Dear pastor had to reduce his speed at which he was preaching

It doesn’t matter which translation you read, those verses are a tongue-twister in all of them. Paul was straight spitting holy fire😅

We don't talk like the 1600s anymore. It actually hinders the understanding of the text for the average person.

The KJV translators did good work with what they had at the time. The prologue to the KJV says the people should have a Bible in the language they understand. That is still true today.

I fell into that KJVO stuff about a decade ago. Some of the unhappiest times of my life.

It's great to have Bible apps where you can compare multiple translations side by side. It shows that the differences are few

I grew up with the NKJ Bible and, I'll be honest here, it is the reason why I never really read the Bible. I could not understand it let alone read it fluidly. Yes I was a kid, and that played a part, but it just made me feel like the Bible was beyond my skills to understand even in adulthood. It was such a breath of fresh air to find out there were other translations, and they were reliable. I spent whole days just reading the Bible, starting in Genesis and reading onward, just amazed at how understandable everything was. How relatable the biblical accounts were. I was reading history in its most detailed form because... God knows all things. Reliable translations outside of the NKJ are a blessing. Truly. And no hate for those who prefer one over the other.

That intro clip is phenomenal! It is a struggle for most to read fluidly and you can see the need to go to a better translation for the sake of clarity.

Many people may disagree with me on this, but that’s ok: I believe that if you’re a Christian who is honestly seeking to continue to mature but you’re reading/studying from the same translation you’ve always used then you’re missing out. Don’t be afraid to look at and compare other translations, especially those based on other manuscript lineages. And if you don’t know what “manuscript lineages” means then go get informed, it’s a fascinating topic.

I like KJV for linguistics because I love the style and the way it sounds when spoken out loud...however, it's not great for reading to children or those who are not into Shakespeare.

I love the King James because I know my Scripture from it- and being a language and literature teacher for half a century. It is melifluous to my ears. BUT it's not the only version we should engage with. Comparing Scripture brings great insight at times.

The NIV is a paraphrase translation. The NASB and the NKJV are excellent and closest to the Greek.

I felt that pastor's pain. Whenever I read the Bible, sometimes I would have to reread the same passages because 1.) The context hasn't sunk in yet, and 2.) I just can't pronounce the names lol

The fact that other language translations exist kinda throws that out too. The spanish version that came out before kjv translates to modern English easier than kjv does lol

Amen. Just a few hours ago I was leading a small group at our church and a woman confessed that she’s been trying to read the Bible but doesn’t understand it. And this was harming her spiritually because she wasn’t able to spend time in God’s Word every day like we teach. Guess which translation she was using? 😏 God’s Word is like our food, we need it for life. But it doesn’t do us any good if we don’t actually understand what we are reading. I encounter this with someone new almost every week.

That’s my Pastor!!! Rev Dr David Antwi. The best Bible teacher everrrrr!!! I thank God for His life God has used Him to impact my life greatly 💙

I had no idea about the KJVO cult until KZfaq came along. Those lunatics actually seem to think the Bible was written in KJ English. Mind boggling. And disturbing. I can understand sticking with the KJV when that was all there was. And when that was the general way people spoke, or at least read books. Or at least close enough to that time where it was still commonly understood. But don't tell me today's modern people in America, many of whom are functionally illiterate, many of whom barely read books at all, the types who find the NIV "hard", understand the KJV. Please. Maybe Pastor Mike can one day address the general anti-intellectualism not just in society, but even in the church. Many people don't read at all. It's horrifying. As I said, even the NIV, which I think was written at a 7th grade level at the time, is a struggle these days, for people born and raised in this country.

I have had God speak to me through the ESV. Listen to it while you sleep. It Will enter your heart.

Mark Ward has done extensive research into the KJV comparisons with other translations. His channel is worth checking out.

I am KJV only because the KJV has no theology bias, others do.

I prefer the NLT to the NIV because while the NIV translates the words into modern English, NLT translates the phrases and sentences together so that there is more flow. It makes it easier to understand for me.

I grew up in a church that was King James only. I actually felt guilty about getting a New King James when I went to college. Now I use ESV. There really are multiple good versions. I just avoid paraphrases. Great video!

