Working with Bible Translations
To find Bibles in the library catalog, try doing a Subject search (in the Classic Catalog) for
Bible. English.
The versions below are either located on reserve (for in-library use, 2 hours at a time; ask at the Circulation Desk); in the Main Reading Room reference collection (for in-library use only); in the stacks (may be checked-out]; or available online, as indicated in the descriptions.
Recommended for this class:
The HarperCollins Study BibleCall Number: BS191.5.A1 2006 S26 2006bLocation: Reference; Stacks
Deuterocanonical books?: Yes
Version(s): New Revised Standard Version
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with ApocryphaCall Number: Reference BS191.A1 2010 .N43 OR onlineLocation: Reference - Main Reading Room or online
Deuterocanonical books?: Yes
Version(s): New Revised Standard Version
Other options:
The Complete Parallel BibleCall Number: Reference BS125 .B5 1993Location: Reference - Main Reading Room.
Deuterocanonical books?: Yes
Version(s): New Revised Standard Version; Revised English Bible; New American Bible; New Jerusalem Bible.
The New Jerusalem BibleCall Number: Reference BS195 .J56 1985Location: Reference - Main Reading Room
Deuterocanonical books?: Yes
Version(s): New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)
The Holy Bible: New International Version: Containing the Old Testament and the New TestamentCall Number: Reference BS195 .N37 1984Location: Reference - Main Reading Room
Deuterocanonical books?: No
Version(s): New International Version (NIV)
Reader's Reference Bible: NKJV EditionCall Number: BS417 .R43 2016Location: Reference - Main Reading Room. Additional copy in Dinand Stacks
Deuterocanonical books?: No
Version(s): New King James (NKJV)
The Contemporary Torah: A Gender-Sensitive Adaptation of the JPS TranslationCall Number: [E-Book]Location: Online
Deuterocanonical books?: No
Version(s): Jewish Publication Society (JPS) - Torah only
Because the text of the Bible has been passed down through many different manuscripts (none of which, of course, were in English!), there is no one version of the Bible, in English or in any other language. Instead, there are many different versions, which differ variously depending on...
- Source: Which original manuscript(s) was/were used. If you're interested in understanding more about how this happens, you can visit our library guide on critical editions. The New Catholic Encyclopedia also has a detailed article about the different manuscripts of which many modern Bible versions are composed.
- Editorial Choices: How the compiler(s)/editor(s) chose to interpret and translate the manuscripts they used (again, see the guide on critical editions).
- Canon: Which parts of the Bible the compiler(s)/editor(s) considered valid. The so-called deuterocanonical or apocryphal books, for example, are not accepted as canonical by many Protestant denominations and do not typically appear in such translations as the King James Version. The New Catholic Encyclopedia has a useful (if Catholic-focused) overview of the different canons.
- Denomination/Authority: Related to the above, who (i.e., which denomination/church body/ruler/etc.) worked on and signed off on this version. In Catholic publications this kind of approval is often called the imprimatur (Latin for "let it be printed") and/or nihil obstat ("nothing hinders it" -- i.e., there are no objections).
- Purpose/Audience: Examples of this might include study Bibles (which may include additional marginalia, contextual information, etc.); red-letter Bibles (in which words spoken by Jesus Christ appear in red); and 'Youth' Bibles (which typically use less-formal or even colloquial language to make the text more accessible to younger readers).
If at all possible, when you pick up a new version of the Bible, try to examine the introduction, preface, and/or any other explanatory information in the front of the Bible which will give you context for how that particular version was put together.