Customers often ask us, "What is the difference between these Bibles? Why are there different translations and which one should I choose?" We first ask, "What are you looking for in a Bible? Do you want to follow the readings at Mass or are you wanting something for study? Would you like a connection to the Catechism, more original language, lots of commentary, no commentary?"
First let me say, I am certainly no Bible scholar but with the help of the USCCB (Conference of Bishops) and great websites such as Catholic Answers, I can help people choose a good fit for their life with the Scriptures. The first bit of info you need to figure out is whether you want a literal or dynamic translation. Literal translations are great for study because they "stick close to the original (text), even preserving much of the original word order." The most traditional literal translation is the Douay Rheims. Slightly less traditional but one widely used for study is the RSV (Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition). The Ignatius Study Bible is a RSV Translation as well as the Great Adventure Bible, the Navarre Bible and the Didache Bible that includes commentary from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. (We have others as well from Scepter and Tan).
Because literal translations can be difficult to read, publishers have produced more readable Bibles using dynamic language. The meaning of the text is preserved but translators use better English style and word choices to make the Bible more readable. The NAB (New American Bible) uses dynamic language and the New Jerusalem Bible, Good News and NIV (New International Version) use what's considered very dynamic language.
The NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) is considered a more literal translation but it uses the
"'gender inclusive language,' which tries to translate the original text into a modern 'gender neutral' cultural equivalent. When you read the NRSV you will often encounter 'friends,' 'beloved,' and 'brothers and sisters,' and then see a footnote stating 'Gk brothers.' The NRSV also shows a preference for using 'God' and 'Christ' when the original text says 'he.'" (direct quote from Catholic Answers because it is so well explained)
After these differences, we really just give choices of different features within each Bible. Some include maps, pictures, prayers, lots of commentary, cross references, etc. There are journaling versions, lectio (prayer) versions and Catholic answer versions. There are youth editions and children editions.
We carry many choices because we want people to fall in love with Scripture and we know that our customers are in different places in their journey. As said so beautifully on the CD Lectio Prayer, "Prayer is us talking to God. Scripture is God talking to us." We want to understand what he wants us to hear. We want to "get His message". We need to choose a Bible we can understand and most importantly one we will read. We hope you find this helpful for your journey. You may find that you want more than one translation as you grow in love with His Word. Let us know if we can help!
