NASB 1995
I have exclusively read the KJV for many years now, except for this year, when I am reading our old Swedish Church Bible from 1917. I am reading that at night in a studying way, in the morning I read devotional, and it has usually been from the KJV until now.
Our old Swedish Church Bible is a very beautiful translation, a little like the KJV, with words that are not used any more, but words that I grow up with, and some I never knew. It is also a very consistent translation in that it consistently translates the same Hebrew or Greek word to the same Swedish word when it is possible. You cannot slavishly do this, but few things are as important to me than that the Bible is translated in this way because then can you follow the inspired author and his thought. I usually take the Greek noun πρόθεσις (próthesis) as an example to visualize this. It is translated with “purpose” (when it is not used in conjunction with the noun bread) in every literal English Translation and many others, eg. KJV, NASB, LSB, ESV and so on. It is a noun that is not found many times, and it is mostly Paul and Luke that make use of it. In Sweden on the other hand it is translated with countless other words, and you can never follow the thoughts of the inspired author this way. This is in my eyes an abomination.
I am certain that the LORD has providentially preserved his Word, and until recently, I believed he had done it in the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) and in the Greek Textus Receptus (TR), and I preferred to read a translation of it; therefore have I read exclusively the KJV. And I love its language, and how it translates Hebrew idioms to English. But I have started to recognize that I do not always understand the word used, or word that has changed meaning, I have therefore read the Trinitarian Bible Society’s Westminster Reference Bible which mark these word with an asterisk, and it has been very helpful, but the other day when I was reading I could not really understand the meaning of the verse, and it became clear to me that I could not make the meaning straight with the word that the translators of the KJV had used, and when I was checking the ESV and the NASB it became clear to me. To note, English is not my mother tongue, but we have no literal translations, so I have preferred to read one in English because of this. So it became clear to me that I also need to read a more modern translation. And I have read the ESV, NKJV, MEV and NASB 1995. But it has always been something in every translation that I have not liked and so have I continued with the KJV. But now I understand that I need a new translation to read besides the KJV. And I have settled on the NASB 1995. Let me explain why.
In a way do I prefer to read the LSB because it is so consistent, and it changes every thing I criticize in the NASB 1995 for the better. But I am in no way convinced that the LORD’S name shall be read, Yahwhe. I read the other day an article on the Trinitarian Bible Society’s website called: So I am going to wait until I meet Lord and ask him his name on that Day, until then, I will continue to use LORD for the LORD'S name. So I will not use the LSB. MEV and NKJV are also fine translations, undoubtedly, but I prefer something even more literal. But they are mostly paragraph, red letter and so on. I also want my translation to have italics for supplied words, which NASB 1995 has. But other important things have also led me to the NASB 1995. I really dislike paragraph bibles, and ESV is mostly paragraph, you have only a few that are not. I also prefer double column, which can be hard to find, but that is not as important as verse by verse. So in a way are the KJV Bibles the most perfect, they are mostly verse-by-verse, double column, italics for supplied words (sadly not Allan Longprimer), no capital letters for deity, no quotation marks, and no chapter headings, and ye, thou and thy: they are perfect in that respect. But I have found two great NASB 1995 Bibles: The Allan Readers Reference Edition (double column, verse-by-verse, reference), one of my favorite Bibles, and a Lockman Side-Column Reference Bible (Verse-by-verse, single column), which I am yet to receive.
So I have read countless books that the Critical Text (CT) is evil during these years. But I am not so sure that they are evil. But of course do I have qualms about that unregenerate men (not all of them) have put together God's Word. I have supported and will continue to do so the Trinitarian Bible Society (because they love the Lord and his Word), and I will continue to read my KJV. So what has changed? The only thing that has changed is that I need to understand what I am reading. I have to use a lexicon sometimes, reading our old 1917 translation, but the thing is that I know when I do not understand a Swedish word since it is my mother tongue, that is not always the case in English. I also understand Greek very well, but not Hebrew that well. So I am not going to stop reading the KJV, but I am going to read the NASB 1995 also. I am also content with that the NASB 1995 includes many of the TR readings. And I like its greater consistency. So I hope this will be a blessing on my life.
Maybe I will refresh my books according to the NASB 1995 when I have the time. Time will tell.
I have always pursued the truth wherever it leads me. And when they say that the CT does hide Christ as the Lord, or such things, it is really not true. But I still have hard time when a translation stops at Mark 16:8 since nearly all manuscripts have 16:9-20 except Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. I also have a hard time with some of the rules of textual criticism, but I can make my own evaluation. It is clear that we have different manuscripts, and that is not hard to understand when they were copied by hand. And we even have different TR’s that differ from each others.
So I am looking forward to read through the NASB 1995. I can see that I have read rather much of it before since I always underline and write in my Bibles, and which I bought in 2021. I am collecting beautiful Bibles, and this is one nearly perfect. You can never go wrong with an Allan Bible.
This was not the most eloquent write-up, I just wanted to make known that my primary Bible from now on will be the NASB 1995, and that I still love my KJV.