Easy To Read?

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3

 

While it is true that sometimes more modern terms have made some texts easier to understand in the newer translations and some terms in the King James have become nearly extinct, we need to move very cautiously so our doctrines are not compromised when choosing a translation. What I have seen however is a trade off. What we gain with some terms being made simple we lose somewhere else with another term becoming more difficult. Some examples of what I mean I will here diagram for you. The first column is words from the KJV. The second column is the equivalent word taken from another version. The third column is the scriptural reference and the version that the second term comes from. You be the judge.

ARCHES PORTICO* EZ. 40:33 NIV

CAPTIANS PERFECTS* DAN. 3:3 NIV, NEB, RSV & NASB

COMMON HALL PRAETORIUM* MATT. 27:27 NIV, RSV & NASB

COUNTRY PROCONSUL ACTS 13:7 NIV, NEB, RSV & RSV

DISTRUCTION ABADDON PS. 88:11 NASB

DRINK OFFERING LIBATIONS* PS. 16:4 NIV, NEB, RSV & NASB

DUNG OFFAL* LEV. 8:17 NIV & NEB

FALSE MALICIOUS DEUT. 19:16 NIV

FALSEHOOD DISILLUSIONMENT PS. 7:14 NIV

FAN WINNOWING FORK MATT. 3:12 NIV, NASB & RSV

FAN SHOVEL MATT. 3:12 NEB

FURLONGS STADIA REV. 21:16 NIV

FURNACE BRAZIER GEN. 15:17 NEB

FURNACE OF EARTH CRUCIBLE PS. 12:6 NEB

GIANT NEPHILM* NUM. 13:33 NIV, NEB, RSV & NASB

GIANT REPHAITES* DEUT. 2:20 NIV, NEB, RSV & NASB

GIANT RAPHA* 2 SAM. 21:16 NIV

GIVE ASCRIBE* PS. 29:1 NIV, NEB, NASB & RSV

GIFTS TRIBUTE 1 CHRON. 18:2 NIV

GLUTTON PROFLIGATE DEUT. 21:20 NIV

GLUTTON WASTREL DEUT. 21:20 NEB

GOVERNORS VICROYS* DAN. 3:3 NEB

GRAVE SHEOL* PS. 30:3 NASB

GREAT STORM FURIOUS SQUALL MARK 4:37 NIV

GREAT STORM FIERCE GALE MARK 4:37 NASB

GREAT STORM HEAVY SQUALL MARK 4:37 NEB

GROVE ASHERAH POLES* 1 KINGS 16:33 NIV

GROVE ASHERAH* 1 KINGS 16:33 NEB, RSV, CEV &NASB

HOLY CROWN SACRED DIADEM EX. 39:30 NIV

HOLY CROWN ROSETTE EX. 39:30 NEB

LIBERTY MANUMISSION EZ. 46:17 NEB

MEASURE SEAHS 1 KINGS 18:32 NIV

MESSENGERS DELEGATION 1 CHRON. 19:2 NIV

MOLTEN IMAGES EFFIGIES* IS. 41:29 NEB

NARROW LIGHTS CLERESTORY 1 KINGS 6:4 NIV

NARROW LIGHTS EMBRASURES 1 KINGS 6:4 NEB

PENNY DENARIUS MATT. 20:2 NIV, NASB & RSV

PERFECT CONSUMMATE JOB 37:16 NEB

PIECE OF MONEY FOUR-DRACHMA COIN-MATT. 17:27 NIV

PLAINS TEREBINTHS GEN. 18:1 NEB

PORCH PORTICO* 1 KINGS 7:12 NIV

PORCH PORTICO* JOHN 10:23 NASB, RSV & NEB

PORCH COLONNADE* JOHN 10:23 NIV

PORCH VESTIBULE* 1 KINGS 7:12 RSV & NEB

POSTS JAMBS* EZ. 40:24 NIV

PRIDE INTRIGUES PS. 31:20 NIV

PRINCES SATRAPS* DAN. 3:3 NIV, NEB, RSV & NASB

PRISON GAOL* IS. 24:22 NEB

PROUDLY ARROGANCE PS. 17:10 NIV

PROVOKE EXASPERATE COL. 3:21 NASB

STRIKER & GREEDY PUGNACIOUS 1 TIM. 3:3 NASB

REMEMBERANCES MAXIMS JOB 13:12 RSV

ROSE ASPHODEL SONG OF SOLOMON 2:1 NEB

SEASONS EPOCHS DAN. 2:21 NASB

SERVANTS VASSALS 1 CHRON. 19:19 NIV

SHERIFFS MAGISTRATES* DAN. 3:3 NIV, NEB, RSV & NASB

SLIME BITUMEN GEN. 11:3 NEB

SNAIL SKINK LEV. 11:30 NIV

STORE KNEADING TROUGH DEUT. 28:17 NIV, RSV, NASB & NEB

STRONG BESEIGED PS. 31:21 NIV

SOUTH NEGEV NUM. 21:1 NIV

SWEARING ADJURATION LEV. 5:1 RSV

SWIFT SHIPS REED BUILT SKIFFS JOB 9:26 NEB

SWIFT SHIPS SKIFFS OF REED JOB 9:26 RSV

TOLD CONSCRIPTED 2 CHRON. 2:2 NIV

UNBELIEF INCREDULITY MARK 16:14 NEB

UNRULY INTRACTABLE JAMES 3:8 NEB

WARN DISSUADE EZ. 3:18 NIV

WHOLE BAND WHOLE COHORT MATT. 27:27 NASB

WHOLE BAND WHOLE BATTALION MATT. 27:27 RSV

WHORE PROMISCUOUS DEUT. 22:21 NIV

WINDOWS DOVECOTES IS. 60:8 NEB

WINGS PINIONS DEUT. 32:11 NIV, NEB, NASB & RSV

WISE MEN MAGI* MATT. 2:1 NIV & NASB

WISE MEN ASTROLOGERS* MATT. 2:1,7,16 & 17 NEB

WONDERS PORTENTS JOEL 2:30 RSV & NEB

* These terms are used in several texts. The one used here is an example.

This list is not all that there is on this subject. This reflects a very brief survey of the changes from simple terms to more difficult ones. I have not here included times when several difficult words replace one or two easier words.

The question may come to mind, "Why did they do that? Why did they make some words more difficult?" You need to only look at the copyright laws to find your answer. You see the writers of other translations wanted to make money off of their version and to do that they copyrighted the book. The original KJV text has no copyright. To copyright a new version they have to make it significantly different from all others. So each new version goes further and further away from the original. You may notice a copyright note in your KJV, but it refers to the marginal notes, maps and extra study helps they have added and not to the text itself. This one law has made it ‘necessary’ for the new versions to differ both with the KJV and with each other. Where is the interest of the translators of your bible? Is it to edify the reader or is it to make money? I will cover more of this subject in Chapter 14.