My essential question is what is the scholarly view of the Open English Bible (http://openenglishbible.org/)? How does it compare to the NIV or NRSV? Is there a known bias or other issue with it, apart from the fact that it is currently incomplete? For example, if you saw a verse in a book quoting the OEB, would you feel that it gave you a reasonable interpretation of that verse?
Related: Are there other versions of the Bible that are relatively unrestricted or open? The other one mentioned in the FAQ of the OEB site is the World English Bible. As they say, the WEB is more NRSV/ESV, while the OEB is more NIV/NEB. For example:
John 3:1-2 (OEB):
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a leading man among his people. 2 This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one could give such signs as you are giving, unless God were with him.”
John 3:1-2 (NIV):
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
John 3:1-2 (WEB):
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”
John 3:1-2 (NRSV):
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus[a] by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”
I only happened upon the OEB recently and was interested because I am writing a book and find the NIV and NRSV a little restrictive in their permissions and licensing. I'd be happy to describe the whole permissions story, if that were of interest, but it strays from the hermeneutics question.
In the end, I've decided to go with the WEB. This is the current draft of the relevant paragraph from the introduction to my book:
I include Bible verses in my text if it is necessary for the point I am making. Otherwise, when I reference a Bible verse I put it in a footnote of this ebook version. This will save the reader from having to flick back and forth through the Bible while reading, though I encourage you to do so anyway. Read the context and maintain a healthy skepticism of all claims, including mine. I also include a link to the verse so that you can compare different translations and versions. In general, I have used the World English Bible (WEB) because this is the only version that is both in the public domain and written in modern English (the Open English Bible is a second project working towards this, but is currently incomplete). The WEB is based on the American Standard Version which in turn is a revision of the Authorized Version/King James Bible. The WEB therefore combines the familiar feel and authority of the King James with a contemporary readability, while also enabling me to include hundreds of verses without restriction. I originally planned to use the NIV, but the licensing requirements were too onerous and would have limited the distribution of this book. In each verse I quoted, though, I compared the NIV with the WEB to ensure that the meaning was unchanged.
