Let me start by saying that I believe in the Bible 100%, I believe that it is God’s words written by men under the supervision and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
However, I am of the opinion that there are way too many modern translations of the Bible, again God Almighty especially in this dispensation of grace is known for His mercies which mankind has taken for granted in many ways. I have never been a fan of many of these modern translations of the Bible including NIV, my personal favourite still is the King James Version of the Bible that has all the “thou” or “th” am sure you know what I mean 🙂 The NIV happens to be the most popular version of the Bible on earth today which in itself is a good thing as long as it is helping people to experience God on a personal level. The basic reason I wrote this post is to state that in my humble opinion, the super-learned scholars that worked on the NIV Bible may have erred to have either left out certain verses or moved them to the footer and in some cases watered down their meaning all in the name of modern language.
A while back I received a message that out rightly suggested that the NIV Bible should not be used by Christians because its commercial rights is owned by Harper Collins (Zondervan), the same guys that publish materials that are totally anti-God plus the fact that its translators did deliberately water down the scriptures. At that point, I did not take that message seriously, so I simply ignored it and moved on.
However, recently I got a newsletter from Bible Gateway (which I recommend you subscribe to) that had an article which tried to justify the need for modern translations of the Bible especially with respect to new Christians. After reading this article, I decided to delve deeper and really find out for myself if truly there were certain omissions in the NIV. Luckily, for me I have The New Hendrickson Parallel 4-in-1 Bible that contains the King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version and the New Living Translation Version so I decided to check things out myself.
So what did I find?
The following verses were left out:
1. Matthew 17:21: “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
2. Matthew 18:11: “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.”
3. Matthew 23:14: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.”
4. Mark 7:16: “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.”
6. Mark 9:46: “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
7. Mark 11:26: “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
8. Mark 15:28: “And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.”
9. Luke 17:36: “Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
10. John 5:4: “For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.”
11. Acts 8:37: “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
12. Acts 15:34: “Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.”
13. Acts 24:7: “But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,”
14. Acts 28:29: “And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.”
15. Romans 16:24: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
16. I John 5:7: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
I am personally not impressed that the NIV translators decided to leave out these profound verses.
Guess what?
I also found a number of websites that left me marvelled which I would refer you to below incase you wish to dig deeper:
- A more comprehensive list of omitted verses
- Which Bible verses did the NIV delete?
- WHOLE Bible verses deleted in the NIV
- NIV Exposed!
- Why Would Anyone Use the NIV?
- The Disappearing Bible
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.Revelation 22:18-19 King James Version (KJV)
What is my point in all this?
I want Christians to be aware that man will do more in the days ahead to water God’s word and make it acceptable to all irrespective of race, beliefs or sexual preferences.
The King James Version will be considered too harsh and unfriendly that some pastors in order to remain relevant will generally not use it to preach God’s word anymore.
I am not saying that all using NIV or other new translations are evil and headed for hell – all I want is for all who come across this to be aware that certain verses were indeed omitted, so that they don’t continue reading God’s word in ignorance. If you are new to the Christian faith you may continue with the NIV but as you mature – go get a KJV as well!
My wife accuses me of being a conspiracy theorist which is true to an extent but the truth is that I need stronger arguments on why a total of 64,576 words were removed for NIV beyond someone saying to me that they were added in the footnotes, which is true in my case but my son has an NIV bible which does not have the footnote. I plan buying my children copies of the King James Version as they grow and teach them that despite the old language they must depend on the Holy Spirit to teach them His word.“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”– Romans 16:24
You could have done better to discuss or inquire about the message of the “footnotes”. You should also realise that NIV was not translated from KJV as detailed in the Preface. Instead a number of manuscripts, perhaps more unlike the KJV, were used. Now you may ask why there are any differences in the manuscripts anyway? Now understand that the scriptures have survived several centuries, civilisations, circumstances and events….In fact in those days the scripts were duplicated by handwriting, etc. Several attempts have been made to destroy and control the Bible and so on. But the truth is that the Word of God is not changed in its essence in all circumstances: That is why it is the Word of God. Note also that in recent times the goal of the secular modern world has been to discredit the Word. But as it is written it is not possible to fault the Word. In summary if you read those “footnotes” and the Preface to NIV very well, and diligently reference other parts of the Bible (and also other translations) then you’d appreciate that the Word is not compromised! In short it would interest you to realise the benefits of the insights from referencing more than one manuscript for any translation, as is the case with NIV. May the Lord guide us aright!
Thanks Akachi! Your words were carefully thought through and that I appreciate.
The reason why I wrote this post is just to share my thoughts which doesn’t make them right or holier than anyone. However, I am of the personal opinion that the lesser translations we have the better, we can’t have a situation where just about anyone would wake up and come up with a new funky “more accurate” translation just because they found a new manuscript somewhere or they think something isn’t accurate with an existing translations – this is where the watering down of the word starts from.
