WHICH BIBLE VERSION ?
BROTHERS and SISTERS,
It has come to our attention here at the Order of the GOOD SHEPHERD that many Christians are not
aware of the attack upon the Word of GOD that has been going on for decades and
has accelerated in the last 10 years.
Because we have studied this issue for years with the
Ante-Nicene Fathers and with the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages, it would behoove us to make you all aware of
the changes being made in the Bible, especially the New Testament.
We feel if
you are made AWARE, then you can make informed decisions regarding the versions
of the English translations which you use.
These changes in the modern English versions are based on the
discrepancy between the Alexandrian Greek manuscripts ( promoted and
popularized by Westcott and Hort in the
1880’s ) and the Byzantine Greek manuscripts, which are known as the Majority Text
and the Textus Receptus, which is a fair representative of the Majority Text.
Thus, we have worked on a SAMPLE --- and it is just a sample --- of
words and verses that have been changed by the modern English translations from
the familiar King James Version. There are many, many more changes than these
ten verses.
We are not particularly in the “KJV-ONLY” camp. As a matter of
fact, our discomfort with it 20 years ago is what started us on this research.
But what we have discovered is that the KJV and perhaps, the
NKJV, are the only Bibles that are
popularly known and readily available WHICH ARE BASED ON THE BYZANTINE
MANUSCRIPTS.
Since most Christians do not struggle with the Greek or use
interlinears or are even aware of the manuscript differences, we would simply recommend that each Christian BE AWARE
of where the modern English Bibles change from the KJV . . . and check it out.
It is a serious problem. For instance, FASTING or PRAYER AND FASTING,
have been omitted in some places in modern English New Testaments. This kind of
omission WEAKENS THE BODY OF CHRIST.
Thus, we have prepared a brief comparison chart of just 10 versions
that can be read at a glance, with some explanatory notes that follow. We hope
this chart and notes explain the difference clearly so that no-one will be
deceived with these modern versions.
BibleGateway.com has 59 English versions of the New Testament. This causes immense confusion: “Did GOD
really say THAT ? “
We hold that the Word of GOD is not confused, but clear and
right. The Words of CHRIST JESUS do not
need to be changed nor omitted nor labeled doubtful by any English version.
We will be glad to discuss ANY of this issue with any of you,
should you so desire.
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NOTES TO THE MODERN VERSIONS’ CHART:
This is just a sample
of the words that are missing from Bible verses.
Some of the missing words may
be in the other modern versions, but they are marked as [ doubtful
] by an editing sign or footnote. There are many, many more
changes in these modern versions than are listed here.
[ NOTE: The ISV changes 1
Timothy 3:16 into a hymn-poem .
Holman’s new version, CSB, is missing John 7:8, but the HCSB previously had it.
In all other verses surveyed here CSB = HCSB.
]
VERSES
REFERENCED from the KJV
[ underlined words have been omitted ]
MARK
14:24
And he said unto them, This is my blood of the
new testament, which is shed for many.
MATTHEW
26:28
For this is my blood of the
new testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
These two verses are important for Truth's sake, to substantiate
the account in Luke 22:20, and they are absolutely crucial when evangelizing
Jewish or Hebrew Roots people. They refer to Jeremiah 31:31's "new"
covenant that The LORD will establish.
LUKE 4:4
And Jesus
answered him, saying, It is written,
That man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word of God.
This verse's important
Truth is self-evident.
EVERY
WORD of GOD is necessary. Re-affirmation of TRUTH is important and is seen
frequently in Scripture. Each time a different witness conveys TRUTH , the
re-affirmation substantiates its importance. The LORD planned it this way, due
to the reluctance of man to believe the Truth.
That is why "where
the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched" is reiterated 3
times in Mark 9. . . which the modern
English translations have also reduced to one verse ( 48), omitting verses 44
and 46 based on only 8 Alexandrian uncials , 8
Alexandrian or Cesarean minuscules, one Old Latin manuscript ( k ) from North
Africa ( i.e., Alexandrian) , the
Sinaiticus Syriac version and the Coptics .
The
inclusion of verses 44 and 46 is based on: 3 uncials, 13 minuscules, the
hundreds of Byzantine manuscripts, most of the Latin manuscripts, and the
Syriac Peshitta and Harklean versions. [ NA 26th Ed., Greek New Translation,
apparatus, page 121. ]
LUKE 11:2 and LUKE 11:4
And he
said unto them, When ye pray, say,
Our Father which
art in heaven,
Hallowed
be thy name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
And forgive
us our sins; for we also forgive every one
that is indebted to us.
And lead
us not into temptation;
but
deliver us from evil.
These omissions hide the
fact that Our FATHER is ours ! They hide that HE is in Heaven, not our
earthly father. The omissions hide how vast and important is our Heavenly
FATHER'S will and that it MUST be done in Heaven and in earth.
