Finding the Best Bible Version and Using Bible Gateway

Whether you are a new Christian or have been one for many years, it can be difficult to choose the best Bible for yourself from the many options out there.  Do you want a Bible for personal study, for group study, or to follow along during church services?  If for personal study, you need to find a single version you can understand easily if you a new Christian.  If you are more mature in your faith, you may want a study Bible or one that contains two or more versions side-by-side. 

It is important to figure out your needs before you buy as Bibles can be expensive.  A paperback is light and usually less expensive.  However hard back, vinyl covers, or leather-bound editions will be more expensive.  Some translations will have standard book quality paper whereas others will have thinner pages to keep them from being too heavy to regularly carry.  If you want the Bible for church or group study, you may want to ask your leader or minister for their most-used version as a suggestion to make following along easier.  If you want the Bible for personal study, you may also ask them or another fellow Christian who you trust the advice of, or research popular translations. 

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, 

that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” 

- Romans 15:4(KJV)

For personal study, before spending money on a Bible, you may want to use an on-line tool like BibleGateway.com to check out various versions of your favorite scriptures to see which speaks to you or is easier to comprehend.  Bible Gateway allows you to check out parallel verses from different versions side-by-side.  An example of side-by-side is 2 Timothy 3:16-17(KJV, NET, NIV, ESV).  How to use the side-by-side tool is detailed with step-by-step instruction below a video on their “Did You Know” blog post.  Bible Gateway also offers Bible reading plans and devotionals that you might want to check out.  If you want devotionals, you may also want to check out YouVersion options.

If you are a mature Christian wanting to purchase a Study Bible for personal growth or teaching purposes, there are a lot of choices for those too.  Plus they are very expensive compared to a single version Bible, so you want to be sure you are getting something you will really use rather than just put on a shelf.  Here you may want to consult teachers, preachers, and other experts before you buy.