Question/insight #21: "Is the original King James Version accurate or not, and what is the most accurate Bible translation that you feel represents the originals. I am starting to study the word more. I want to avoid the wrong translations, and can you suggest for me how to research the origins of the manuscripts, so that I may come to my own conclusions."

Response #21: If our desire is to have an accurate and understandable representation of the original texts of the Bible, the King James Version is not a good choice. The reasons for this conclusion are described in detail on the following webpages:

Read Article	KJV New Testament, which is based on the 1550 Textus Receptus, is not as accurate as modern New Testament versions that are based upon the 1993 UBS Greek New Testament
Read Q&A	KJV and the Textus Receptus
Read Article	The Textus Receptus, the Western Text, and biases against women
Read Article	Various scholars' histories of the Textus Receptus
Browse index	KJV topical index

Some additional materials "to research the origins of the manuscripts" are the following:

• The Text of the New Testament, by Bruce Metzger (Oxford University Press)
• The Text of the Old Testament, by Ernst Wurthwein (Eerdmans)
• The Early Versions of the New Testament, by Bruce Metzger (Oxford University Press)
• The Canon of the New Testament, by Bruce Metzger (Oxford University Press)
• The King James Only Controversy, by James R. White (Bethany House Publishers)
• A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, by Bruce Metzger (United Bible Societies, available from the American Bible Society in New York City)

It is my current conclusion that the best Bible versions in the English language are the following:

• New Revised Standard Version [book review]
• New American Bible [book review]
• Today's English Version [book review]
• Revised English Bible [book review]

The best Bible versions in the Spanish language are the following:

• La Biblia de las Americas [book review]
• Dios Habla Hoy [book review]

For New Testament studies I also highly recommend:

• Word Study Greek-English New Testament [book review]

For reviews of other Bible versions, browse http://www.bibletexts.com/reviews/index.htm.