The fact is that liberals will need a bible that will be less harsh on them and they will find a worthy companion in one of this modern translations, I hope not though! Another Fact is that a bible without words like sodomite, fornication, trucebreakers, winebibbers, carnal, slothful, unthankful, effeminate, backbiting, vanity, lasciviousness, whoredom, devils, Lucifer, damnation, brimstone, and the bottomless pit would be more welcome to liberals.
Satan is the father of all lairs and I am certain that some of his kids will be busy planning stuff but like you said God’s word stands sure!
Finally, the footnotes you mentioned aren’t found in some bible apps which further compounds the problem of a generation that is difficult to teach let alone believe. Most of our younger people use bible apps and some don’t have footnotes. Again, my post may have been about NIV but I am also referring to all the numerous translations out there!
I still insist that we are all made a BIG mistake allowing the guys (Harper Collins) who own the rights to the NIV Bible to be the same guys publishing the satanic bible – its a shame on us all! #myopinion
The King James Version is not the best translation of the bible and has its own errors. I would always recommend a study bible, and if a person wants to limit themselves to the King James, good for them but there is a grater understanding they’re missing out on.
I’m saying this as someone who gave up on the KJV and opted for the NKJV – what an eye opener! From there I progressed to the New American Standard Bible (another good translation that attributes the thees and thous solely to God), got gifted a Good News Bible (which I was told was good for people whose first language wasn’t English), then eventually ended up with The Message and the NIV.
All of these omitted verses usually have footnotes in a standard NIV. However, it was reading the likes of the NIV and others that you realise how badly the KJV was translated. I still remember one passage in the KJV that bore no resemblance to that of other translations. We should note that, at the time around the KJV, most new words in the English language were introduced by the likes of William Shakespeare, so the vocabulary that existed for future translations wasn’t there during the KJV times.
Even better, other bibles tranlslated from wider sources rather than from the KJV into their version. And I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing, it has definitely given us a lot more depth and understanding of Scripture. I just hope we never get to the stage where, like a translated Qur’an, the KJV is to be considered the only true and accurate translation of the word of God.
Thanks Noni! Your comment is indeed a revealing.
Let me reiterate that I am not one of those who would say that anyone will go to hell for reading NIV….. whether NIV or KJV what is most important is that the word is being preached. However, it is important to keep questioning the facts behind removing certain verses for whatever reason, the point of KJV not being the best of translations is arguable especially when compared with “more appropriate” translations that water down the meaning of certain words.
I am of the opinion that their are way too many translations of the Holy Bible, all in the bid to make it more suitable to modern day readers. So let me ask, what happens when a group of homosexuals get together and translate a bible that suits them and doesn’t condemn the act the way KJV does?
I believe that day is already upon us………… as you may have noticed I am not a liberal, I believe that God is against the sins of homosexuality, adultery, fornication and the like.
Let me conclude by saying that the Christian community should bury their heads in shame that the dudes who control the commercial rights to their beloved NIV bible also proudly owns the right to “the Satanic bible” – so do you think they would be in all honesty be bothered about fighting for the truth of God’s word or be more focused on creating a modern bible that will sell.
My take is that many modern translations are sort of watering the word and besides whether KJV or GN, you would always need the Spirit to give a deeper meaning of the word otherwise we won’t need him anymore.
There are “too many translations” for a reason – we don’t all understand things the same way. If you’re saying they’re already too many translations of the Bible and that the King James Version is the most accurate, we might as well take the line that some in Islam do with the Qur’an – that only the original Arabic is the true translation, and any other translation isn’t a real Qur’an.
Fact is we can’t, because many of us don’t read or understand Aramaic, Greek or Hebrew of the original transcripts, and we’d have to learn all three languages to read the bible in its original context.
Your point of Homosexuals coming up with their own bible translation is a moot one. Replace homosexuals with fornicators (a word not used in modern translations and who, incidentally, outnumber homosexuals), Atheists or Humanists. What would be the root of their translation? Not the originals nor Dead Sea scrolls that’s for sure. You forget that certain elements of Christianity over the years haven’t changed regardless of culture, and that is why the Church still exists in the 21st century.
Let me just say that some things become straining at gnats and swallowing camels. Regardless of who has the rights to the NIV and the Satanic Bible, every publisher of the bible is making their own money. The Publishers of the Thompson’s Chain Reference don’t do it for free and that baby isn’t cheap.
