A more literal Bible translation than WEB

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Looking for a reasonably literal Sword Project Bible translation

I respect your desire to get a Bible translation you can have confidence in to be "God's Word", as close to the original languages as possible, but not too difficult to read and understand in English. The Sword Project has at least two Bible translations that may be helpful for you:

  • American King James Version (AKJV)
  • Updated King James Version (UKJV)

These are two of several updates to the KJV which update the archaic words of the KJV while being careful not to change any meanings. They are therefore neither less nor more literal than the KJV, but easier to understand.

Obtaining a better understanding of the Bible

All translations are compromises.

I will address the New Testament books primarily, but recommend you continue to study manuscript history and translation issues of both testaments.

It is to your advantage to have several translations, some very close to the original language, and others as clear in English as they can be without compromising the teachings.

I know of at least three Bible versions which provide interlinears, quite literal translations, and a more readable version. Of course they vary in what Greek texts they translate from and their procedure, and they are proprietary so not available for Sword.

  • SBLGNT Study Bible
  • BSB Berean Study Bible
  • ACV A Concordant Version

Greek texts

It is beneficial to any student of the Bible to know about the Greek manuscripts and how the different ones were used in translation. I recommend having Greek texts and interlinears. While these are hard for someone who doesn't know Greek to understand, they are the ultimate source of the Bible. I recommend reading the NKJV introduction to understand their abbreviations for Greek texts, TR (Textus Receptus) MT (Majority, aka Byzantine, Text), and NU (the UBS text used by many modern translations). These Greek texts are available for Sword. Read the small print, but you can count on these as reliably representing the readings in the thousands of Greek manuscripts in existence.

  • TR: Textus Receptus (1550/1894)
  • Byz: The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005
  • WHNU: Westcott and Hort with NA27/UBS4 variants

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