What Bible for new convert?

Dear brothers and sister,Lately something wonderful happened and God used me to witness to someone through internet.She denied God at first and wanted to do nothing with Him, (while she was in big troubles) but God touched her heart and later on He also got her out of her problems.She lives in Israel and says there are no churches. Also she doesn't have a Bible with the new testament. I think its very important that she gets a Bible. She knows so little yet and its very important that she can read the NT. What translation should I send her? nKJV or NIV or? I think the NIV might be easier for her to understand but its less accurate.

NKJVKrispy, I love your new sign off. I had one of those but the wheel fell off.

Well people, she was born in Russia but she lives in Israel. She told me that she found 'Hebrew' (the OT) hard to understand and couldn't without the help of teachers. (She had to study the old testament)Now she can read both Russian and Hebrew but she would prefer an English Bible. My point is that she won't understand a passage where Paul writes about the 'flesh', but in the NIV its translated with 'world' for example.Won't be a problem for her?

my girlfriend was 16 when she got saved and she started on the KJV

Cherokee... wheel fell off... got it! Osdv Gawetlvdi

My point is that she won't understand a passage where Paul writes about the 'flesh', but in the NIV its translated with 'world' for example.she needs teaching then not a modernized version, my best mate understands english perfectly he did a minor in it at uni but if i said Romans 8:12,13 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. to him, he'd think im talking about mutilating someone or something to that effect see.the kind of understanding your talking about comes about best by teaching,can she download and e-sword or something?

Hi Warrior4Jah...!I believe that the NIV is fine for a new convert. You may slowly and gently make her aware of the controversy concerning some Bible translations (if you feel that it is necessary at this time), but let her know that the bulk of most serious academic translations say the same thing (gulp -- did I leave myself open to criticism, or what?). I feel that her need to become firmly grounded in the Word supercedes an argument about what translation is the best (again, this opens me up to much criticism here). Why? Right now, your friend needs to understand the Word of God as it was written (in a common, understood language), rather than through a scholarly, academic basis. According to the translators, this was the key purpose for the creation and/or translation of the KJV, NKJV, NIV, ASV, and other versions. To argue that the language of the original 1611 KJV (or the common 1769 5th edition) is commonly understood is silly. There are KJV-only adherents on this message board who are very familiar with the language of the KJV -- but still have problems understanding the terminology. They are forced to consult books, dictionaries and concordances, and then they still have difficulty with certain etymology, passages and grammar.Again, apart from the "which-version-is-best" and "which-text-is-most-accurate" arguments, your friend really needs to immediately understand what is written in the Word. If she relies on the instruction of various Bible teachers -- then the purpose behind such translations is diminished. Most translations were meant to provide Scripture for common people (instead of clergy or the need for ecclesiastic explanation). The NIV was also meant to be international, that is, written in a form of english that is easily understood by all english speakers -- not just Americans.As a believer, I began reading the NIV. Over time, I began consulting the KJV and other translations. Today, I usually study the Word using the King James Version. But I still read the NIV, NKJV, NASV, among several other languages. I have found that many new converts seem to have a greater familiarity with the NIV use of grammar and english rather than with the KJV (or even the NKJV). :-)

Hi KrispyKrittr, saved_matt, ccchhhrrriiisss,Well I have no idea where I can find a Russian Bible, let alone know if its based on the same Greek tekst as the KJV is.However most prefer a 'word for word' translation if I read correctly. :-)This is what I would prefer myself, certainly when doing Biblestudy. But this is not for myself.I very much agree she needs teaching.. if I was around I would be happy to instruct and/or to point her at certain things. But this won't be the case. Also I can't give her an address to a church or some person over there as I don't know any. Someone I know is asking some ppl who went to Israel if they know some churches she could possible go to. I have no idea if there are any churches in Israel.. but as I've heard from her there are none.Her chances of using resources or someone teaching her are slim. So its vital that she understands as much as she can on her own. I don't want that she picks up the Bible and after a while gets frustrated because she can't understand what is written due to 'language'.. on the other hand, there are things that no new convert would probably understand.. no matter how its written down. I don't know how she has to overcome that. But on the other hand if she gets into the NIV for example she still might go astray by misinterpretations.

Well what do ya know... the Brits have a sense of humor! lol...You mean Brits like Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, and Bob Hope? Yeh, one or two of them have had a sense of humour. :-D

Hi Krispy...!"My only criticism would be that that would cause a new believer confusion if we start them on something with the intention of pointing out the error later. Since the person we're talking about has Russian for her first language I truly believe she needs a Russian version translated from the Received Text."I apologize that I wasn't quite so clear, Krispy. Its the first day of classes, and I have been running in and out of buildings all over this campus. Our school's registration system accidentally dropped me from my classes, and now I have to remedy the situation myself (getting signatures from profs to re-enroll). I am quite exhausted, and I suppose that I am also a bit scatter-brained right now. Please pray that all of this works out today.I didn't say that it would be pointing out an error. I just believe that it could be helpful to point out that there is some debate on the issue of Bible translations that she might want to look into in the future. I would not point out to a new believer any obvious mistranslations in the NIV any more than I would point out any obvious mistranslations of the King James Version. It doesn't seem necessary to introduce such debate to new believers, since it can be quite confusing for them (as it often is for mature believers). As has been discussed on other threads, I am still unconvinced by the KJV-only argument. I am also unconvinced concerning the Received Text issue. I understand the argument by those who place great emphasis on the Received Text. However, much of it seems built upon the argument that the Received Text is the foremost and only acceptable translation. After having studied this matter considerably, I still feel that the King James Version is a good translation. It is my version of choice, and I currently use it during serious study. However, I feel that the King James translation deviates from the original intent of the translators. It's grammar is no longer the language of the "common man." I have seen many new believers become confused by the language, and have to resort to teaching and instruction about the true meaning of some hard-to-understand grammar and usage. The primary intent of the KJV translators was to prevent this. And remember, most new-believers (or curious non-believers) do not have any KJV study helps readily available. I remember a funny (but true) story about children being taught from the KJV. Their Sunday School class was being taught from Genesis. They were reading the passages about Cain, Abel and Seth. They came to the passage where it states, "Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain," and "Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth..." After the service, one little boy went home quite frightened. He went to his room and stayed there for a while. His parents, realizing that something was wrong, asked him why he was so sad. He sadly informed them, "I'm going to be a daddy." His dad asked, "What makes you think that?" The little boy replied, "Because last week, teacher placed my nap mat next to Suzy's mat during nap time and I accidentally lay with her!" :-)

MKJV? Did you mean a NKJV?@ Krispy,I very mucht doubt I can find a Russian Bible :-P...ps, I like Chinese food.. 8-) [edit2]Ah MKJV does exist.. :P