Here is an interesting
note from noted Greek scholar and former Wycliffe Bible Translator, Dr. Wilbur
Pickering:
f Most modern versions, following a mere 1% of
the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, seriously truncate this
prayer by omitting: “Our … who is in the heavens … Your will must be done on earth as it is in heaven … but deliver us from the
evil one.” Some versions, like NIV
and NASB, have a footnote saying that “some manuscripts” add this material. How can any honest person use ‘some’ to refer to 99% (1,600 X
16)?
[ The Sovereign Creator has Spoken, footnote F at Luke 11:4,
page 151. This is freely available on-line at http://www.prunch.org/new-translation-of-the-nt.php
]
LUKE 9:55-56
But he
turned, and rebuked them, and said,
Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's
lives,
but to save them.
And they
went to another village
These two verses'
omissions hide the LORD'S response to the disciples' zeal to "command fire
come down from Heaven" to destroy the people of a Samaritan village who
did not receive The LORD at that time. The omission also hides the re-affirmation
of the purpose of the coming of The LORD JESUS CHRIST.
This correction is
important for the zealous but mistaken Christians who are ready to kill those
who reject them, CHRIST, or Christianity. The re-stated purpose of The LORD'S
mission to man is an excellent verse when evangelizing the un-redeemed or
counseling troubled Christians.
The Nestle-Aland 26th Ed.
Greek New Testament does NOT list the manuscripts followed for their text's
omissions here, but this note is obtained from Dr. Wilbur Pickering:
f Some 27% of the Greek
manuscripts omit “saying: ‘You do not know of what sort of spirit you are. Further,
the Son of the Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save’”, to be
followed by most modern versions. The 73% includes the best line of transmission,
which I follow.
[ The Sovereign Creator has Spoken, footnote F at Luke 9:56,
page 147. ]
I TIMOTHY 3:16
And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
GOD
was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit,
seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world,
received up into glory.
This omission , supported
by only 7 Greek manuscripts*, is based
on grammatical errors in the Greek which made their way into the Latin
manuscripts. GOD was manifest in the flesh .
. . is one of the strongest verses to explain the GODHOOD of The LORD JESUS
CHRIST to the unredeemed, especially to foreign people of other religions. *[ NA26th
Ed. GNT, apparatus, pg 545.]
JOHN 1:18
No man
hath seen God at any time, the only-begotten SON,
which is
in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Two words, IMPORTANT
WORDS, took a hit in this one verse by nearly all the modern Bibles.
BEGOTTEN
is necessary for several reasons. However, the Greek word for only-begotten IS FOUND IN ALL GREEK
MANUSCRIPTS. It is the English
translators who have changed the meaning of the word, arbitrarily; there is no
linguistic foundation for the change of meaning.
The Greek word is monogenes.
MONO = only, GENES = engendered, begotten, or sired, the action of a father in procreation.
Modern Bible scholars
separate MONO away from GENES and only
translate the MONO and omit entirely the GENES part.
This cannot be done, grammatically
nor linguistically. That is , grammatically, MONO- is only used as a
compound meaning "one" or “only” with the MAIN WORD to which it is
attached.
There are commonly-used,
stand-alone Greek words for "one", namely heis, mia, or hen.
There is a different,
stand-alone, and commonly-used Greek word for "only" or
"alone" and that is MONOS ( in forms of monoi, monois, monon,
monou, monous monw, and monwn . . . but never MONO.]
In Matthew 18:9 and Mark
9:47, The LORD talks about being one-eyed = MONOphthalmos, to enter into
LIFE rather than to sin, having two eyes.
MONOPHTHALMOS is a
compounded Greek word, just like MONOGENES. If the word is separated into its
two parts ( that is, only and
eye ), and if the main part of the word is ignored leaving only the
compounded "ONLY-" , the essential meaning of one-eyed is lost.
The same is true with MONOGENES. It does
NOT mean "only" nor "one" nor "unique"
. That wording gives us a commentary,
not a translation. The compounded MONOGENES means only-BEGOTTEN.
Some modern versions toss
out SON+ and replace it with GOD, based on 7 manuscripts ! * That omission obscures the FATHER-SON
relationship in the original verse. [* Nestle-Aland 26th Edition Greek
New Testament, apparatus, page 248.]
JOHN 7:8
Go ye up
unto this feast:
I go not up yet unto this feast:
for my
time is not yet full come.
This omission is obviously
very wrong.
The omission brings confusion into the camp because the LORD JESUS
did indeed go up to the feast after his brothers had gone up. This error
comes into the English Bibles as translators forsook 2 Papyrus, 9 uncial
manuscripts, 18 minuscules and a host of Majority Text Greek manuscripts, a
couple of Old Latin manuscripts, two Syriac early versions, and a couple of
others, all which have the word YET in them. [ NA-26th GNT, apparatus, page
269. ] Only 4
uncials are MISSING "yet" , along with some Latin manuscripts, two
other Syriac versions , and the Bohairic ( a Coptic dialect.)
