Pastoral Companions: Bible Translations and Editions for Ministry and Discipleship, Part 1

“O God of truth, I thank thee for the holy Scriptures, their precepts, promises, directions, light. In them may I learn more of Christ, be enabled to retain his truth and have grace to follow it.”

— “A Minister’s Bible,” Valley of Vision

Series Introduction

One of the greatest privileges of vocational ministry is sustained contact with God’s Word. We not only use the Scriptures for our own growth in discipleship, but also as the primary tool for our work. Much like a professional electrician with a bag of tools, our Bibles are constantly at hand. Whether it’s Monday’s morning Bible study, Tuesday’s evening counseling session, Thursday’s coffee shop evangelism, or Sunday’s worship service, we’re constantly reaching for the Bible. And so, over time, we develop a particular fondness for this or that one, just like those in the trades have their favorite wrench or knife: the right tool for the job, purchased with intention, used with love. 

This series explores the Bible from a functional perspective: selecting translations and editions for ministry and discipleship. 

In this post, I’ll consider the three translations I use the most: the English Standard Version (ESV), the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), and the New Living Translation (NLT). 

Choosing Your Translation

These days, there is no shortage of English translations available. Just scanning through the list on biblegateway.com, I count over 60! So, it’s likely you already have some basic commitments and preferences about translations already. 

I think the main three commitments driving a choice in translation are accuracy, readability, and familiarity. In ministry, we want our English Bibles to accurately translate the original languages, so that we can hear the Word of God in truth. We also want a translation that actually makes sense; it must be readable. And we want it to lodge in the memory and line up with previous encounters with the Word, hence familiarity. 

Each of my Top Three offers accuracy, readability, and familiarity. Each was translated by a committee of scholars working from the original languages for the purpose of clarity and accessibility in the English language. You can read more about my top three versions here (ESV, CSB, NLT), but here’s how I would characterize each one:

ESV: the most literal and formal of the selected translations, using a higher degree of technical English, while preserving the cadence and feel of older versions of the Bible. It may be harder for a new or younger Christian to understand, but it’s excellent for preaching, and if you’re familiar with the KJV, you’ll love the feel of this translation. It’s a great translation to grow into, fostering familiarity in younger readers for a lifetime of treasuring Scripture.

CSB: more casual than the ESV, this translation attempts to hit the sweet spot between literal word-for-word, sentence-for-sentence translation and the cadence of modern English. It will be easier for newer, younger Christians while possibly frustrating those who appreciate greater precision and formality.

NLT: the most casual of the translations, focusing on rendering the words and ideas of the Scripture into language easily accessible to modern English readers. This is the easiest for new and young Christians to read, but the hardest to preach from (if you lean toward expository preaching), and not for those who appreciate a higher formality in Scripture. Don’t mistake those qualifications as reasons to pass on this translation: it is highly useful for evangelism and discipleship, as well as personal devotional reading.

A few passages demonstrate these stylistic differences:

Genesis 3:16-17

ESV  To the woman he said,“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;     in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said,“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife     and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you,     ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you;     in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life.”

CSB He said to the woman: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children with painful effort. Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you. And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life.”

NLT Then he said to the woman,“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,     and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband,     but he will rule over you.” And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you.     All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.”

You can see how the ESV leans toward the older KJV formality “cursed is the ground,” while the others opt for the more modern cadence, “the ground is cursed.” Also, the ESV and CSB allow verse 16 to retain the somewhat vague sense of the Hebrew. The word in 3:16 describing the moral direction of Eve’s desire can be “toward” or “against.” However, to attain clarity in modern English, the NLT’s committee opted to offer a more specific interpretation, rendering it “you will desire to control your husband.” This is certainly within the range of the Hebrew, but it shows how this translation moves from literal to interpretive.

Psalm 46:6-7

ESV The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us;    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

CSB Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when he lifts his voice. The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

NLT The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude

This passage shows more differences. The ESV preserves the Hebrew sentence structure, which puts “he utters his voice” before “the earth melts,” and offers a poetic cadence in English, while the other two swap the word order. The NLT opts to translate the ambiguous term “Selah” as “Interlude.” And, we see three options for God’s title: Lord of Hosts, Lord of Armies, and Lord of Heaven’s Armies.  Technically, all three are correct. “Hosts” means “armies,” which in this case refers to “heaven’s armies.” Since the Psalms are meant for prayer and song, these differences may impact your personal usage. 

Matthew 2:10

ESV When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

CSB When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.

NLT When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

For this verse, the ESV’s translation shows the more literal Greek structure. The CSB combines “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” into a lovely turn of phrase “overwhelmed with joy.” And the NLT uses an exclamation mark to heighten the emotion of the moment. All true, one closest to the Greek (ESV), one closest to modern English (NLT), and one finding a moving balance between the two (CSB).

