You may notice my love of using different Bible translations, so I wanted to take a minute to dive into the benefits of reading scriptures from more than one translation.

I’m picking a scripture based on the Holy Spirit’s leading, but I haven’t looked it up yet to see if it will work for this example. Here we go.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬-‭45‬ ‭KJV

My first Bible was a leather bound, gold embossed, King James Version my mom gave me when I first accepted Christ as a teenager in the 70’s. I was so excited to start reading the Bible, but after trying to understand the King’s English, I gave up.

Let’s try another.

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬-‭45‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I love the English Standard Version for its clear communication of the message. This was the version adopted by my previous church. Can you see that the message is the same, but it’s easier to read?

Next, let’s read the New Living Translation.

You have heard the law that says, “Love your neighbor” and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬-‭45‬ ‭NLT

First let me point out this is a “translation”, whereas the first are “versions”. The goal of a version is to translate the original text into a modern language as close to word for word. The goal of a translation is to keep the integrity of the word for word, but present it in a more readable contemporary way.

For me the NLT is a perfect blending of the two. The common expanding of the more generic term, “brothers”, to “brothers and sisters” or “children” helps me, as a woman, to see myself in the scriptures.

Let’s look at two more controversial translations, or paraphrases. A paraphrase attempts to bring the meaning of the scriptures into the modern world, using contemporary settings and examples.

Your ancestors have also been taught “Love your neighbors and hate the one who hates you.” However, I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them. For that will reveal your identity as children of your heavenly Father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm and rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil.

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬-‭45‬ ‭TPT

The Passion Translation is one of my favorites for its poetic bent. As a writer of poetry, I find this paraphrase still conveys the meaning, while endearing the words to my creative soul. The problem arises when looking for Old Testament quotes outside of Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Songs.

You’re familiar with the old written law, “Love your friend,” and its unwritten companion, “Hate your enemy.” I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬-‭47‬ ‭MSG

I think of The Message as the street version of the Bible. The meaning is still conveyed, but it is like comparing apples to oranges. It is a great way to read the Bible, but as you can see, it connects the verses into grouped paragraphs, further complicating a verse by verse comparison. I could have simply left off the last four sentences to eliminate the extra verses, but I wanted to keep the integrity of the way The Message is presented.

With the ability to switch versions on Bible apps with the click of a button, you can explore many more versions. You may find one you like for reading and a different one for studying. Looking at these examples of this hard concept of loving your enemies, does one help you to understand better or make the message easier to apply? Sometimes a “spoon full of sugar” helps while other times we need a kick-in-the-pants. A different translation can make the difference.

If you feel Lost in Translation, skip over to a new one and see if it helps you shift to Found in Translation.

Grace & Peace,

Sandy

PS: My interpretation of version, translation, and paraphrase is based on my own understanding and may be defined slightly differently.

Image created in Canva