In this analysis we will compare the New Living Translation
(NLT) (1997 edition) to the King James Bible (KJ).
K J V S. N L T
Gen. 1:21 KJ: "And God created great WHALES, ..."
NLT: "So God created great sea creatures ..."
COMMENT: There is a difference between 'sea creatures'
and "WHALES".
Gen. 2:7 KJ: "... and man became a living SOUL."
NLT: "... And the man became a living person."
Comment: A MAJOR difference between man and beast is
that man is the ONLY creature with a SOUL.
Gen. 2:13 KJ: "... land of ETHIOPIA."
NLT: "... land of Cush."
Comment: I know where Ethiopia is, but where is Cush?
Question: Is the NLT's 'Cush' a "simpler and
more understandable word" than the King
James' "ETHIOPIA"?
Gen. 3:4-5 KJ: "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye
shall not surely die: For God doth know that
in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes
shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil." ------
NLT: "'You won't die!' the serpent hissed. 'God
knows your eyes will be opened when you eat
it. You will become just like God, knowing
------
everything, both good and evil.'"
COMMENT: This is MAJOR blasphemy! God (with a big G)
is not evil! Think about the difference.
Gen. 6:8 KJ: "But Noah found GRACE in the eyes of the
Lord."
NLT: "But Noah found favor with the Lord."
COMMENT: God's GRACE was extended in the Old
Testament, too.
Oh, BTW, an amateur archeologist has found
the remains of Noah's ark. I've seen their
DVD and I believe it is real.
Their web site is:
There are people today that are looking for
the ark on Mount Ararat. But, check your King
James Bible. In Genesis 8:4 it says "the ark
rested in the seventh month, on the
seventeenth day of the month, upon the
MOUNTAINS (PLURAL) of Ararat". The amateur
archeologist found the remains of Noah's ark
12 miles from Mt. Ararat within the MOUNTAINS
of Ararat. The discovered ark is 1 inch off,
that's right, 1 inch off, from 300 cubits
(Gen. 6:15) in length.
Gen. 22:8 KJ: "And Abraham said, My son, God will PROVIDE
HIMSELF a lamb for a burnt offering: ..."
NLT: "'God will provide a lamb, my son,' Abraham
answered. ..."
Comment: It is true, as the NLT says, that God did
provide a lamb for the sacrifice. However,
that is only part of the story! The NLT
totally misses the DEEPER, and more AMAZING
prophetic truth: GOD WAS the sacrifice for
man's sins! The KJ wording is perfect: "God
will PROVIDE HIMSELF" <in the form of his
only begotten son Jesus Christ) as the
lamb for the sacrifice.
Gen. 49:10 KJ: "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
... until SHILOH come; and unto him [shall]
the gathering of the people [be]."
NLT: "... until the coming of the one to whom it
belongs, ..."
COMMENT: "Shiloh" here refers to Christ as Peace Maker
and the NLT robs him of his Messianic rule.
Deut. 32:22 KJ: "For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and
shall burn unto the lowest HELL, ..."
NLT: "For my anger blazes forth like fire and
burns to the depths of the grave. ..."
COMMENT: HELL IS GONE in this verse in the NLT.
Joshua 12:23 KJ: "... the king of the NATIONS of Gilgal, ..."
NLT: "... the king of Goyim of Gilgal ..."
COMMENT: Is the NLT's 'Goyim' a "simpler and more
easily understandable word" than the
King James' "NATIONS"?
Judges 7:20 KJ: "... The sword OF the Lord, and OF Gideon."
NLT: "... A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!"
COMMENT: Big difference in those two meanings.
2Sam. 16:4 KJ: "... And Ziba said, I humbly BESEECH thee
[that] I may find GRACE in thy sight, my
lord, O king."
NLT: "... 'Thank you sir,' Ziba replied. 'I will
always do whatever you want me to do.'"
COMMENT: Does the reader see ANY similarity between
those verses?
1Kings 10:28 KJ: "... and LINEN yarn: the king's merchants
received the LINEN yarn at a price."
NLT: "Solomon's horses were imported .. the king's
traders acquired them ... at the standard
price."
COMMENT Apparently, the NLT translators do not know
the difference between 'horses' and "LINEN".
1Kings 14:24 KJ: "And there were also SODOMITES in the land:
..."
NLT: "There were even shrine prostitutes
throughout the land. ..."
COMMENT: Sodomites and prostitutes are NOT the same.
Sodomy is an ABOMINATION (Lev. 18:22).
Notice: The NLT has removed this reference
to sodomites.
Oh, BTW, an amateur archeologist has found
the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah. I've seen
their DVD and I believe it is real.
Their web site is:
1Kings 15:12 KJ: "And he took away the SODOMITES out of the
land, ..."
NLT: "He banished the shrine prostitutes from the
land ..."
COMMENT: Again, the NLT changes SODOMITES to
PROSTITUTES. Sodomy is GONE, in the NLT, here
in 1Kings 15:12, AND in 1Kings 14:24, AND in
1Kings 22:46 AND in 2Kings 23:7.
1Kings 20:38 KJ: " ... with ASHES upon his FACE."
NLT: "... a bandage over his eyes ..."
COMMENT: In English, "ASHES" and 'bandage' are two
different words entirely, so are "FACE" and
'eyes'.
Psalm 2:12 KJ: "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, ..."
NLT: "Submit to God's royal son, or he will become
angry, ..."
