Did you know that the translation of your Bible has a reading level? In other words, some translations are moreth difficulteth to readeth. 🙂
Here’s a list of translations and their suggested reading level:
- King James Version (KJV): 12th grade
- Revised Standard Version (RSV): 12th grade
- New American Standard Bible (NASB): 11th grade
- New Revised Standard Version (RNSV): 11th grade
- English Standard Version (ESV): 10th grade
- New International Version (NIV): 8th grade
- Holman Christian Standard Version (HCSV): 8th grade
- New King James Version (NKJV): 7th grade
- New Living Translation (NLT): 6th grade
- God’s Word (GW): 5th grade
- The Message (MSG): 5th grade
- New Century Version (NCV): 3rd grade
Which translation do you enjoy?
*Photo courtesy of here
I’m an ESV kinda guy, I grew up with the King James and still enjoy reading it from time to time. For study and devotion the ESV is my main translation.
For study a combination of NRSV, NIV, RSV, NASB, HCSB. For reading: NIV, NLT, HCSB, NRSV.
Grade reading levels are just guidelines. You might see 9th grade words in the easier Bibles.
RSV. HCSB, NIV. are my favorites and then I refer to the Chronological Bible. My theory is that for those who read the Message or Living translation, they should read one of the other translations afterward.
I read nlt but I want a better bible
You might like the Modern English Version!
I seem to bounce around in my versions but come back to NKJV when r the ESV.. they are essentially the same..
Love my ESV that I have on my Kindle. I am currently saving up to purchase a nice leather bound copy of the ESV Study Bible. Really enjoy that one… and my wife would say that I still behave like a 10th grader sometimes 🙂
You’ll love the ESV Study Bible. I teach a Bible Study every Tuesday and it is a great resource. I use a smaller ESV in church, but for class preparation and serious study the Study Bible is great!
Patrick,
Nice!
m.
NASB is my fave for study/reading… i always say it’s like KJV, only frontwards, since the sentences seem poetic, but not backward to me. :o) Love the Message, NLT, NIV… And now i’m thinking i have to get my hands on one of those ESVs everyone is bragging up. I haven’t added a new translation to the stack for awhile, so it’s obviously time.
Ronda,
Yes–and word on the street is there’s a new NIV coming out next year. Also, for a fresh look at Scripture, I’ll pick up a translation by J. B. Phillips New Testament.
Ok..so here I am…yet a child:) I often use NIV or NLT translations…and, gulp…sometimes even the MESSAGE translation. I guess what I love is that all translations spell TRUTH in His living, breathing, word. And what the hay…I’ll stick with the child like faith any day:) ….no rhyme intended…although awesome:) lol
The Message is a paraphrase, not a translation. I do love it for reading and Eugene Peterson’s take on a difficult passage is sometimes quite helpful.
A long list! But I disagree about the NIV being 8th grade level. Many of my young (age 6 and up) friends , understand, and enjoy the NIV.
Is the scale limited at 12? The KJV is a beautiful read but somewhat difficult in parts. If the NSRV which is a breeze to read is rated grade 11, then the KJV and RSV should be 13+.
Anything above 12 would probably be considered college level.
Those reading levels are just guidelines. I learned how to read at age 2, read a 2nd grade Bible in kindergarten, and in GRADE 9 AND AGE 12 brought an NLT Bible [Grade 6] to church. My pastor says no matter the grade level, the Bible is all true.
Totally, Maria! It is a helpful guide to use if you’re looking for a Bible that fits your reading preferences, but definitely just guidelines.
KJV all the way
I’ve been reading the KJV since 6th grade with very few problems. *scratches brain*
As far as reading the gospel is concerned I prefer the kjv. If I’m reading more of the Old Testament I prefer the good news version. I’m not trying to challenge myself intellectually through reading the scriptures.
If you have ever taught middle school/high school in church, you have to agree with these stats.
I teach Fourth and Fifth grade in a Christian school and use the New Century Version for the scripture passages that my students memorize weekly. I believe they must understand and relate to God’s word as they memorize it and it becomes part of their life.