This kind of thing is why I love my parallel Bible with the KJV, NIV, and a couple of other translations with it. It's a little hard to read the small font, but I think it's worth it to get a better grasp on the overall meaning of a given passage

That false doctrine makes me so mad. It is dividing Christians all over the world. Even some Christian colleges now are advertising on their website, "KJV Only" school. This pathetic tangent & false doctrine was started by an eccentric man named Peter Ruckman. I like to ask KJVOnlyists, "If the KJV is the perfect, only legitimate and acceptable translation in English, which translation in French or Chinese or Spanish is the perfect translation?" Of course, they never thought of that and have no answer. Throughout church history, the ONLY thing considered inerrant and perfect is the autographa, the original manuscripts. Social media is spreading this false doctrine, and uninformed Christians are latching onto it like it's the gospel truth. It's very sad. There are entire Facebook groups devoted to it, where proponents endlessly pronounce judgment on non-KJVOnlyist Christians as unfaithful heretics. btw, another false doctrine being spread through social media and growing rapidly is Oneness Pentecostalism (modalism) and denial of the Holy Trinity. Churches need to teach the Word of God instead of being so emotion and entertainment oriented. Instead of teaching and preaching the Word of God, pastors are leaning more and more left towards man-centered ideology and wokeness (which is a euphemism for wickedness and perversion).

I’m glad too. We shouldn’t be divisive about this topic either. There are many so-called Christians that demonize you for reading the NIV or NLT. As long as you’re using a good translation, you’re fine.

Use a word for word translation. Please don't use Niv. You'll thank me later.

I find it best to cross reference using multiple translations. There are some things in new translations that concern me including leaving full verses out. One verse in particular regarding the marl of the beast. King James says it will be IN the hand or head where modern translations site ON the hand or head for such a small word that's a big difference..

In the words of the late great Dr Chuck Missler: "I found the best version of the Bible. It's called the Giant Print Version."

My biggest issue with the KJV is that no one today speaks like that. I would rather use the ESV or NLT that can be heard and understood without difficulty.

My church only uses the KJV and so do I but I do think there are other English translations that are good. I would just hope that Christians would be discerning in their choice of a translation. While there are plenty of good translations, there are some really bad ones too.

KJVO, what about the poor apostles, first Christians who lived before 1611? And what about us poor people whose first language is not English?

I prefer NASB for memorization, ESV for reading, NIV NKJV KJV and Berean for cross referencing... and Amplified the MSG and blue letter when I have no idea what's going on 😅

Huge fan of your ministry Mike, I love those brothers who hold views on both sides of this debate. I think a lot of us would absolutely love for you to do a video on KJVO specifically (Evidence for the Bible series was great btw) but really going in depth looking at both sides. There is a lot more to this discussion than most people think initially. Anyway thankful for your gift of teaching and would love to hear it applied to the arguments on both sides of this issue.

The NIV is not a great translation though. It’s a thought for thought dynamic translation. It also tries putting words in to refer to both men and women where it shouldn’t.

As someone Who grew up in the middle of kjv only land where basically every church is kjv only what you have too understand is a lot of them are older and just don’t have the means too understand why other translations can be trustworthy and a lot of them have heard there entire life that no translation is trustworthy but the kjv and its literally been beat into there head there whole lives. I attend a kjv only church but there literally the nicest sweetest people you could ever meet that honestly try too live out gods word. Most of them don’t even have the internet too do there own research about the topic. For example when I asked my aunt well what did they do before the kjv she said what do you mean. She didn’t even know there were versions before the kjv and when I went over some of the history of early Bible translations it was really eye opening too her.

You haven’t done your research enough… So if the NIV translation is “not deceitful”, then can you please explain John 7:8 in the NIV where it reads: “You go to the festival. I am NOT going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” But then in verse 10 in the NIV it reads: “However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he (Jesus) WENT also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now AT the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” The NIV is a lying and blasphemous translation of the scriptures as it teaches that Jesus lied to his disciples. The KJV reads “Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up YET unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.” The word “YET” that he didn’t want to go until later on (read verse 10). The NIV deleted half of Mark 16, takes other verses away so many words in fact that the equivalent of 1st Peter is missing from your Bible. That is DANGEROUS and YOU are bearing false witness. I’m not KJV only I only stick to texts based on the textus receptus, you have compromised by reading other translations that have route origins of the NT equivalent to JWs and the Roman Catholic Church. I su suggest you do your research again very carefully this time with fear and trembling and knowledge before you make such a claim on your video.

James White does the same thing as this guy. They go out of their way to overly exaggerate how "confusing" the KJV text is. It has legitimate issues to address without turning it into a caricature of itself that is easy to crap on. Is it the only legitimate translation? No. Is it as difficult to understand as he makes it seem? No.

