Why do we need another translation?
This year celebrated the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Have you read it lately? The language has really changed since 1611, hasn't it?
And language keeps changing. I have been reading The Message this year. Even though it is less than two decades old, I though that some of the idioms were already out of date. (Do young people really know what it means to be “called on the carpet” or that a fellow got on “his high horse”?)
In a recent blog by Paul Franklyn, associate publisher of the CEB, he notes some changes that have been made in the language of the CEB. A few are:
“Officials” is generally used instead of “nobles.”
“Chest of the covenant” instead of “ark of the covenant.”
“Change your heart and life” is preferred over “repent.”
The CEB uses contractions because that's how we talk today.
The CEB has a form of “reconcile” or “reconciliation” instead of “atonement.” Franklyn points out that “atonement” was a word made up by William Tyndale in the 1500s.
Do you find the change of words used in recent translations useful or confusing? Do you still like the archaic language of the King James Bible? (I know some still pray in the language of the King James Bible.)
I try to do my daily devotional Bible reading in a different translation each year. Often a change in the way a verse is worded will make it new to me. I'll gain some insight I hadn't seen before. I'll be reading in the Common English Bible in 2012.
To see Paul Franklyn's blog, go to their blog archives and scroll down to the blog titled “From the King's English to Common English.”
I am taking part in a blog tour of the Common English Bible. I'll be blogging more about this Bible as the days go by.
You can see the blogs of others taking part of this tour here: http://CommonEnglishBible.com/CEB/blogtour
I received a complimentary copy of the CEB from its publisher for the purpose of this blog tour.
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