New American Standard Bible
The New American Standard Bible produced by the Lockman Foundation in 1971 stands as a prominent literal rendering of the Word of God. The 30+ translators slaved over ensuring the text was translated as accurately as possible. The word-for-word translation methodology has produced one of the closest renderings to the original authors’ texts in English as possible to this point. This translation, however, does lack in its ease of reading. While other translations can be read sitting on the couch, the NASB deserves a diligent reader who is willing to dig deep and truly absorb the texts.
The New American Standard Bible translators were committed to a word-for-word translation of the texts. Translation was completed using the American Standard Version (1901) which was considered the “rock of Biblical honesty” in conjunction with the earliest Greek and Hebrew manuscripts available. In translating the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered 1946) were also consulted.
Translating an ancient language into a modern language presents some challenges. In the case where these challenges were faced, the translators opted for maintaining the word-for-word translation as best as possible, though certain grammatical and punctuation modifications were forced. In cases where the original text would say “we knew that he did” becomes “we knew that he had done.” This follows through many of the tenses of the ancient language in comparison to the modern understanding of language. In most cases, but not all, a more literal rendering has been footnoted.
Reading level: 11 grade
NASB