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Regardless of the scholarly
committees the Bible publishing houses have assembled, these modern versions
have one common denominator: they are ALL based on the Alexandrian Greek texts. The
Alexandrian texts were made popular by Westcott and Hort in 1881, starting with
the first major revision of the English Bible.
The revision committee in England
was commissioned to work out the errors from the KJV's English
translation. What actually occurred was that Westcott and Hort
changed the basic Greek text from the
Byzantine Greek
text ( i.e., Textus Receptus of the KJV or the Majority Text) to the Alexandrian Greek text . . . thus altering the manuscripts backing the
English Bible.
That change resulted in thousands
of omissions, additions, and transpositions.
As we can see, that action caused serious problems which are still with
us today.
NOT KJV ONLY
Yes, there are solid, new English translations available
both on-line freely and on-line for purchase, which are done by competent
scholars ( even committees ) and are based on the Byzantine Greek text with some of the errors of
the KJV / Textus Receptus worked out.
The problem is: they are not
promoted by the major publishing houses and thus, few outside of the
seriously-interested Christians realize they are available. In
short, the general public only recognizes the KJV,
as far as a Bible based on the Byzantine Greek Text.
Keep this in mind: the
Majority Byzantine Greek Text is the STANDARD and ALL other manuscripts are
collated ( i.e., compared word for word ) with it.
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If anyone is interested, here are
a couple of well-backed , scholarly new translations of the New Testament.
DR. WILBUR PICKERING: The Sovereign Creator has Spoken,
is what he calls his translation, freely available on-line at http://www.prunch.org/new-translation-of-the-nt.php ]
This NT is free on-line and also
published in book form, which is not free. His footnotes, in both his Byzantine
Greek text and his English version, are honest , delightful, and
give the %-age of mss which have different variants for the verses.
Dr. Pickering, who still is quite
active in Christian work, is a former Wycliffe missionary / translator in the
jungles of Brazil, has personally collated several Greek manuscripts, and has
an online site and videos, some in Portuguese.
JAY P. GREEN, SR., Interlinear Greek-English New Testament,
3rd Edition. He and his committee of scholars also publish an excellent
Old Testament Interlinear, Masoretic Text.
Both are keyed to Strong's Concordance. He and his committee
members refused to use academic "titles" or degrees with their names.
His books are available through CBD, Christianbook Distributors. . https://www.christianbook.com/interlinear-hebrew-english-bible-volume-edition/9781565639775/pd/639774
CHARLES VAN DER POOL, Editor-in-Chief. The APOSTOLIC BIBLE
Polyglot, Interlinear Greek-English OT as well as the Greek-English NT.
It is on-line at https://apostolicbible.com
and also available for purchase and
keyed to Strong's. He has a valuable
"concordance" in the appendix. The meanings are very short, one or
two words only, but he lists every verse, OT and NT, where that Greek word
appears... a very useful study tool.
Van der Pool’s New Testament is
based on the Byzantine manuscripts.
The Greek Old Testament is NOT
taken from the standard Masoretic Hebrew text but rather from the VATICANUS Greek text,
according to the introduction. [ Same as Lancelot Charles Brenton.]
This Greek OT is called the
"Septuagint" or LXX, but the real, historic Septuagint which the Apostles quoted
from is not extant ( i.e., has been lost ).
Modern scholars have somehow
agreed to use the Old Testament Greek text of the Vaticanus , an Alexandrian manuscript, and
call it the "Septuagint." We do not know WHY the scholars persist in
calling it the "Septuagint, which was a different manuscript. . The
historic Septuagint was supposedly written in the 3rd century BC.
Some of the OT readings are
simply nonsensical because of the Greek text base, not his translation. What
is called the “Septuagint” is simply a supposedly 4th-century Greek
Old Testament manuscript.
This current SEPTUAGINT is a “critical”
compilation taken from the Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, and Alexandrinus Codices.
[ SEE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint].
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KEY to Bible Abbreviations, from
Bible Gateway.com
American Standard Version (ASV) Public Domain (Why are modern
Bible translations copyrighted?);
Christian Standard Bible (CSB) The Christian Standard Bible.
Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian
Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible
Publishers, all rights reserved. ;
Holman Christian Standard Bible
(HCSB) Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers,
Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.;
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a
publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.;
International Standard Version (ISV) Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV
Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson
Press, LLC.;
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963,
1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation;
New English Translation (NET) NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006
by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.;
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International
Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by
permission. All rights reserved worldwide.;
N
ew Revised Standard Version (NRSV) New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian
Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United
States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.;
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