Thanks I needed to know
http://www.av1611.org/kjv/kjv_easy.html
This site shows that based on syllables per word, the KJV is actually 5.8 for reading level
The Flesch-Kincaid scale only counts word length, syllables, sentence length, etc. It doesn’t account for familiarity of vocabulary, grammar & syntax, etc. The 5.8 scale for the KJV is utterly meaningless. Scores for other versions, unless they came out at about the same time, are largely meaningless as well.
“A test result I don’t like can’t be true because I don’t like it!” Also, you’re wrong about the grammar and syntax of the KJB. Even Wikipedia will tell you that it is written in “Early Modern English”, meaning the grammar is the same as our current vernaculars’, today. That’s why, with the exception of some unfamiliar vocabulary (of which the KJB actually has less then UBS translations like the NIV and ESV – 12,000 different words, approximately), you still understand what is being said when you hear the KJB being read, regardless of whether it “sounds older” or not to you.
TD, it sounds like you need to do a study on what “Early Modern English” actually is. The syntax (word order) is different from that of modern English.
It is that reading level if a person grew up with the version and what they learned from. If you go from a NIV growing up to a KJV it is very hard to understand. We, today, do not speak the Kings English. Though beautiful to read, the words today do not mean the same as they did then. You’d be very surprised when you look up a a word how different the meaning is to what you think it is. I do enjoy the KJV because it challenges me to think.
I was raised on KJV.
Am a teacher.
Raised all 6 of my children on KJV.
The KJV is definitely easier to read and understand.
1. The KJV has a built in dictionary. The words are explained as one reads through the book.
2. The KJV has more one syllable words.
3. The KJV has shorter sentences.
I agree with everything you said Tammy, I thought it would be difficult to read the KJV but I was wrong
I disagree with the KJV being 12th grade. Reading had just clicked for me at age 8 and I began reading the KJV soon after and no problems understanding or enjoying it.
Actually, you probably did not understand it as well as you thought you did. Many words have changed meaning, with some, like let, now meaning the opposite of what they did then. Some of the meaning changes are not obvious from the context. You might be surprised at how many passages mean something quite different when you read them from a reputable translation using Present-Day (commonly but incorrectly called “Modern”) English, such as the NASB or even the NKJV.
D.E., you are absolutely wrong about your uncritical claim that “many words have changed meaning [since the time of the publishing of the KJB], with some…now meaning the opposite of what they did then.” Surely you understand what homonyms are, as your example of “let/letteth” of 2 Thessalonians 2:7 has NEVER BEEN the same word as the (commonly-used) word “let/letteth” of, for example, 2 Kings 10:24. They are two different words that arise from completely different etymological roots. In fact, the fact that I have cited from the KJB both the “modern word” “let” and the word that you cited objectively disproves your example of “many words now have opposite meanings”. Learning new English vocabulary should be ENCOURAGED by English-speaking Christians, not CONDEMNED.
Please, next time you hear a claim about something, try investigating it to see if it is true before mindlessly repeating that claim (2 Thessalonians 5:21).
Thank you very much for your testimony, sister. It is somewhat pathetic (and prideful) that another commenter has tried to “correct” your understanding of the Holy Bible’s words simply because he assumes “he knows better than you” (an ‘appeal to authority’ logical fallacy).
I use the Young’s Literal Translation for study and reading. I’m actually thinking about switching to the American Standard Version soon.
That is not advisable, because the American Standard Version deceptively uses a very different Greek text (ie, the UBS, not the Textus Receptus) than Young’s Literal Translation does, meaning it’s translating entirely different Greek words and phrases (as opposed to translating from the same Greek text, as Young’s does in comparison to the KJV).
I am wanting to know reading level of the NET Bible, can anyone answer that question?
Thank you for your on the different Bible translations. My daughter is considering a ministry similar to yours. We’d love some advice.
The CEB (comon English Bible) my preferred translation of the Bible
I am slightly confused as to why the ESV is grade level 10 and the NKJV is grade level 7. I know these are just guidelines, but in my research in determining which translation I would like, it seems the NKJV should be assigned a higher grade level than the ESV. I have a KJV and am looking into purchasing a compact bible for travel, and know which distributor I’d like to use, but am still uncertain about the version I’d like. I am quite happy with and have always enjoyed the KJV, but if I purchase another bible, I don’t intend to buy the same version I already have. In my experience, reviewing these versions, the ESV sounded more concrete and dull in terms of descriptions, and less fluid in sentence structure (although I find it preferable over the NASB). This leads to my question : what criteria is used in assigning these grade levels to the various translations? Thanks, just curious 🙂
I have used the KJV since becoming a Christian at age 7.
