Considering using a modern-day translation is a personal matter.

Please be open minded enough to take five minutes to become more informed concerning this endeavor.

The Bible was not written in English.

The 39 books of the Old Testament were written in Hebrew and the 27 books of the New Testament were written in Greek.

The Bible was the first book printed with movable type in A.D. 1456.

The first Bible printed in America was in the Algonquian Indian language by John Eliot.

Divisions of the Bible as we know it today never existed in the Bible's first manuscripts.

The Bible was divided into chapters in 1250 by Cardinal Hugo.

The New Testament was divided into verses in 1551 by Sir Robert Stephenson.

The Bible was divided into chapters and verses in 1560 in the Geneva Bible.

The Red Letter Edition of the Bible (words of Jesus in red) was produced in 1901 by Louis Klopsch.

He reasoned that since Jesus shed His red blood for the sins of man, then His recorded words should also be red.

A modern translation attempts to do several things:

A)

It takes words which have become archaic (lost or meanings have changed) and translate them as to modern day understanding.

Example 1

-&#8220Shambles” in the King James Bible as found in I Corinthians 10:25 (King James Version or KJV) quote in modern translation this word (Greek &#8220Makellon”) is translated &#8220meat market.”

This helps one to obtain the meaning of this section of scripture.

Example 2 - &#8220Cubit” in the King James Version in Genesis 6:15 (Hebrew &#8220Ammaw”) was a measuring length (Noah's ark was 300 cubits long).

However, we do not measure in cubits today.

Thus, the modern version translates this in feet (Noah's ark was 450 feet long).

As the United States moves along further into the metric system, no doubt the above scripture will be stated in meters.

Example

3 - &#8220Nought” in Acts 5:36 in the King James Version is an unused word today.

The modern translation translates this Greek word &#8220Ouden” as &#8220nothing” which makes sense!

Example 4 - &#8220Remission” in Acts 2:38 (Greek – &#8220Aphesis”) in our modern-day language causes one to think of a cancer victim who says his/her cancer is in a state of remission (postponed, dormant, not growing, etc.).

However, the true meaning of the above Greek word in this context is as the New International Version has it translated, &#8220Forgiveness.”

In other words, a sinner who becomes a believer in Jesus as Savior who is

willing to repent (turn from known sin) and be baptized will receive the forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

B)

It eliminates archaic pronouns such as &#8220thy” and &#8220thou,” and replaces these out-of-date Elizabethan terms with &#8220you” and &#8220your.”

C)

It updates the rules of punctuation and grammar, and uses quotation marks to help the reader to understand who is speaking.

The Bible (in whole or in part) is currently being translated into 2,377 languages around the world out of the 6,500 languages spoken around the world, according to the American Bible Society. That is only a portion of the languages and dialects spoken.

Translators are needed badly.

If the world is going to be won to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, it is needful to teach lost sinners with a Bible which they can understand. You be the judge!

Remember all translations say the same about salvation.

Plainly, don't get short changed.

Let's be ready to meet our Maker.

The Bible (in Acts) teaches that to avoid hell and gain heaven – one must:

1) Believe in Jesus as savior (16:31)

2) Repent of sins

(17:30)

3) Confess Christ audibly (8:37)

4) Be baptized in

water (2:38)

5) Live a

Christian life (14:22)

6) Be active in the vhurch (2:47)

Dr. Hoyt W. Allen is is executive director of the KYOWVA

Evangelistic Association, 1541 S. Seventh St., in Ironton. For more information, visit www.kyowva.com.