Sadly we have the same conversation here in Germany

I lean king James never. Not due to the language but because the manuscript and translation errors with the translation

I have shared your video on Bible translations many times and have watched it myself a few times. It influenced my decision when purchasing a couple different translations for study Bibles. I'm grateful for the resource!

I used to read KJV only as the religion I grew up in basically said all other translations were incorrect. Now I prefer NIV as it's much easier to understand.

I actually was an NIV reader and have now shifted to reading the KJV almost exclusively. That said, I'll be the first to acknowledge that that specific passage that he's quoting is one of the least elegant in the entire King James Bible.

I agree wholeheartedly; I too leaned KJV only for a short time, until I began doing my homework. There is a laundry list of problems with the KJV only mentality! I could really get off on a tangent. Lol

I have a friend in that camp. It has separated us partially. It feels very cultish when you hear KJVO crowds talk and how they act.

The main criticism I have of versions other than the KJV is the source texts and the fact that Westcott and Hort were practicing the Occult.

I like the King James, I'm pretty good at understanding the unfamiliar English. But I too was bearing false witness by only trusting the KJV instead of trusting God when He said He preserved His word. I'm happy to say I often use the ESV and other versions when I want to share verses with people that don't read the Bible at all. Thank you for your videos, Mike. You are a blessing.

The real problem nowadays is that people are making a lot ridiculous accusations about the KJV. I don't mean only about how it's a can be difficult to read but malicious trashing .

When I was a teenager I had someone tell me that because I read the NIV, I could not be saved, and let me tell you… as the only Christian in my family, a teenager, already struggling with anxiety and panic (that God has since dealt with, praise His name!), and nobody to ask about the topic, that SCARED ME TO DEATH

Amen! I grew up with the NIV…if that was the only translation I ever got to read would that mean that I’m not saved? I’ve posted on a couple KJV only channels that I came to saving faith thru reading my NIV, but they always seem to be gone when I go to see if anyone responded. There are so so many Christians that are blessed to read any Bible due to Christian persecution in places around the world. Some don’t get a Bible at all…are they not saved? 🤔 I can’t see why KJV only Christians would be the only ones who are truly saved.

Other way around for me. I dug deep and found that modern translations have serious errors in them, then I became TR only and was relieved that God didn't inspire errors in his word.

I recommend for many of you to just read the ERV (easy-to-read) translation. My brain struggles a lot to read many of the verses, and it's okay to admit that. Start reading a translation that assists you in understanding the verses. You can always go to a different translation once you feel like you've got a better grasp on how to interpret them.

Personally I love the KJV. It's my go-to translation but several times while looking things up in Strong's I was extremely confused by some of the translation choices. Certain other translations handled those issues in a manner that made more sense. I still consider myself King James primarily but I won't write people off for using others. There's only a small handful I would avoid altogether though.

“KJV only” is like “original Greek and Aramaic only.” At this point, over four hundred years after it was put together, the KJV is getting very close to no longer even being the same language as modern English. It’s not there yet, but it is already unintelligible to many native English speakers who may be less literate in the style of the writing.

What is a good Bible translation to read for children, for my 7 year old.

I grew up using the KJV as a Protestant and I do distinctly remember how difficult it was to read. But as I am now converting over to Roman Catholic, I have now started to read and listen to the RSV-CE (read by Fr Mike Schmitz), which I do prefer. On a note of the "correct" translation, I was taught that it was the one you could understand and engage with most. All are the word of God and a blessing to possess.

I think English is not this guy's first language, which is something to be considered

I love how you made the King James text in a regal font. Classy!

I was KJV only for awhile too. My family joined Calvary Chapel almost 5 years ago. I’ve been attending discipleship classes for a year and a half and I bought my first NKJV Bible 6 months ago. It was SO freeing 😊 It was pretty neat in our class, though, when we would read aloud some of the different versions in class. Sometimes the KJV translation was actually weightier, but sometimes it was flat out more confusing. I do still love to read the Psalms in the KJV, simply because it’s more poetic.

The main reason I lean towards the kJV is because the language is constantly pointing us towards God's enduring love - I've never found another translation that constantly brings me back to this truth. By the addition of the letters "th" we are assured of God's endurance :loveth , endureth , strengthenth

There was a church near where I grew up (I don't know if it's still there) that had "A King James Version Bible Believing Church" as the only thing on their sign other than their name. A friend visited there and told me that everything from preaching to praying had been done in old English, and they were pickier about that then medieval Catholics were with Latin.

