New Translations, Fresh Understanding

On December 16, 2025, the newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement titled “New Guidance on Bible Translations for Latter-day Saints.” It reported that the updated section of the General Handbook provided examples of English Bible translations that “members can consider as they seek to better understand the teachings of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.”

Elder Jörg Klebingat of the Seventy, a member of the Scriptures Committee, said, “There’s a misconception that modern translations of the Bible are less than faithful to the ancient sources — that in modernizing the language, translators have compromised or dumbed down the doctrine.” Recognizing this misconception can open the door to greater biblical understanding.

I had witnessed this in the testimony of two men. First, in the 1990s, a man from Tremonton came into our store looking for some camouflage New Testaments to give to scouts in his troop. Because they were only available in the New International Version, he bought those. He later returned, excited to tell me that reading the New Testament in this modern translation enabled him, for the first time, to understand its meaning.

Then, 20 years later, I met another man who had moved here from Florida. As our conversation turned to how he came to faith in Christ, he said it was through listening to the Bible in a modern translation. Although he had grown up reading the KJV, it wasn’t until he listened to God's Word Translation on audiobook that the Bible’s meaning came alive for him. He was glad to find a church in Logan where the translation used was not a barrier.

Elder Klebingat also observed, “Modern translators often have access to manuscripts that were not available to early translators. And most modern translations were produced by faithful scholars and linguists who are utterly convinced that the Bible is the word of God. The simplified language they use supports — rather than compromises — understanding of the doctrine of Jesus Christ.”

My experience is that the more I have to think about a text’s meaning, the more likely I am to get it wrong. Don’t misunderstand me. There can be inherent problems with translations that oversimplify the text's meaning. But a modern, faithful, scholarly translation of the biblical text can bring an otherwise perceived archaic text to life. While not all translations are equal, it is important that we not disregard modern translations because of our misconceptions.

When people come into our store to buy a Bible, I tell them my primary goal is to help them find a translation they can easily understand. Everything else is secondary to finding a translation whose meaning is clear to them. Let me offer a simple example from 2 Peter to illustrate. By considering three translations of a single passage, we will see that while they say the same thing, the meaning of some are clearer than others.

First, consider how the King James Version (KJV) expresses 2 Peter 1:20–21, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Next, the English Standard Version (ESV), “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Finally, the New Living Translation (NLT) reads, “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”

All three are translated from Greek and Hebrew, but each uses a different translation methodology and reads differently while conveying the same message. The NLT is the simplest because of its translation method’s goal. Additionally, differences between the KJV and modern translations are partly due to changes in English over the last 400 years. The KJV’s antiquated language and sentence structure can make understanding difficult. I’ve found that many prefer the KJV, not because it is easier to understand, but because it is familiar.

It’s my hope that in 2026 you will discover the Bible anew. I’ve found that following a Bible reading plan in a modern translation will not only give you a fresh understanding of the Bible but also help you apply it. As the Reformers said: “Sola scriptura.”