I am often asked to recommend my favorite Bible translation. I usually disappoint my interlocutors by telling them that the King James Version is no worse than any other. This series of posts is designed to illustrate my claims. As a foil, I decided to take the list of recommended English translations that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently posted. The following are the recommended translations:
Ages 14 and Above
- English Standard Version (ESV)
- New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Ages 11–13
- New International Version (NIV)
- New Living Translation (NLT)
- New King James Version (NKJV)
Ages 8 and Above
- New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
A number of years ago, I saw a book on finding Christ in the Old Testament. I had looked at the scriptural index to the book and noticed that while the author was pushing finding symbolic references to Christ, he had overlooked several explicit references. One of these is Leviticus 4:16. My personal favorite translation for this particular verse is the Septuagint:
Septuagint (LXX): καὶ εἰσοίσει ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ χριστὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ μόσχου εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου
And the priest, the Christ, shall bring from the blood of the bull to the tent of the witness.
King James Version (KJV): And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock’s blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:
English Standard Version (ESV): Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull into the tent of meeting,
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV): The anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull into the tent of meeting,
New International Version (NIV): Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood into the Tent of Meeting.
New Living Translation (NLT): The high priest will then take some of the bull’s blood into the Tabernacle,
New King James Version (NKJV): The anointed priest shall bring some of the bull’s blood to the tabernacle of meeting.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV): Then the anointed priest must take some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting.
The Septuagint explicitly identifies the priest in the sin offering with Christ. None of the translations listed do. The King James Version, however, is no worse than any of the others. If one is interested in a different translation to help find Christ in the Old Testament, none of these translations will help.