Philippians 3:1

ESV Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

CSB In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you.

NLT Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

Here we see the translations grappling with inclusivity. The ESV offers the more literal “brothers,” alongside a footnote explaining that the word could refer to mixed-gender audiences. The CSB and NLT opt to render it along those lines, with the NLT offering a footnote to say that in the Greek, it is simply “brothers.”

1 John 2:2

ESV He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

CSB He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

NLT He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

Once again, the differences are readily apparent. The ESV uses the technical word “propitiation,” which the CSB translates as “atoning sacrifice” along with a note of the original Greek word. And the NLT takes the modern English “sacrifice that atones for sin,” with no translation note for the Greek.

As these examples show, each translation seeks faithfulness to the original language and to modern English, but guided by their interpretive goals. This then leads to the question of usage and intent. Each version has strengths and weaknesses. If I had to pick just one, I’d go for the ESV. It has the most literal accuracy of the three, which still being very readable and familiar, especially to those with exposure to the heightened language of the KJV.

But why choose just one? There are multiple benefits to a synthetic approach. In my life and ministry, the CSB and NLT compliment the ESV due to their accessibility in modern English and their beautiful turns of phrase that make me slow down and dig deeper into the original text.

Using Different Translations in Ministry and Discipleship

My top choice for evangelism: NLT. 

As Isaiah 55 tells us, God’s Word is a converting force. If you are engaged in evangelism, you will be offering the Bible in some form. For me, the NLT is my go-to version when sharing the gospel, especially if the friend I’m sharing with is unchurched. With the NLT, I don’t have to worry about education or fluency or theological acumen. I can simply hand them a Bible and bookmark a few passages to start reading. (This also makes the NLT a compelling choice for a younger family wanting to start the practice of family worship, as well.) 

Some might object that it is my role as pastor to answer their questions and guide them along the way, so why not give the ESV? My response: in most of my experience, I will need to answer so many questions anyway, it’s easier to start with the translation that has the fewest entrance barriers. If you don’t like the NLT’s habit of interpreting the trickier passages, then go for the CSB, which blends the ESV’s literal approach with the NLT’s modern sensibilities.

My top choice for preaching: ESV.

Your choice for a preaching translation will be deeply tied to your theological tradition, personal convictions, and history of your particular church. For me, I follow the expository philosophy of Sidney Greidanus: for a sermon to be “expository,” the goal of the sermon must be the same as the goal of the text. For this, the ESV shines. It captures the nuances of the original languages, makes judicious choices for complicated passages, and leaves room to address the interpretive questions, without making the decisions for the reader. Only rarely do I find myself needing to gesture to the original languages to make the point: the ESV has made it already.

(Note: as a matter of practice, I am extremely reluctant to disagree with the translation in a sermon, or to show what’s “under the hood” in the original language if it goes against the translation. I never want to undermine the congregation’s trust in their Bibles or posture myself as a best interpreter than a committee of scholars. Our English translations are extremely trustworthy; in an age of Bible illiteracy, I want to bolster their trust in the translation. If I want to disagree, I will almost always do it via another translation: “I like how the NIV puts it here…,” not “I think the ESV got it wrong on this one.”)

If the ESV is too formal for your ministry context, consider the CSB for its close dependence on the original texts rendered in a more readable fashion.

My top choice for personal discipleship: ESV plus CSB.

And to be clear, by personal discipleship, I mean my discipleship. Remember the opening Puritan prayer above. This prayer – “A Minister’s Bible” – is almost exclusively concerned with the minister’s own personal appreciation of Scripture. The great danger of professional ministry is making Bible usage perfunctory. Ministers need the Scriptures for themselves. As the prayer goes on to say “Help me to gain profit by what I read, as treasure beyond all treasure, a fountain which can replenish my dry heart, its waters flowing through me as a perennial river, on-drawn by thy Holy Spirit.”

So, for my own personal discipleship, I primarily read the ESV. It’s my preaching Bible, so I want its phrasing and language deep in my heart. Also, I prefer its heightened language for my prayer life. My prayers need the Psalms, so I can’t keep stubbing my toe on repeated phrases. I know this is personal preference, but in my prayer life, I cannot call God simply the “Lord of Armies.” I need something that pulls my attention heavenward, to the spiritual realm of God. For that, give me the “Lord of hosts!” 

At the same time, so that familiarity doesn’t breed contempt, I frequently grab my CSB and read several chapters to soak in the same story, told just slightly different. The CSB offers many beautiful turns of phrase that catch me off-guard, forcing me to take a deeper look. Then, like the Magi in Matthew 2, I find myself “overwhelmed with joy” as I hear God’s truth in a new light.