there and discuss your needs and any ideas you have for improving the answer for others. – Bit Chaser Dec 02 '18 at 05:42
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    @NigelJ Misspelling of calque. – curiousdannii Dec 02 '18 at 12:05
  • @curiousdannii Thank you. A new word, for me. – Nigel J Dec 02 '18 at 15:31

1 Answers1

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Looking for a reasonably literal Sword Project Bible translation

I respect your desire to get a Bible translation you can have confidence in to be "God's Word", as close to the original languages as possible, but not too difficult to read and understand in English. The Sword Project has at least two Bible translations that may be helpful for you:

  • American King James Version (AKJV)
  • Updated King James Version (UKJV)

These are two of several updates to the KJV which update the archaic words of the KJV while being careful not to change any meanings. They are therefore neither less nor more literal than the KJV, but easier to understand.

Obtaining a better understanding of the Bible

All translations are compromises.

I will address the New Testament books primarily, but recommend you continue to study manuscript history and translation issues of both testaments.

It is to your advantage to have several translations, some very close to the original language, and others as clear in English as they can be without compromising the teachings.

I know of at least three Bible versions which provide interlinears, quite literal translations, and a more readable version. Of course they vary in what Greek texts they translate from and their procedure, and they are proprietary so not available for Sword.

  • SBLGNT Study Bible
  • BSB Berean Study Bible
  • ACV A Concordant Version

Greek texts

It is beneficial to any student of the Bible to know about the Greek manuscripts and how the different ones were used in translation. I recommend having Greek texts and interlinears. While these are hard for someone who doesn't know Greek to understand, they are the ultimate source of the Bible. I recommend reading the NKJV introduction to understand their abbreviations for Greek texts, TR (Textus Receptus) MT (Majority, aka Byzantine, Text), and NU (the UBS text used by many modern translations). These Greek texts are available for Sword. Read the small print, but you can count on these as reliably representing the readings in the thousands of Greek manuscripts in existence.

  • TR: Textus Receptus (1550/1894)
  • Byz: The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005
  • WHNU: Westcott and Hort with NA27/UBS4 variants
Bit Chaser
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  • Posting initial version of this answer. I hope this will be helpful to @porton, and we can improve it for others as well. – Bit Chaser Dec 02 '18 at 05:05
  • Try this one, I use it and find its a good translation. https://www.jw.org/en/publications/bible/study-bible/books/ –  Dec 02 '18 at 13:06
  • Are KJV/NKJV Old Testament based on Hebrew text directly or through Septuagint? – porton Dec 02 '18 at 13:37
  • The Eastern Orthodox churches prefer using the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew. Most English translations are based on the Hebrew text preserved by Jewish scholars, known as the Masoretic text. And yes, I have and occasionally reference the WLC and Aleppo texts, the two most respected Masoretic texts. By the way, you can use the chat room at https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/1167/the-upper-room if you want to. Discussion of translations and manuscripts is always on topic there, as is this question. – Bit Chaser Dec 02 '18 at 14:20
  • @ethos. The NWT is a little controversial in places, though I don't think it's as bad as some people's hyperbolic claims make it. – TRiG Dec 02 '18 at 16:27