What Version?

Ah, the million dollar question! What version of the Bible should one read? The two main versions I hear of are the King James Version and the Revised Standard Version. I have to say that I do not trust the King James Version, but I know many that do, so I need to read something that I can trust, and that is reputable in their translations, using the earliest manuscripts available.

Why are these items important?

From where I stand, it appears to me that things have been distorted through time. That means that manuscripts that may be in Greek and Hebrew may still have distortions in them if they are late enough. I am not a scholar, nor do I know how to read Greek or Hebrew, so I have to put my trust in someone who is much more skilled than I in these areas. The fact that the King James Version is one of the earliest Bibles in the English language means nothing... what I want is a Bible that uses the earliest manuscripts available, knowing full well that there are no actual originals.

Reading through the versions list on biblegateway.com has helped as it lists the philosophy behind the versions. I originally downloaded the English Standard Version to my Kindle and after reading the version's description on this website, I'm happy with my choice. Here's an excerpt of the description:

The ESV is an "essentially literal" translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. It seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original.

Perfect.

I have my notes in my Kindle, but just realized yesterday that they don't have a link back to the text. I'm going to need to find a more efficient way to take notes. So, my first post on what I've read so far is in the works, but it'll be a little bit of work to get it transcribed over. InshaAllah it will be sooner rather than later.