I won’t say that I love the King James Version (KJV) Bible because I believe it is the only version of the Bible of relevance.
I love it because being raised with it, reading, and learning to understand it, it has stuck with me, in my head, and in my heart. Other versions of the Bible don’t sound quite right to me, not to say they are wrong, but because the KJV is in my memory. I admit that it took quite some time for me to understand the KJV. People often say it’s too hard to understand and to that I share how I came to understand it.
Here’s my story:
As I read the KJV growing up and into my young adult years it did sound strange. Who speaks using “thy,” “thou,” “thine,” etc.? No one these days. I wanted to understand the writings, stories, and what it meant to me and for my life. So, I prayed. I prayed to understand what the Lord wanted me to see from His Word each time I opened the Bible. I sincerely wanted to know. As time went on I began to understand the stories as they were in the time in which they were written. I began to understand cause and effect and the relevance of each story or passage. My understanding was limited to whatever particular story or circumstance I was reading about. I continued to pray prior to reading the Bible and as more time went by I began to understand how the scriptures related to current life situations in general. I still didn’t quite understand what it had to do with me personally. I continued praying and reading as I really wanted to understand what God was saying to me, about me, and about my life. As more time went by, with more prayer and reading, I began to understand how the scriptures applied to my personal life and relationships. The journey was quite remarkable to me and I admit that it took many years.
To shorten the story, there were two things that helped me to understand the KJV:
- a sincere desire to understand what the Lord was saying to me through His Word, and
- prayer before each Bible reading
With a sincere desire to understand what the Lord was saying to me and through prayer I began to understand the scriptures:
- according to the particular time and events written about,
- in relation to current life in general, and
- according to how they applied to my personal life and relationships
Having grown (and still growing) in my knowledge of scripture through reading the KJV, it has become my preference. Having said all of that, I do read other Bible versions. I actually take my Parallel Bible to church sometimes as the pastor doesn’t always read from the KJV and I like being able to see where he is reading from. Although the KJV is my preference, I also enjoy reading the Amplified Version. I would recommend a Parallel Bible with the KJV and Amplified Bible versions to those who are desiring a deeper understanding of God’s Word. Remember that your heart’s desire to understand and prayer are the most important elements to knowing what the Lord is saying to you through His Word.
What is your preferred version of the Bible and why? Comments welcomed. I’d love to read your thoughts and stories.
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(This article is cross-posted from deborahldixon.com.)
