The Bible is so much more than a book; it’s a voice. It’s the Word of God! As we’re asking God for a hunger for His Word and desiring to be a church who loves His Word, have you ever wondered why there are different Bible translations and which one is the best for you? Then this chart is for you! The Bible is comprised of 66 books (39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in New Testament) and was originally written in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Since most of us don’t know or regularly use those languages, we’re very grateful for English translations of God’s Word that help modern readers understand what was intended for the original readers. The main reason we have different translations is for the different ways we engage with Scripture. Word-for-word versions are a more accurate rendering of the original language into English. Thought-for-thought and Paraphrase versions help render the original language into a flow that English-readers better understand. A word-for-word translation may be valuable if you’re doing a deep dive into a passage of text, but a translation that’s more readable (thought-for-thought) is more useful in our everyday engaging of the Bible. Different translations help us better understand what the original language meant, which is why it can also be helpful to read passages of Scripture in different translations side-by-side. When you do this, you may see a footnote or endnote explaining differences or discrepancies between passages. Each translation has been put together and reviewed by various scholars and theologians over the years to provide the most accurate, reliable, and readable versions of the Bible.