Let's Duke It Out!

I have a cousin whose son is working towards getting into a type of professional boxing. She must have nerves of steel; the YouTube videos available on him are almost too nerve-wracking for me to watch. As far as spiritual things go, though, duking it out is anathema for the Christian (1 Timothy 6: 20-21) ... but here goes a jump into an arena that just might leave us somewhat bloodied: the Bible and its many versions.

I can hear the critics now: "She's old fashioned!" "She's behind the times!" "She's addle brained!" "She's beating a dead horse!" Or, as one friend told us, "That ship sailed long ago." The interpretation: The battle came. The battle was won. And it wasn't ye olde King James Version that came out on top. To which I add: it ain't over till it's over.

I am not going to try to debate all the why's and wherefore's of which version is best. I am not a Bible scholar, just a simple disciple of Jesus, more on Peter's level than Paul's, of whom Peter wrote, "in all his epistles ... are some things hard to be understood" (2 Peter 3:16). I am SO glad Jesus said, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). I don't have to be as spiritually intellectual as Paul! As simple as we might be, it pleases God to indue us, His children, with understanding about those things that pertain to Him and to living a godly life here on this earth. We do not have to be rocket scientists or doctors of theology to understand the deep things of God.

My pastor in Mexico City wrestled with the validity of newer versions, my Auntie Trinie having brought to his attention all the passages in newer versions that left out the blood of Jesus or the virginity of Mary, the mother of Jesus, crucial points on which our faith is based. His conclusion? Those who first translated the Bible into the language of the masses had one goal in mind: to translate the Words of God. (Fun fact: the Spanish version of our King James, Reina Valera, was translated before the King James!) What's more, in 1536 William Tyndale sealed his translation with the ultimate sacrifice, having his body burned at the stake. Newer translators? I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but their versions bear the taint of, you got it!--money! These later translations weren't made solely with the goal of getting God's Word into the hands of His people. While it might have been part of their goal, another big part was the money to be made. Turns out the Bible is the the best-selling book of all time world-wide. Dollar signs, dollar signs, dollar signs. No sacrifice required, just money to be made.

There are things that can be gleaned from other translations, such as a new perspective or clarification of a phrase--but they have to be taken with a grain of salt. At one point my pastor in Mexico City was kidnapped for 40 days. At his request, his captors provided him with a Bible. Only it wasn't the Reina Valera version, his preference, but a Catholic one. Yet God ministered to him through it. The Words of God are so powerful, that, even if watered down or changed, they have the power to touch a man's soul. "Is not My word like as a fire? saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29).

So if these other versions can give us fresh perspectives, why not just stick with them?

First, many passages are completely omitted in versions other than the King James. See the chart below that Dennis acquired years ago with regard to this.

Second, the King James has a rhythm and poetic quality that lends itself to memorization. (Thank you, Pastor Kelly, for bringing that to our attention!)

Third, some of the translations are nothing more than the interpretation of some man and are so changed from the original codex, scrolls, and palimpsets still in existence that they are virtually unrecognizable. Just ask Dr. Brooks. A young aspiring minister asked him for an interpretation of a passage he quoted to him. Dr. Brooks, a man of great intellect (think: two doctorates under his belt), was left scratching his head. He simply couldn't "get it". After a little more investigating, he found the problem. The version the student was using was so far left as to be virtually unrecognizable. There has to be a base line to which we can return to validate other translations. And since the King James is the only version to be written with the unique goal of putting God's Word into the hands of the common man with no thought of money, my money is on the King James.

Fourth, many Generation Xers, millennials, and Generation Zers complain that the language in the King James is daunting. To which I answer (in Dennis's words): you have more learning than many of those in previous generations. If our grandparents could read it and understand it, you can, too. The thing is to do it. Read it, pursue reading it, and you'll find your mind will begin to open up and be able to start understanding it. It's the language of Shakespeare. You can do it!

Fifth, many of those who have paraphrased the Bible have suffered an inexplicable loss of voice. In the early 1970s, halfway through putting his The Living Bible together, Kenneth Taylor lost his voice. Even his doctor told him, "It's probably a punishment from God for tampering with His Word." And he wasn't the only one. If you go to www.av1611.org you can read about others who suffered the same malady after changing God's Word around. It's the story of Zacharias all over again, he who lost the ability to speak because he didn't believe God's words (Luke 1:20). Psalm 31:18 says, "Let the lying lips be put to silence." Kinda sobering, I'd say.

Sixth, the scariest thing ever. In all honesty, I have done my own duking it out with Dennis about translations. Our granddaughters struggle to understand the rich language of the King James (which they would get used to if they would simply read it more!), and I have been known to beg Dennis to reconsider giving them "easier" versions. Not anymore. He's never wavered in sticking to his guns about King James or nothing--and now, after this new most horrible bit of knowledge, I will never again try to convince him otherwise.

The country of China is embarking on a quest to print their own version of the Bible. In case you've been encased in a glacier for the last couple of hundred years and don't know, China is a communist country on the World Watch List of countries that persecute Christians. So how would they translate the Bible? Remember the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:2-11? Jesus forgave her her sins. In the Communist version, He picks up rocks and stones her to death. Only God knows what other perversions of truth they will twist and turn to brainwash people to their own ends.

So, the end of the story is this. Read another "easier" version if you feel the need for clarification, but compare it to the King James. Visit commentaries such as Matthew Henry and Enduring Word (care has to be taken not to go to some off-the-wall commentary that might teach error) or google the meaning of the Hebrew words used in the Old Testament or the Greek in the New. It's a slippery slope into error, so beware!

As for me and my house, we will stick to King James. It might be hard to understand in places, but I'd rather struggle to understand a word if overall I can have more confidence in the original intent of the translation.

"And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city and from the things which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:19). (God's words--not mine)