Skip to content

Find the right tool

Pick a topic. Each path opens a tool that already exists in this guide.

This page does not recommend a best Bible.

Now showing Guided. Topics grouped so you can find a comparison, a history page, or a profile.

This is an educational comparison guide — not a Bible reader, and not a quiz that picks a best Bible. You can change this anytime.

Browse the twenty translations

Open a profile when you already know which abbreviation you want.

20 translations

KJV

King James Version

Word-for-Word
Grade
12
Year
1611

In response to Protestant concerns of inaccuracies in earlier English versions (Tyndale's, Geneva, Bishop's).

Open profile

ASV

American Standard Version

Word-for-Word
Grade
12
Year
1901

To address about 300 suggestions from American translators to change the English Revised Version to acceptable American word usage.

Open profile

RSV

Revised Standard Version

Word-for-Word
Grade
10
Year
1952

Revision of the ASV. To preserve the best of the Tyndale-King James Bible heritage; to put the Bible's message in simple, enduring words.

Open profile

AMP

Amplified Bible

Word-for-Word
Grade
11
Year
1965

To allow the reader to better understand the meaning of words as they were used in their original context.

Open profile

NJB

New Jerusalem Bible

Word-for-Word
Grade
9
Year
1966

A response to Pope Pius XII's request for a more clear, skilled translation by Dominicans and others at École Biblique in Jerusalem.

Open profile

NABRE

New American Bible, Revised Edition

Word-for-Word
Grade
6.6
Year
1970

A response to Pope Pius XII's request for a more clear, skilled translation by the Catholic Biblical Association of America.

Open profile

NASB

New American Standard Bible

Word-for-Word
Grade
11
Year
1971

To remove antiquated phrases and words, and to add modern punctuation.

Open profile

GNT

Good News Translation

Thought-for-Thought
Grade
6
Year
1976

To provide a Bible for non-native English speakers.

Open profile

NIV

New International Version

Balance
Grade
7
Year
1978

To provide a modern translation acceptable to many denominations. The 2011 revision brought the translation into line with contemporary biblical scholarship and shifts in English usage.

Open profile

NKJV

New King James Version

Word-for-Word
Grade
9
Year
1982

To produce a modern language translation that would maintain the structure and beauty of the King James Version.

Open profile

NCV

New Century Version

Thought-for-Thought
Grade
5.6
Year
1987

To make a readable version that uses modern terms such as measurements and geographic names.

Open profile

NRSV

New Revised Standard Version

Word-for-Word
Grade
8
Year
1989

To revise the Revised Standard Version using information gathered from newly discovered Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.

Open profile

CEV

Contemporary English Version

Thought-for-Thought
Grade
5.4
Year
1995

To translate the Bible into the speech patterns found in modern communication.

Open profile

GW

God's Word Translation

Balance
Grade
5.1
Year
1995

To accurately translate the meaning of the original texts into clear, everyday language.

Open profile

NIrV

New International Reader's Version

Thought-for-Thought
Grade
2.9
Year
1996

To provide a translation with simple words and short sentences to appeal to a lower reading level.

Open profile

NLT

New Living Translation

Thought-for-Thought
Grade
6.3
Year
1996

To provide an easy-to-read modern version.

Open profile

ESV

English Standard Version

Word-for-Word
Grade
8
Year
2001

To produce a modern, readable, and accurate translation in the tradition of the Tyndale Version (1535) and King James Version (1611).

Open profile

MSG

The Message

Paraphrase
Grade
6
Year
2002

To re-create the common language in which the Bible was written into today's common language.

Open profile

CSB

Christian Standard Bible

Balance
Grade
7
Year
2004

To make the most readable text possible while maintaining the integrity of the translation.

Open profile

CEB

Common English Bible

Balance
Grade
7
Year
2011

To make the Bible accessible to a broad range of people and to give readers a smooth and natural reading experience.

Open profile