Which Bible translation should I read?
For most first-time readers, the NIV or NLT are the easiest starting points — both prioritise readability. The ESV sits closer to the original wording and is a common choice for study. The KJV is the most influential English translation and is in the public domain, which is why it is free to read almost everywhere, but its 1611 English adds a layer of difficulty. Reading two translations side by side is often more useful than choosing one.
The spectrum translations sit on
English translations sit somewhere between two goals: rendering the original wording as closely as English allows, and rendering the original meaning as clearly as English allows. Nothing achieves both perfectly, because the languages do not map cleanly. The ESV, NASB and KJV lean toward the first. The NIV sits near the middle. The NLT leans toward the second. None of these positions is a defect — they are answers to different questions, which is why serious readers usually keep more than one.
Why the KJV is everywhere
Two reasons. It shaped four centuries of English prose, so a great deal of familiar phrasing comes directly from it. And it is in the public domain, so it can be printed, quoted, and published online without a licence — which is why free Bible websites and apps almost always include it and often lead with it. The trade-off is real: words like conversation, prevent and charity meant something different in 1611 than they do now, and reading past that difference is a genuine source of misunderstanding.
A practical suggestion
Pick one readable translation for continuous reading and keep a second, more literal one for passages you want to look at closely. When two translations differ noticeably on a verse, that difference is usually pointing at something interesting in the original — an ambiguity, a word with no clean English equivalent, or a disputed manuscript reading. Noticing those places is one of the more rewarding parts of reading closely.
Written by the Esther team. Scripture quoted from the King James Version, which is in the public domain.