The Earliest Bibles
| DSS | Dead Sea Scrolls, remains of an ancient Jewish library, written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The library includes Hebrew Bible manuscripts, as well as Apocrypha and other Jewish literature of the period. (2nd cent. B.C. – 1st cent. A.D.).
English translation: The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation. Rev. ed. Trans. Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr. and Edward Cook. HarperOne, 2005. |
| LXX | Septuagint: the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, begun by 72 Jewish scribes in early 3rd century B.C. and in general use by the mid-2nd century B.C. The final version included the Apocrypha.
ABP: The Apostolic Bible Polyglot, Charles Van der Pool (2006). An interlinear of the Greek Tanakh (no Apocrypha), with English translation.Download. CATSS: Computer Assisted Tools for Septuagint Study, prepared by the Center for Computer Analysis of Texts, University of Pennsylvania (1995, 2004); available at Unbound Bible. Elpenor: Bilingual LXX with English translation of L.C.L. Brenton (1851) LXX2012: Septuagint in American English 2012 (1885, 2012), eBible.org. NETS: New English Translation of the Septuagint (2009) |
| MT | Masoretic Text (the traditional text of the Hebrew Bible, which may be dated to Rabbi Akiva’s efforts to standardize the Hebrew canon in the early 2nd century A.D. Extant MSS only date to the 10th cent. A.D.) |
| S | Syriac (the Bible in Syrian Aramaic; the Tanakh was first translated by Jews, probably Messianic Jews, in the late 1st century to early 2nd century, and the Besekh by Christians in the late 2nd century. |
| T | Targums, Aramaic translation of the Tanakh with interpretative comments (Extant MSS dated to 70-135 A.D., although such translation existed in an oral form a long time before that, which Jewish authorities date to the time of Ezra.) Online with English translation. |
| V or Vul | Jerome, Biblica Sacra Vulgata (the Latin version of the Bible, A.D. 405) |
Greek Texts of the Besekh
| TR | Textus Receptus (“Received Text”, 1633 ed. of Erasmus’ Greek text of 1516). This Greek text is the basis for the KJV. Online (1894 ed.) |
| WH-Text | The New Testament in Greek, B.F. Westcott & F.J.A. Hort (1881; incorporated reading of newly discovered early manuscripts) Online |
| Maj-Text,
M-Text |
Majority Text (AKA Byzantine Text; consists of the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not the oldest.) NKJV uses the abbreviation M-Text. |
| NA21—28 | Novum Testamentum Graece. ed. Eberhard Nestle, Erwin Nestle, Kurt Aland, et. al. American Bible Society and the British and Foreign Bible Society. (NA1, 1898; NA13, 1927; NA21, 1952; NA25, 1963; NA26, 1975; NA27, 1993; NA28, 2012). This Greek text incorporates the reading of the earliest manuscripts and is generally followed by modern Bible versions. The differences between editions are largely the textual apparatus added listing variant readings of interest to translators and Greek scholars. |
| UBS1—4 | The Greek New Testament. ed. Kurt Aland, Bruce Metzger, et. al. United Bible Societies. (UBS1, 1966; UBS2, 1968; UBS3, 1975; UBS4, 1993;UBS3 and UBS4 correspond to NA26.) |
| NU-Text | Abbreviation used in the New King James Version to denote the combined reading of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (N) and the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (U). |
Early Christian (English) Versions (Public Domain) (Online)
| Bishop | The Bishop’s Bible (1568). |
| Coverdale | Miles Coverdale, Coverdale Bible (1535). |
| GNV | The Geneva Bible (1587). |
| KJV | King James Version, known in Britain as the Authorized Version (1611; revised 1769; based on the TR). |
| Mace | Daniel Mace, New Testament in Greek and English (1729). |
| Tyndale | William Tyndale, Tyndale New Testament (1526). |
| Wesley | John Wesley, The New Testament (1790). |
| WYC | John Wycliffe, Wycliffe Bible (1395, translated from the Latin). |
Hebrew Versions of the Besekh
| BSI-NT | Ha’Brit Ha’Chadashah [New Covenant]: Tirgum Chadash. [New Translation]. Bible Society in Israel, 1991. Online. (Modern Hebrew) |
| Delitzsch | Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), Hebrew New Testament. Leipzig, 1877.Online. (Biblical Hebrew) |
| DHE | Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), The Delitzsch Hebrew-English Gospels. Vine of David, 2011. [English translation by the Messianic Jewish publisher] |
| HEB | Hebrew-English Bible. The Bible Society in Israel and the Israel Association for the Dissemination of Biblical Writings, 1996. (Modern Hebrew with English NKJV) |
| Margoliouth | Ezekiel Margoliouth, Ha’Brit Ha’Chadashah al pi Mashiach [New Covenant of the Messiah] Public Domain, 1927. Online. (Biblical Hebrew) |