Bro, I read the NKJV and I had to pull out the CSB for most of Romans. That entire book was pretty hard to understand.

I got out of King James Only mindset when I saw a very basic video about how the 1611 and the 1769 editions have differences and not just spelling changes. Also the Cambridge and Oxford say different things so which one then would be the right KJ to use? I ordered the book today The King James Only Controversy by James White since I want to learn more about refuting King James Only arguments. Of course I am not bashing the King James, it’s a good translation but the King James Only mindset I am against. My church is KJV only but as of now I don’t have a problem since it isn’t causing division. I would only mention to certain people right now that I read other versions. I’m reading the ESV and NLT and like them both.

75% to 85% of the 1611 KJV comes directly from William Tyndale's 1526-1535 translation. Neither Kjng James nor it's translators gave credit to Tyndale, who did most of their work for them. I really like the KJV, but the New American Standard is my favorite. A surprising number of KJVO people do not even understand that Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic are the original languages, nor do they understand that manuscripts written much closer to the early church times are available now that were unavailable to Tyndale and the KJV translators. I just faced an ardent KJVO advocate this week. I tried to amicably point some things out, but they were having none of it, and basically challenged my salvation. Of course, I was unmoved, but I've seen new believers have their baby faith crushed underfoot by those who earnestly believed themselves to be behaving in a godly manner. The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.

I feel like sometimes also goes the other way and the KJV can get unfairly trashed by the other side. There are those who are fond of the KJV but are not KJV only.

There are Afrikaans people who think only the 1953 Afrikaans translation of the Bible is correct. Jip, people will do anything to be weird or special.

There are lots of good translations - ESV, NASB, NRSV, NET, NLT, and yes, the KJV all have something beneficial about them. Note that I did not list the Not Inspired Version.

Preacheth, Pastor Mike!

That intro was hilarious. That's some honesty right there. I am also glad that there's not just 1 bible translation that's reliable. That being said, there are definitely some you should never ever read *cough*PASSIONTRANSLATION*cough*

Personally I use and love the NKJV. It is the KJV in modern English. Great translation.

All current versions populate a spectrum of translational accuracy. Some are more accurate, some are less…and some are really one hot mess.

WOW! I never thought of it as bearing false witness, I recently left a KJV only church because the pastor kept teaching that the KJV is perfect and all the other translations are corrupt.

You’re video on evidence for the Bible and Bible Translations was a blessing for me 4 years ago, bc my Dad always read KJV, and it’s just not easy to read at all lol he still reads that, but I gained knowledge to explain that I’m allowed to read different translations

What do you say about the verses missing from other translations? Or where they completely miss the translation completely?

Amen

Amen ✝️❤️🙏

King James 1611 is really good though,I use the NASB 1995 as well

My favorite version is NIV! I love KJV, but KJV is very hard to understand and read. It's neat to see how people talked 400 years ago, but my Gen Z brain can't handle it!

I was just asking which is the most reliable this morning.

I recently noticed that some versions like ESV and CSB are missing some verses. Matthew 17:22 for instance. I'm a little concerned...

Pastor Mike, thank you very much! SO FUNNY, but then I went to read 7 and 8. Oh Hallelujah, Oh Hallelujah, God bless you for being here, God bless that African Pastor. Hallelujah

Recently started reading ESV. I actually had a hard time reading some parts after reading so many years of NKJV

Hey Mike - my dad is very much KJV only. I know your plate is already completely full - but is there any way you can do a video that goes through each of the claims of the KJV only crowd and debunks this misinformation? Thank you.

I've had kjv all my life it's the only one that sounds good to me, I take it withersoever i goest! God bless you Mike!

I'll definitely check out your videos on that. I'll admit that I've struggled with this, but they had me until a popular KJV-only pastor said he can "disprove" the Greek Septuigent (sp?) using his own KJV bible. After that, I started noticing the hubris of it all.

Genuine question here, what about in the NIV and other translations that leave out mathew chapter 17 verse 21. I personally find that bothersome

Whatever version you are reading , do you know the Crucified Risen Messiah, the Lord Jesus ? Are you a Trinitarian ? Do you pray for those around you ? Are you sharing your faith with those that don't yet know the truth , that Jesus is the Truth ? God bless you all ❤️✝️🙏

Hello Mike Winger…. I admired your teaching in the past …. Saddened recently to hear you say derogatory things about Calvary Chapel …. More than once. I have attended Calvary chapel churches and listened to dozens of CC teachers … I never heard any of them teach King James only… It took you so much time to see the problems with Bill Johnson’s group in Redding California… 😢

I’ve heard there’s some major problems with NIV. I mostly read NLT, KJV and ESV

Before we read Scripture, we are to invite the Holy Spirit to guide us

I am not sure what demonizing the NIV counts I know that I was told that the translators decided to translate a word that meant premarital sex as rape in the Old Testament where the verse then seems to say a woman was forced to marry her rapist and pay her father a bride price after a previous portion of the law said the penalty for rape was death.

