Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Bible Translations, Profits and Politics

From Christianity Today via The Sacred Page:

Why are there so many English Bible translations? What politics and profit-motives are driving the Bible-publishing market? Here's an interesting piece from Christianity Today which discusses these issues in relation to a brand new translation making its way to bookstores soon, Common English Bible (CEB):
With the Common English Bible (CEB) officially entering a crowded translation market tomorrow, five mainline publishing houses producing the new version hope initial New Testament sales are a harbinger of the reception of the finished product...
Some comparisons from the Common English Bible's web site and other sources:

Genesis 2:22-23

Common English Bible (CEB):

With the rib taken from the human, the Lord God fashioned a woman and brought her to the human being. The human said, "This one finally is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She will be called a woman because from a man she was taken.”

Douay-Rheims Bible

And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam. And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV):

And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken."

New American Bible (NAB):

The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken."

King James Version (KJV):

And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, 1 because she was taken out of Man.

New International Version (NIV):

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman', for she was taken out of man."

The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB):

Yahweh God fashioned the rib he had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. 23 And the man said: This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh! She is to be called Woman, because she was taken from Man.

1 comment:

kkollwitz said...

"With the rib taken from the human, the Lord God fashioned a woman and brought her to the human being."

Simply dreadful. I also read the rationale for the change, and found it to be dreadfully unpersuasive.

I teach 6th grade Catechism. I am reminded once again why in class I prefer to use the KJV, the D-R, or the RSV-CE. Using that above quote, I'd have to spend 10 minutes of precious classtime explaining that yes, Eve was a human being too; no I have no idea why it doesn't call Adam a man, etc., etc.