One Sunday afternoon, Anna sat on the porch swing with a hot mug of chamomile and a Bible on her lap—three of them, actually. One was hers from college, soft-leather bound and marked with highlighters. Another was her grandmother’s King James, with onion-thin pages and gold ribbon. The third was brand new—still stiff from a recent trip to the bookstore.
Three Bibles. Three translations. One faithful woman wondering why they didn’t all say the same thing.
She flipped to 2 Timothy 3:16.
In her Bible: “All Scripture is inspired by God…”
In her grandmother’s: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…”
And in the new one: “Every part of Scripture is God-breathed…”
She furrowed her brow. Inspired? God-breathed? Is one of them wrong? Or missing something?
It’s a question many of us have asked in the hush of early devotions or the bustle of group study. Why are there so many versions? And which one carries the real truth?
Let’s pause for a moment on that beautiful phrase in the newer translation: “God-breathed.” That’s not a poetic flourish. It reflects the original Greek word, theopneustos—literally, “God-breathed.” That verse—2 Timothy 3:16—reminds us: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
God-breathed. Not just God-approved or God-inspired. This is the breath of God on the page. Sacred wind pressing into ink and paper.
But if that’s true, someone might ask, why doesn’t every translation use the same words?
Here’s the gentle truth: different translations emphasize different things.
Some, like the English Standard Version or the King James, try to stay close to the original sentence structure and word order—a word-for-word style. Others, like the New Living Translation or The Message, aim more for the heartbeat of the sentence—a thought-for-thought style. Both have value. The first helps you dig deep. The second helps you hear clearly.
Think of translators like stained-glass artisans. They each begin with the same light—the Word of God—but the colors and shapes they craft may vary. One brings out the blue. Another, the gold. But it’s still light pouring through. Still sacred.
Another verse comes to mind: “Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5, ESV).
Every word proves true. Not every word choice in English is perfect—but the truth behind them stands. Solid as a rock in the river. No current can wash it away.
Maybe you’ve opened a Bible and wondered if you were getting the full story. Maybe the words felt foreign, or too poetic, or not poetic enough. I have too. And I’ve learned that what matters most isn’t just which translation you use—it’s whether your heart is open when you read it.
My friend Rosie told me once that when she was in the pit of grief, she couldn’t handle anything heavy—so she read the Psalms in the New Living Translation. “It felt like God was sitting beside me,” she whispered through tears, “not lecturing, just sitting.” Later, in healing, she switched back to the ESV for its rooted depth. Same God, different doors.
Choosing a translation is like choosing a voice to guide you through sacred ground. That doesn’t mean there’s only one right voice—it means there’s one right God, speaking through many voices, in many ways, to reach many hearts.
So how do you choose?
You listen.
Not just to the text, but to the Spirit within you as you read.
Sometimes the firmness of the NASB is what you need. Other times it’s the soothing cadence of the NIV. Sometimes it’s the clarity of a paraphrase that cracks open a cry, a prayer. That’s not compromise. That’s grace in translation.
You see, the God who breathed the Scriptures did something even more miraculous: He still speaks through them. In your kitchen while toast pops up. In the night when you’re lying awake. In Bible study, in hospital waiting rooms, in early dawn when no one else is up.
And yes, He can speak through whichever translation you hold in your hands—because you are the one He’s after, not your vocabulary.
One Word. Many forms. Still the truth.
Still His voice.
And that is enough.
One Sunday afternoon, Anna sat on the porch swing with a hot mug of chamomile and a Bible on her lap—three of them, actually. One was hers from college, soft-leather bound and marked with highlighters. Another was her grandmother’s King James, with onion-thin pages and gold ribbon. The third was brand new—still stiff from a recent trip to the bookstore.
Three Bibles. Three translations. One faithful woman wondering why they didn’t all say the same thing.
She flipped to 2 Timothy 3:16.
In her Bible: “All Scripture is inspired by God…”
In her grandmother’s: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…”
And in the new one: “Every part of Scripture is God-breathed…”
She furrowed her brow. Inspired? God-breathed? Is one of them wrong? Or missing something?
It’s a question many of us have asked in the hush of early devotions or the bustle of group study. Why are there so many versions? And which one carries the real truth?
Let’s pause for a moment on that beautiful phrase in the newer translation: “God-breathed.” That’s not a poetic flourish. It reflects the original Greek word, theopneustos—literally, “God-breathed.” That verse—2 Timothy 3:16—reminds us: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
God-breathed. Not just God-approved or God-inspired. This is the breath of God on the page. Sacred wind pressing into ink and paper.
But if that’s true, someone might ask, why doesn’t every translation use the same words?
Here’s the gentle truth: different translations emphasize different things.
Some, like the English Standard Version or the King James, try to stay close to the original sentence structure and word order—a word-for-word style. Others, like the New Living Translation or The Message, aim more for the heartbeat of the sentence—a thought-for-thought style. Both have value. The first helps you dig deep. The second helps you hear clearly.
Think of translators like stained-glass artisans. They each begin with the same light—the Word of God—but the colors and shapes they craft may vary. One brings out the blue. Another, the gold. But it’s still light pouring through. Still sacred.
Another verse comes to mind: “Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5, ESV).
Every word proves true. Not every word choice in English is perfect—but the truth behind them stands. Solid as a rock in the river. No current can wash it away.
Maybe you’ve opened a Bible and wondered if you were getting the full story. Maybe the words felt foreign, or too poetic, or not poetic enough. I have too. And I’ve learned that what matters most isn’t just which translation you use—it’s whether your heart is open when you read it.
My friend Rosie told me once that when she was in the pit of grief, she couldn’t handle anything heavy—so she read the Psalms in the New Living Translation. “It felt like God was sitting beside me,” she whispered through tears, “not lecturing, just sitting.” Later, in healing, she switched back to the ESV for its rooted depth. Same God, different doors.
Choosing a translation is like choosing a voice to guide you through sacred ground. That doesn’t mean there’s only one right voice—it means there’s one right God, speaking through many voices, in many ways, to reach many hearts.
So how do you choose?
You listen.
Not just to the text, but to the Spirit within you as you read.
Sometimes the firmness of the NASB is what you need. Other times it’s the soothing cadence of the NIV. Sometimes it’s the clarity of a paraphrase that cracks open a cry, a prayer. That’s not compromise. That’s grace in translation.
You see, the God who breathed the Scriptures did something even more miraculous: He still speaks through them. In your kitchen while toast pops up. In the night when you’re lying awake. In Bible study, in hospital waiting rooms, in early dawn when no one else is up.
And yes, He can speak through whichever translation you hold in your hands—because you are the one He’s after, not your vocabulary.
One Word. Many forms. Still the truth.
Still His voice.
And that is enough.