I've had KJ for a while and had a hard time getting into it. I now read NASB and love reading the bible now. I often like to read the same verse from both just to see how they differ. I find NASB is easier to understand but the way KJ is worded some verses have more impact. I also have a New world testament that my mom gave me. I like being able to study, reference and see where the JWs have changed the bible.

I am not KJO even though it’s what I read 98% of the time. I have used parallel Bibles and loved seeing the differences, without looking anywhere else. The real difference is the source text. Textus Receptus of Erasmus (probably misspelled that) that was used for KJV and the Modern translations come from Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament. A book that helped me and pointed me to the letters of Westcott and Hort that was published by their kids is, While Men Slept… a real eye opener of a book it goes into motivation and the thoughts of the translators and the reasons they had for seeing a need put together a different Greek New Testament to be translated from.

What's funny is that at the time the KJV was published, many traditionally-minded English speaking Christians (including the Pilgrims who sailed to America) stubbornly stuck to the Geneva Bible. You don't see many Geneva-only Christians these days though, because if you thought the KJV was hard to read, just try to read the Geneva Bible.

Best to read multiple translations for a broad understanding. In our family study time we bring different Bibles to the table: KJV, NKJV, NIV & ESV 👍

Agreed...KJV is not the only Good one!. But there are BAD ones. NKJV, ESV, LSB, and NASB are pretty great. NIV has minor issues... but study in parallel. Use BLB and work that Interlinear concordance!

Also, the NKJV is great for teaching your children. I homeschool and was using the KJV and realized my (at the time) 9 year old daughter was struggling to understand the very language of it. She does MUCH better with the NKJV.

That poor preacher… definitely hard to read Old English phrasing as a native English speaker, let alone as someone who I presume has English as a second language. 😅 I understand the fears that the KJV-only crowd have. Especially in today’s day and age of rewriting history, censorship, and political correctness- which didn’t just happen in the last decade or so, it’s been happening for a while- it feels safest to default to the “standard,” the oldest English Bible translation most of us have ever been exposed to. We don’t want to be deceived by false teaching- we want the Word as it was given by God. However, I do think that reasonable fear starts going even deeper, making some Christians a little too exacting, to the point that they center themselves just as much in keeping the purity of “thee and thou” phrasing as they do the message of the Scripture. Accuracy of the translation to the original manuscripts, I believe, is most important. However, there’s a spectrum in how we handle accuracy- do we translate a Hebrew idioms one-to-one without explaining the cultural meaning in the text, which loses context for the reader and requires extrabiblical study, or do we translate them in a way that gives the intended meaning in English terms, which removes learning opportunities for understanding historical culture? At that point, neither choice is a mistranslation, but a stylistic decision (as long as the intended meaning remains in tact.) I think many of those who say the KJV is “too hard” to read don’t give themselves enough credit (exceptions given for those with reading disabilities); but I understand where “modern” versions would be more helpful, especially where witnessing to unbelievers is concerned, as unless you’re doing a full-blown Bible study with them, it’s better to give concise spiritual truths rather than to get the point confused due to archaic English. I still read KJV, sometimes NKJV (I prefer KJV for poetry and prophecies; regardless, I cross-reference the two versions to see where their differences are), but I hope as I grow in my journey with Christ, I will learn more about the original Hebrew/Greek writings and find out for myself which English versions- or portions of versions- are the most contextually accurate.

How do you explain the verses that are left out? And the niv calls lucifer the bright and morning star.

The problem nowadays is that the reaction to King James Onlyism swings the pendulum towards the other side, and the King James version is increasingly treated with indifference at best and hatred at worst. There was actually a youtuber who counted it as one of the top 7 worst Bible translations (which I think says much more about him than about the translation itself). If you wanna argue in favour of this or that modern Bible version, be my guest, but at least show the minimum courtesy and argue on its actual merits. Miss me with the same old Argumentum ad Evolutionem already.

yeah..even reading the Bible in English/ not only in Romanian language is a hugeee difference for some verses 😍 I am delighted as well🎉