I found it much easier to understand than the poetry we had to study in school, but then again, I went to Primary School in the 60’s;when we learned how to read. ?
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Unfortunately, the reading levels of the texts aren’t the only issue involved. The King James and New King James attempt to offer literal translations of the majority/received/Byzantine text families that most of Christendom has used throughout its history. Pretty much all other bible translations introduce elements from esoteric texts for which older scrolls exist today, but they exist because of scribal errors which resulted in their not being used, worn out, and disposed of. So, for instance, the NLT introduces the concept of baptism removing our “sin nature” in Colossians 2:11 where the original text says no such thing, and in light of what Paul testifies in Romans 7 creates a contradiction in scripture where no such contradiction exists. I am not a “king James only” advocate, though I believe that the Geneva, King James, New King James, and Orthodox Study Bible (Septuagint/NKJV) offer the most accurate renderings for the English reader.
My 6-year-old is reading the ESV out-loud, four chapters a day, with a plan to finish the book in less than a year.
How do you get a 10th-grade reading level out of a six-year-old? Homeschooling.
I love the KJV for it’s poetry. For study I like HCSB.
I recently discovered The Passion Translation.
According to my study of readability your calculations are way off. KJV 5.8 grade. Newer versions use more compound words and longer sentences. Maybe you should read some better studies. But I should’ve known when I read the snarky ending of your comment.
Love this post! I have a 5th grader who has an ESV Bible and wants to read the Bible but gets very frustrated bc her reading level is lower than normal. So to have a Bible with a 5th grade reading level by her bed would be awesome! And then have her ESV Bible as her study/church Bible!
~~ Beetter late than never, and on the off chance —
My Mom use-ta tell me: “Dont believe anything yhou hear (without proving it) and only half of what you see.”
It certainly applies in this case. The KJV is 12th grade ????
I have two points to make —
1. A large percentage of todays 12th graders cant even read a comic book and are doing good to put together a complete and logical ten word sentence.
2. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
—
Of the first 13 words, 11 are single-syllable; of the 25 words in verse 16, 19 are s-s.
Of the 22 words in vs 17, 20 are single-syllable.
And all that aside, it seems we are denying the power of the Holy Spirit (which constitutes the sin of unbelief) to open the minds of whosoever will come to His Word with the right motivation and desire. God said in Hebrews 8:10b —
“I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts”
(quoting Jeremiah 31:33, &c.)
As always, HTH, FWIW, and imho !! lol….
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Everyone in the comments took this grading of the translations the wrong way I don’t understand why everyone is throwing hate on what book is suitable for believers you should be happy that people are picking up the Bible wanting to know God’s direction for our lives and others no matter the translation if you have a heart for God God will lead you to the translation that’s suitable for you!
I am intrigued by your bible version reading level chart. What is the reading level of the original greek and hebrew manuscripts?
Great question, Wayne! I’m not sure, but that would be fun to look into!
You may be able to read and know the current meanings of the words in the Bible, but unless you have some understanding of the context–the persons who wrote the original texts, the persons to whom those texts were written and the society of that time, there’s no assurance that you will actually understand it.
John, yes, context is so important!
I like the MEV, (grade level 11+) the most modern strain of the King James Version
MEV Modern English Version Originally designed for British military chaplains to assist troops in understanding the King James Version better, the project widened to include the U.S. Armed forces and 47 translators from a wide range of denominations.
The Modern English Version work was re-translated from the earliest available authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic and Greek texts using the King James version as the base manuscript.
Presented to Queen Elizabeth II, to whom the new translation had been dedicated, at a special ceremony in 2016 at Windsor Castle, the MEV is the most up-to-date Bible in the King James tradition. Copyright is held by the Military Bible Association /publisher Charisma House (hence it does not have time/exposure like the venerable King James or the New King James with heavyweight publisher Thomas Nelson)