But I guess we will agree to disagree. Finally, if God can use a donkey to speak to a man, why not the NIV, Good News, New American Standard or the Jerusalem Bibles? The KJV was preceded in English by the Matthew Bible, then Wycliffe’s Bible, and prior to that, the Latin Vulgate. Why not insist that those are more accurate translations compared to the King James Version?
So let me start a simple question; what brings about the truth of God’s word first, is it the simplicity of the translation or the Holy Spirit?
Regarding the versions before KJV I have never come across any of the older versions – I only have KJV 1611 in my collections and it’s pretty ancient and cool.
Be that as it may, I still prefer my standard KJV and in some cases NKJV especially in this increasingly confused world these are my choices.
If NIV works best for you then it’s fine and if you see nothing wrong with the scriptures removed and agree that some manuscripts omitted them then it’s fine, at the end of the day what matters is your fellowship with the Lord Jesus waxes stronger and stronger. My point still remains that folks who make the NIV i.e. Harper Collins who also publish materials that directly insult God which is what Thompson and other Christian publishers don’t do, should ensure they put the footnotes of ALL the removed verses in ALL versions of NIV when for kids, adults or electronic.
Finally, I stick to my point that Homesexuals (or any other group that want God’s word twisted to favour them) will indeed prefer to use or come up with a version of the bible that isn’t too harsh on them because KJV simply is. I am one of those who would scream MARRIAGE AS ORDAINED BY GOD IS MAN & WOMAN & anything short is unacceptable to me, same goes for EVERY OTHER TYPE OF SIN GOD HATES!
It is my conclusion (possibly not a correct one) that there are way too many translations out and one holy hopes that some that subvert the word don’t lead people to astray
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” — Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)
May God prevent our ways/stance/beliefs to be ways of death, Amen!
Hmm… It’s interesting reading through this conversations. I love NKJV, and that’s what I’m holding on to. KJV has some errors too, but, I still would prefer it over NIV. Funny enough, I have two to three copies of NIV in my personal library. I like it for its simplicity, but I don’t consult it when I want to do some serious study or research of the scripture. The Word of God has faced many tribulations and yet, standeth sure. No matter what, it will remain unshaken till the end – so, we need not harpoon each other over this. The Bible told us to investigate everything carefully and hold on to that which is true. That’s all. May God bless us all. Amen.
I totally agree with the fact that what is most important is that the word is preached. However, we must not seat back and watch new translations water down the true meaning of the word so much that people now think whatever we do does not matter because we have a “loving God”
I still read my NIV every now and then but fact is we need to understand that the devil is at work o!
I agree with you sir. And not only is the devil tempering with the true Word of God, he’s been deceiving many through religious philosophies and ideologies from self-professed “men-of-God”. We are at the end of the world, and the devil knew he had but a short time, I guess that’s why he has step up his attacks on Christianity. Only those who know the truth shall be saved, as the scripture has said. May God help us all.
Nobody can ever claim sole authority to the right version of the bible, the bible as earlier pointed out here, has survived many centuries, many attacks and anti-crusades, but still it has survived, it is not going to die now, remember God said in Hebrews 10:16: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; the actual text is just mere words, what gives understanding is the spirit, that is why the apostles could do the things they did only after the spirit came, in my own opinion and i think it is true for me, when ever you are reading a version and your spirit is not in tune with it, i don’t see any reason why you should go on with that, Daniel 11:32: And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries; but the people who do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
Also why do we have so many, in my own point, unnecessary versions, i don’t think its because we want it to be understood by all, I think it is geared towards confusions and technical chaos. For crying out loud we have over 50 versions, what for? i personally enjoy the king James Version, but then i have other versions to make me understand, i use the living bible, Amplified. My whole point is there are too many versions of the bible today, very very unnecessary. And for Zondervan to publish the NIV and remove key words, it only means one thing, to thwart the truth, because once you have the wrong information, you are done for no matter how right you may think you are, looking at the texts removed, it shows that it is key text that was removed, why,?
short and clear, the devil is at work, no matter what justifications they might be bringing, the sole aim is to thwart the truth and mislead people, make them hear what they want to hear, cause that’s what the bible fortold, the only way to know the truth is to constantly be a mobile carrier of His presence (the Holy spirit) the text in the bible is nothing without the rhema, and the rhema comes from the Holy spirit, God said He will inscribed his words in our hearts, Zondervan know what they did, they have actually just started, they will begin to try to buy the versions most people use, NIV is one of the most read versions of the bible, now that is that, – devil decieving tactics –
While browsing http://www.americanbible.org/, I saw this “Search the Bible in over 582 versions……” Come on children of God this is not necessary because we would not know when The Word starts getting twisted as already prophesied in the Bible. The big question is why do we need over 500 multiple versions? Translating into other languages is fine but different ministries or pastors wanting a “suitable” version can only lead to further confusion!