What are the final problems with the Living Bible? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
We’re in the New Testament now in the Living Bible and today, we will wrap things up and then move on to the Amplified. As always, the original source is here. Let’s commence.
John 2:4
KJV: “WOMAN, WHAT HAVE I TO DO WITH THEE? MINE HOUR IS NOT YET COME.”
LB: “I can’t help you now, He said, It isn’t yet my time for miracles.”
COMMENT: His hour would come at Calvary. His HOUR and His MIRACLES are not the same.
The problem here is that both sides are doing the same thing. Johnson is arguing the hour is Calvary. The Living Bible is saying it’s the time for miracles. Both are doing interpretation more than translation. There is a rule that every translation is also an interpretation. Which one is correct? I’m not going to take a side, but leave it to you to decide. Either way, it’s a flimsy argument to say “This is a bad translation because it disagrees with my interpretation.”
John 3:13
KJV: “AND NO MAN HATH ASCENDED UP TO HEAVEN, BUT HE THAT CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, EVEN THE SON OF MAN WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.”
LB: “For only I, the Messiah, have come to earth and will return to heaven again.”
Comment: Not true, LB! Remember the angels on Jacob’s ladder?
Even if we went with the KJV, there are a number of atheists who would say that Elijah ascended to Heaven. A correct understanding has to answer both of them. When done, both translations will work.
John 6:69
KJV: “AND WE BELIEVE AND ARE SURE THAT THOU ART THAT CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.”
LB: “And we believe them and know you are the holy Son of God.”
COMMENT: The word Christ means “anointed”. Why does the LB strip him of his anointing?
There are plenty of verses that speak of Jesus as the Christ. What Johnson is doing is taking one spot where this is changed. That’s hardly the way to go about a conspiracy to eliminate the Messiahship of Jesus from the text.
John 13:26
KJV: “JESUS ANSWERED, HE IT IS, TO WHOM I SHALL GIVE A SOP, WHEN I HAVE DIPPED IT.”
LB: “He told me it is the one I honor by giving the bread dipped in th sauce.”
COMMENT: Was Jesus Christ really HONORING Judas?
Actually, yes. He was. Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas. Judas was actually in a place of honor. Had he not been the one to betray Jesus, we could be hearing more about how Judas was put in a position of trust. This is part of the grace of Jesus. Even His enemies were treated with love.
Acts 9:5
KJV: “AND HE SAID, WHO ART THOU, LORD? AND THE LORD SAID, I AM JESUS WHOM THOU PERSECUTEST: IT IS HARD FOR THEE TO KICK AGAINST THE PRICKS.”
LB: “Who is speaking sir, Paul asked. And the voice replied, I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and await my further instructions.”
COMMENT: Jesus title “LORD” is changed to `SIR‘. And Saul’s name is changed to Paul.
See above at John 6:69 for the first part. Also, the Living Bible is a paraphrase trying to keep matters simple so the name of Paul being used isn’t a major deal then.
I Cor. 16:22
KJV: “IF ANY MAN LOVE NOT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, LET HIM BE ANATHEMA MARANATHA.”
LB: “If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed, Lord Jesus, come.”
COMMENT: Once again; Jesus Christ is separated from title ‘Lord’
Once again, in the end, Jesus is still referred to as the Lord. This simply boils down to “The LB disagrees with the KJV.”
II Cor. 8:9
KJV: “FOR YE KNOW THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.”
LB: “You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus was.”
COMMENT: Lord Jesus Christ is stripped down to: Lord Jesus.
More of the same….
I Tim. 2:5-6
KJV: “FOR THERE IS ONE GOD, AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN THE MAN CHRIST JESUS, WHO GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL, TO BE TESTIFIED IN DUE TIME.”
LB: “That God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus Himself, man, is between them to bring them together by giving His life for all mankind.”
I am not sure what Johnson is upset about. He doesn’t say.
I Tim. 3:16
KJV: “AND WITHOUT CONTROVERSY GREAT IS THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS: GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH.”
LB: “It is quite true that the matter to live a godly life is not an easy matter, but the answer lies in Christ who came to earth as a man.”
COMMENT: Remember the test for the anti-christ. The anti-christ cannot say: “JESUS CHRIST IS COME IN THE FLESH“. Notice how the LB dances around this verse! Apparently the LB cannot say “GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH!
Or it’s just a paraphrase….
I John 1:7
KJV: “AND THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST HIS SON CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN.”
LB: “The blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from every sin.”
COMMENT: Jesus Christ is stripped down to Jesus.
It gets so tiring to see the same thing again and again.
Revelation 6:17
Rev. 6:17
KJV: “FOR THE GREAT DAY OF HIS WRATH IS COME …”
LB: “Because the great day of THEIR anger is come and who can survive it?”
Comment: What do “HIS” wrath and “THEIR” anger have in common?
Well, let’s see. The KJV sees the one on the throne and the lamb likely as one and the same. The Living Bible translators think it means the Father and the Son. Both are pointing to the same source essentially.
Next time, we will look at the comparison to the Amplified Bible.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
(And I affirm the virgin birth)