Review: Readable and Accurate
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 1, 2010
"Bible translation is both a science and an art. It is a bridge that brings God's Word from the ancient world to the world today."This translation attempts to provide an accurate Bible in contemporary English. A literal translation is used if it remains clear and readable. Equivalence is used in translation if the original is difficult to render or not quite accurate when translated literally.Holman CSB avoids "man" or "he"unnecessarily but it avoids restructuring the sentence to avoid "he" of "man." Holman does not change "him" to the second person, "you," or heaven forbid, making one man into many with "them" or "they." Neither does the Holman CSB neuter "fathers" and "sons" into a generic "parent" and "child."The Bible is not attempting to adopt the current day trends but rather to make it very readable and at the same time very faithful to original texts.The names for the Trinity are always capitalized, including the pronouns "He," "Him," etc.So, as an example of a well known verse:"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." Jn 3:16And an example of using third person masculine singular:"Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy. For the person who speaks in another language is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit." Phil. 14:1This version is very readable and at the same time accurate.This Kindle version has a lengthy introduction of what the HCSB hopes they have accomplished.The table of contents takes you right to any book of the Bible.  However, once you are in a particular book, you better remember which one you are reading because it does not appear anywhere on the Kindle page.  That is unfortunate.  Otherwise it is a great book to have access to on your Kindle.