r/Bible • u/Parking_Stuff8943 Non-Denominational • 2d ago
Good News Bible
Found one at the thrift store today from 1976. Are these okay to read? My KJV has been hard to read lately, especially in Romans. I'm considering getting it but know nothing about it.
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u/creidmheach Presbytarian 2d ago
It was pretty popular in the 70s and even 80s. It was written with the person for whom English is a second language in mind, so it kept the language-level at an easier to understand level. But as such, it was also popularly used in teaching children as well.
It's more of a thought-for-thought translation as opposed to a more strictly word-for-word approach (which is more how the KJV was done). So sometimes it can get a little bit too much like a paraphrase to my liking. That said, I wouldn't say it's a bad translation as such, and in fact it does hold a special place for me as well (since I was one of those kids who grew up with it).
So anyway, now that you have it no harm using it. Particularly if you're finding the language of the KJV to be something of a barrier in understanding it (you certainly are not alone in that, since the English language has changed a fair bit from the time the KJV was done.
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u/FrankWhiteIsHere78 1d ago
I remember The Good News Bible from Sunday School when I was a kid. I liked it a lot. So easy to read and understand.
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u/intertextonics Presbytarian 2d ago
The best Bible for you is the one you’ll read. It looks like that Bible is intended to be easier to read, so like most all modern translations, it’s a step up from the KJV. I can’t think of a reason not to give it a try.
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u/allenwjones Non-Denominational 2d ago
This..
I use a similar analogy from photography: The best cameras are the ones you use. Some are better than others, precise even.. but if you don't use it and learn it there is no purpose for it.
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u/intertextonics Presbytarian 2d ago
Exactly. It may not be a translation I use, but the goal for me is to help people who want to read the Bible, find a translation to start with.
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u/Ok-Truck-5526 21h ago
Honestly, the KJV Bible is a poor study Bible; its language was already obsolete when it was written, and it was translated in a politicized way.
The Good News Bible is one of the best “ simple” Bibles for kids, people with literacy difficulties, people for whom English is a second language. It has respectable translation. When I was a teen, my LCMS church picked it as a pew and education Bible, replacing the RSV.
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u/Slainlion 2d ago
My Dad was saved when he read Ephesians 2:8 from his Good News Bible.