There are many translations of the Bible available to us today. Here is one list of current English translations:

• 21st Century King James Version
• American Standard Version
• Amplified Bible
• Contemporary English Version
• Darby Translation
• English Standard Version
• Holman Christian Standard Bible
• King James Version
• New American Standard Bible
• New Century Version
• New International Version
• New King James Version
• New Living Translation
• The Message
• Today’s New International Version
• Worldwide English
• Wycliffe New Testament
• Young’s Literal Translation

Each of these has advantages and disadvantages, which we could easily debate for a very long time. What is important is that each Christian read the Bible, and they can choose their favorite translation to do so. All translations of the Bible tell the incredible story of Jesus the Christ, and we should accurately handle that story (2 Timothy 2:15). What does it take to do that?

Whenever the Bible is presented, it should be accurately quoted. The book, chapter, and verse should be indicated clearly. The translation used should also be indicated – i.e. by an abbreviation such as NIV for New International Version. This enables anyone viewing the presentation to go look up the passage for themselves. They can easily find the specific verse. I usually find that there is a lot more to the passage than we have time to present, so I often go read the context. Just reading the whole chapter will usually give you a good sense of the context, but you may also want to dig into passage using a concordance. See the article on Bible Study Tools for more ideas on Bible study.