| Salkinson | Isaac E. Salkinson (1820-1883) and Christian D. Ginsberg (1831-1914), Ha-Berit ha-Hadashah. British Missionary Society, 1886. Online. (19th c. Hebrew) |
Modern Christian (English) Versions of the Aramaic Bible (Peshitta)
| Roth | Andrew Gabriel Roth, Aramaic English New Testament (Netzari Press, 2012). |
| Alexander | Victor Alexander, Aramaic New Testament (2011) Online. |
| Bauscher, OANT | Glenn David Bauscher, The Original Aramaic New Testament in Plain English with Psalms & Proverbs (8th edition; 2013). Online |
| Etheridge | John W. Etheridge, The Peschito Syriac New Testament: Translated into English (1849) Online. |
| Lamsa | George Lamsa, The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts (1957)Online. |
| Magiera | Janet M. Magiera, Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation: Messianic Version (Light of the Word Ministry, 2009). |
| Murdock | James Murdock, A Literal Translation from the Syriac Peshito Version(1852) Online. |
| Roth, AENT | Andrew Gabriel Roth, Aramaic English New Testament (Netzari Press, 2012). |
| Younan | Paul D. Younan, Peshitta Aramaic/English Interlinear New Testament(2000). Online. |
Modern Christian (English) Versions
| AKJV | Authorized King James Version; reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK. |
| AMP | The Amplified Bible, The Lockman Foundation (2015). |
| AMPC | The Amplified Bible: Classic Edition, The Lockman Foundation (1987). |
| ASV | American Standard Version (1901; Public Domain) |
| BBE | C. K. Ogden, The Bible in Basic English (1965). |
| BLB | Berean Literal Bible, Bible Hub and Discovery Bible (2015). Online. |
| BRG | Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition Bible, BRG Bible Ministries (2012). |
| CEB | Common English Bible, Common English Bible (2011). |
| CEV | Contemporary English Version, American Bible Society (1995). |
| CSB | Christian Standard Bible, Holman Bible Publishers (2017). (an update of the HCSB) |
| Darby, DBY | J.N. Darby, Darby Bible (1890; Public Domain). |
| DHE | Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), The Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels. Vine of David, 2011. (Citation of “DHE” indicates the English translation provided by the publisher.) |
| DRA/DRB | Douay-Rheims Bible, American Edition (1899; Public Domain). [Catholic] |
| DLNT | Disciples Literal New Testament, Michael J. Magill (2011). |
| EMTV | English Majority Text Version: New Testament, trans. Paul W. Esposito (2009). Online. |
| EHV | Evangelical Heritage Version: New Testament & Psalms, The Wartburg Project (Lutheran) (2017). |
| ERV | Easy-to-Read Version, World Bible Translation Center (2006). |
| ESV | The English Standard Version, Crossway Bibles (2001). |
| EXB | The Expanded Bible, Thomas Nelson Inc. (2011). |
| GNT/GNB/ TEV |
Good News Translation, American Bible Society (1992); formerly known as Today’s English Version (1976). |
| Goodspeed | Edgar J. Goodspeed, The New Testament: An American Translation(1923). Online. |
| GW | God’s Word, God’s Word to the Nations (1995). |
| HCSB | Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman Bible Publishers (2003). |
| HNV | Michael Paul Johnson, Hebrew Names Version of the World English Bible(2008). [AKA Messianic Edition of the World English Bible.] Online. |
| ICB | The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible, Thomas Nelson (1986, 1988, 1999, 2015). |
| ISV | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version, ISV Foundation (1996-2012). |
| JB | Jerusalem Bible, Darton, Longman & Todd (1966). [Catholic] |
| JUB | Jubilee Bible, Life Sentence Publishing (2000, 2001, 2010). |
| KJ21 | 21st Century King James Version, Deuel Enterprises, Inc. (1994). |
| Knox | Knox Bible, Westminster Diocese (2012). |
| LB | Kenneth Taylor, The Living Bible (1971). |
| LEB | Lexham English Bible, Logos Bible Software (2012). |
| LITV | J.P. Green, Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (1976). Online. |
| ME-WEB | Messianic Edition of the World English Bible, Public Domain (2008). See HNV. |
| MEV | The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Military Bible Association (2014). |
| MLB | Modern Language Bible: The New Berkeley Version in Modern English, Zondervan Pub. House (1969). |
| MNT, Moffatt | James Moffatt, A New Translation of the Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments, A New Translation (1926). Online. |
| Mounce-NT or MRINT | Robert H. Mounce and William D. Mounce, Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament (2011). |
