: Re: What English version of the bible should I quote from? Say I want to quote from the bible in something I'm writing (think the famous passage in Pulp Fiction). What bible version should I quote

@BetL639

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First of all, this is a much deeper and more contentious question than you probably anticipated, especially if your audience takes the Bible very seriously. See this answer here on Christianity.SE that attempts to break down some of the ways that English translations differ, and the reasons behind them.

For your purpose, though, it sounds like your major goal is for the wording to be recognizable. In that case, I'd recommend the KJV:

John 1:5 (KJV) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

or perhaps the new KJV, which updates some of the more obviously antiquated words without changing much else:

John 1:5 (NKJV) And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

The NIV is also very popular, especially among modern protestants and Evangelicals:

John 1:5 (NIV) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

(The NIV footnote indicates that word could also be translated "understood". This is clearly not a trivial difference.)

Frankly, though, most mainstream modern translations should sound very similar. A few further thoughts:

If you're attempting to make an actual theological point, then you should probably be asking this on Biblical Hermeneutics.SE.
If you're putting the verse into the voice of a character in a novel, the time and place that character lived might determine your choice for you (a revival preacher in the 1800s would undoubtedly be using the KJV).

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