This is a fun and humorous look at all the major translations of the Bible that are available in physical and digital formats. That’s not exhaustive by any means. There are so many new and revised translations popping up that it’s hard to keep track.

If you’re one of the ones overwhelmed by all the choices, I personally can recommend a few. If you want the more formal and poetic translations, I’d go with English Standard Version (ESV) or New American Standard Bible (NASB). If you want readable and easy to understand, you’d like the New Living Translation (NLT) or the New International Version (NIV). A good in-between for literal faithfulness and readability is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). If you want a modern paraphrase to go with a more traditional translation, I’d recommend The Message (although I wouldn’t use that one by itself).

The key is to pick one and read it. There’s really no one size fits all Bible. It’s which ever helps you read God’s Word most effectively. Of course, the most important part is not just reading the Word and hearing the Word, but doing what it says. Obedience leads to understanding. I confess that I’m not always the best at putting the Bible into practice, but that’s the way to go deeper — you obey what you know to do and what you understand, and God will reveal more as you are faithful in small ways.

Also, it helps to ready and study the Bible in community. Just as with every other part of the faith process, we’re not meant to live out what we believe in isolation. That’s why God gave us the institution of the Church and the more immediate representation of the local church. You grow best in context of fellowship and community with other believers. By yourself, you’re prone to fall away or fall into error and heresy.

All that to say this: find a Bible that you like that is readable and reliable. Then read it! The end.