| MPNT | Alfred Marshall, NASB-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek and English with Interlinear Translation (Zondervan, 1986). |
| MSG | The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, E. H. Peterson (2002). |
| NAB | The New American Bible, USCCB (1986). [Roman Catholic] Online. |
| NABRE | The New American Bible, Revised Edition, USCCB (2010). [Roman Catholic] |
| NASB, NAU | New American Standard Bible, Lockman Foundation (1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977; Updated Edition 1995). |
| NCV | New Century Version, Thomas Nelson, Inc. (2005). |
| NEB | The New English Bible, Oxford University Press (1970). Online. |
| NET | The NET Bible/New English Translation, Biblical Studies Press (2005). |
| NIRV | New International Reader’s Version, Biblica, Inc. (1998, 2014). |
| NIV | The New International Version, Biblica, Inc. (1984, 2011). |
| NJB | New Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday Religion (1999). [Roman Catholic]Online. |
| NKJV | New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, Inc. (1982). |
| NLT | New Living Translation, Tyndale House Foundation (1996, 2007). |
| NLV | New Life Version, Christian Literature International (2006). |
| NMB | New Matthew Bible, Ruth Magnusson Davis (2016). |
| NOG | The Names of God Bible, Baker Publishing Group (2011). |
| NRSV | New Revised Standard Version, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America (1989). |
| NTE | Nicholas Thomas Wright, New Testament for Everyone (2011). |
| Phillips, PNT | J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English (1958). Online. |
| REB | Revised English Bible, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press (1989). |
| REV | Revised English Version, Spirit and Truth Fellowship International (2013). Online. |
| RSV | Revised Standard Version, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America (1952, 1971). |
| RSV-CE | Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (1966, 2006). |
| RV | Revised Version, Oxford University Press (1881-1885). [A British revision of the KJV] |
| TEV | See GNT above. |
| TLB | The Living Bible, Kenneth Taylor (1971). |
| TNIV | Today’s New International Version, Biblica, Inc. (2005). |
| TPT | The Passion Translation. BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC (2017). |
| Voice | The Voice Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc.; Ecclesia Bible Society (2012). |
| WBT | Noah Webster, Webster’s Bible Translation (1833), revision of the KJV. [Original title: The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments, in the Common Version, With Amendments of the Language] |
| WE | Worldwide English New Testament, SOON Educational Publications (1969, 1971, 1996, 1998). |
| WEB | Michael Paul Johnson, World English Bible (1997). |
| WMB | Michael Paul Johnson, World Messianic Bible (2014); aka Hebrew Names Version (HNV). Online. |
| WNT or Weymouth | Richard Francis Weymouth, Weymouth New Testament (1903). Online. |
| YLT | Robert Young, Young’s Literal Translation (1898; Public Domain). |
Modern Messianic Jewish (English) Versions
| BSI-NT | Ha’Brit Ha’Chadashah [New Covenant]: Tirgum Chadash. [New Translation]. Bible Society in Israel, 1991. Online. [Modern Hebrew] |
| CJB | David Stern, Complete Jewish Bible (1998). |
| DHE | Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), The Delitzsch Hebrew-English Gospels. Vine of David, 2011. [English translation by the publisher] |
| Einspruch | Henry Einspruch, The Good News According to Matthew. Lederer Publications, 1964. |
| GNC | Heinrich Walter Cassirer, God’s New Covenant: A New Testament Translation (1989). |
| HEB | Hebrew-English Bible, The Bible Society in Israel (1996) [Parallel Bible with both Tanakh and Besekh in Hebrew with NKJV English text.] |
| MW | Daniel Gruber, The Messianic Writings (2012). |
| NMV | Tov Rose, New Messianic Version of the Bible (2013). |
| OJB | Phillip Goble, Orthodox Jewish Bible, Artists for Israel International(2011). Online. |
| TLV | Messianic Jewish Family Bible: Tree of Life Version, Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society (2014). Online. |
Modern Non-Messianic Jewish (English) Versions
| AST | The Stone Edition of the Tanach-ArtScroll Series, Mesorah Publications (1996) |
| CTR | The Complete Tanach with Rashi Commentary , Judaica Press (1993).Online. [Hebrew with English translation by A.J. Rosenberg] |
| JPS | The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text, Jewish Publication Society of America (1917). Online. |
| KJB | The Koren Jerusalem Bible, Koren Publishers Jerusalem (1964). [Hebrew with English translation] |
| NJPS | New Jewish Publication Society of America Version of the Tanakh (1985). Online. |
