Before I begin to memorise the Sermon on the Mount, I need to decide which translation to use. (A colleague cheekily asked me if I was going to learn it in the original Greek - I said no way!)
I've got 14 different translations sitting on my bookshelf next to me as I type, but I quickly narrowed it down to four.
Here they are, with their pros and cons.
New Revised Standard Version
Dating to 1989, this is an accurate but still readable translation. Famously the first mainstream translation to use inclusive language rather than masculine nouns and pronouns wherever possible.
New International Version
First published in 1978, and twice updated, most recently in 2011, this is the Bible we have in our church.
New Living Translation
Using an approach called "dynamic equivalence," this version tries to render the sense of the original into easily understood idiomatic English. It has the strength of being vivid and easy to read, at the risk of sacrificing some accuracy of meaning.
The Message
The work of one remarkable man, Eugene Peterson, The Message takes the idea of dynamic equivalence to a new and poetic level.
And here's how the four of them deal with one part of the Sermon on the Mount - the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13.
New Revised Standard Version
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
New International Version
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
New Living Translation
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
The Message
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Which one have I chosen? Well, I've chosen the New International Version.
But the Message - oh wonderful! I would urge anybody who feels bored with the Sermon on the Mount to read what Eugene Peterson has made of it.
So why not choose the Message? There are two reasons, one which makes life easy for me, one which makes it hard, that have made me choose the NIV.
Easy, because many of the phrases are familiar to me - I've already half learned them over the years.
Hard, because people will be able to follow in their church Bibles, and notice my every mistake.
No pressure!!
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