4 Bible Translations that I Trust (And 3 That I Avoid)
Matthew Everhard
teaching
February 25, 2026
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Description: Four Translations that I Trust and Three that I Avoid
Practically everything I do depends on a faithful Bible translation. Whether I’m preaching, teaching, writing, or leading family devotions, I need a translation that is accurate to the original Hebrew and Greek.
In this video, I share:
• Four Bible translations I trust
• Three I personally avoid
• My criteria for evaluating translations
• Thoughts on the Textus Receptus vs. Critical Text
• Why formal equivalence matters
• The problem with gender-neutral translation trends
I discuss the following translations:
✅ King James Version
✅ New King James Version
✅ English Standard Version
✅ Legacy Standard Bible
And why I am less enthusiastic about:
⚠️ New International Version
⚠️ New Revised Standard Version
⚠️ New Living Translation
As a Presbyterian minister and seminary professor, I explain how manuscript traditions (Textus Receptus, Majority Text, Critical Text), translation philosophy (formal vs. dynamic equivalence), and theological considerations affect my choices.
If you care about precision, historic Protestant tradition, and faithfulness to Scripture, this discussion is for you.
📖 I’d love to hear from you: What Bible translation do you use and why?
⏱ Chapters
0:00 Why Bible Translation Matters
0:40 My Criteria for Choosing a Translation
1:30 Formal vs Dynamic Equivalence
2:15 Textus Receptus vs Critical Text
4:10 Why I Love the King James Version
6:10 The Strength of the New King James
8:15 Why I Use the ESV
10:25 The Legacy Standard Bible Explained
13:20 Translations I Avoid (NIV, NRSV, NLT)
15:30 Final Thoughts on Bible Translation
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Scripture
JamesJames 8James 8:15
Topics
matthew everhardpresbyterianreformed theologypcajonathan edwardsbible translations






















