The Bible version considered closest to the original texts is the New American Standard Bible (NASB). It follows an ultra-literal, word-for-word translation philosophy and uses the latest critical editions of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, including sources like the Dead Sea Scrolls. This makes the NASB extremely precise, ideal for in-depth study, though the language can be somewhat stiff or formal. Other notable versions close to the original include:
- The English Standard Version (ESV), which balances literal accuracy with readability.
- The King James Version (KJV), a historic formal equivalence translation based on the Textus Receptus manuscripts from the 1500s, though with older manuscript bases.
- The New King James Version (NKJV), which updates the KJV's language while preserving its textual base and incorporating modern manuscript evidence in footnotes.
Thus, NASB is often regarded as the most accurate to the original texts in English, with ESV, KJV, and NKJV also highly respected for their faithfulness to the source manuscripts and differing readability styles.