In a recent Bible reading (NIV), Proverbs 3: 5 and 6 state, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” I told my wife that I preferred the translation I had been familiar with for the first thirty years of my life. A Christian friend of mine, with a twinkle in his eye, would often say, “I am going to read from the only Authorised Version”. The KJV translates those same verses as, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” It is the difference between “make your paths straight” and “direct thy paths” that initiated my comment.
I enjoyed fellowship with a man who, I understand, spent hours in prayer while checking passages of the NIV translation for accuracy, before publication. A recent enquiry revealed there may be over 900 English translations or paraphrases of the Bible or parts of it. If this is correct, it made me wonder about the motivation for so many?
I will leave readers to draw their own conclusions, but to answer the question heading this contribution, I will refer to John 14:26 (NIV): “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, in a world where we may be inundated with a wide variety of opinions and statements, help us to clearly hear Your voice that will lead us in paths of righteousness. AMEN.