Psalm 9:17 KJ: "The wicked shall be turned INTO HELL, ..."
NLT: "The wicked will go down to the grave. ..."
COMMENT: The NLT has DELETED hell. Is this an attempt
to sell more NLTs?
Psalm 12:6-7 KJ: "The WORDS OF THE LORD [are] pure words: ...
THOU SHALT PRESERVE THEM ..."
NLT: ".. Lord, we know you will protect the
oppressed, ..."
COMMENT: This scripture is about GOD PRESERVING HIS
WORDS, not protecting people! The NLT blew
this one.
Psalm 48:10 KJ: "... thy right hand is full of
RIGHTEOUSNESS."
NLT: "... Your strong right hand is filled with
victory."
COMMENT: There's a lot of difference between
"RIGHTEOUSNESS" and 'victory'.
Psalm 72:8 KJ: "He shall have dominion also FROM SEA TO
SEA, ..."
NLT: "May he reign from sea to sea, ..."
COMMENT: This verse is speaking of Christ as king and
he "SHALL" have dominion is watered down to
'may' he reign.
Psalm 72:11 KJ: "Yea, all kings shall FALL DOWN before him:
..."
NLT: "All kings will bow before him, ..."
COMMENT: All kings FALLING DOWN is watered down to
just bowing. In Rev. 1:17 John says of Jesus:
"And when I saw him, I FELL at his feet AS
DEAD." John did not bow, he FELL. The NLT
robs Jesus of the POWER of his presence.
Psalm 109:6 KJ: "Set thou a wicked man over him: and let
SATAN stand at his right hand."
NLT: "Arrange for an evil person to turn on him.
Send an accuser to bring him to trial."
COMMENT: In this verse, in the NLT, Satan has been
removed. Also, is bringing him to trial the
same as STANDING AT HIS RIGHT HAND?
Prov. 23:14 KJ: "Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt
DELIVER HIS SOUL FROM HELL."
NLT: "Physical discipline may well save them
(children) from death."
COMMENT: What is the NLT talking about? If you
discipline children they will STILL DIE! All
people eventually die! Hello? Only the
King James has it right: Beat him with
the rod, and you shall DELIVER HIS SOUL
FROM HELL.
Eccl. 5:20 KJ: "... God ANSWERETH [HIM] in the joy of his
heart."
NLT: "... God has given them reasons for joy."
COMMENT: The NLT translators blew this one.
Isaiah 11:3 KJ: "And shall make him of quick understanding
..."
NLT: Omitted.
COMMENT: The verse is speaking of Jesus and it says
that he will be "of quick understanding". The
NLT omits this.
Isaiah 14:12 KJ: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O LUCIFER,
son of the morning! ..."
NLT: "How you are fallen from heaven, O shining
star, son of the morning! ..."
COMMENT: WHO is fallen from heaven? The NLT doesn't
say. The King James says who: It's LUCIFER.
Lucifer is GONE in this verse in the NLT.
Isaiah 32:2 KJ: "And A MAN shall be as an hiding place from
the wind, ..."
NLT: "He will shelter Israel from the storm and
the wind."
COMMENT: The "MAN" here can be no one but Christ.
Isaiah 66:5 KJ: "... he shall appear to your joy, ..."
NLT: Omitted.
COMMENT: The verse is about the Lord Jesus' appearing.
The NLT omits this scripture.
Jer. 31:22 KJ: "... the Lord hath created a new thing in the
earth, A WOMAN SHALL COMPASS A MAN."
NLT: "... For the Lord will cause something new
and different to happen- Israel will embrace
her God."
COMMENT: The early church fathers are almost unanimous
in interpreting this to refer to the virgin
Mary COMPASSING Christ IN HER WOMB. Nothing
like this before, that a child should be
conceived without an earthly father. The NLT
misses the point entirely.
Daniel 3:25 KJ: "... and the form of the fourth is like THE
SON OF GOD."
NLT: "... And the fourth looks like a divine
being."
COMMENT: '... a divine being'? Who, or what, is that?
Let's give CREDIT where CREDIT is due: It was
Jesus Christ, THE SON OF GOD, who was in the
fiery furnace with Shadrach, Messach, and
Abednego. It was Jesus Christ who delivered
them. And it is Jesus Christ who saves us
from the fiery furnace (i.e. from hell).
Daniel 7:10 KJ: "... THE JUDGMENT WAS SET, and the books
were opened."
NLT: "... Then the court began its session, and
the books were opened."
COMMENT: The JUDGMENT OF GOD has been removed.
Hosea 11:12 KJ: "... but Judah YET RULETH WITH GOD, AND IS
FAITHFUL WITH THE SAINTS."
NLT: "... but Judah still WALKS WITH GOD, and is
faithful to the Holy One."
COMMENT: Walking with God is fine, but it is not the
same as RULING WITH GOD.
Hosea 13:9 KJ: "O Israel, THOU HAST DESTROYED THYSELF; but
in me [is] thine help."
NLT: "You are about to be destroyed, O Israel,
though I am your helper."
Micah 5:2 KJ: "... Bethlehem ... out of thee shall he come
forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in
Israel; whose GOINGS FORTH [have been] from
of old, from everlasting."
NLT: "... whose ORIGINS are from the distant
past."
COMMENT: This refers to the Lord Jesus and the NLT
makes him a CREATED BEING having an origin.
How can a child of God stand before an
audience and read from such a book?
Zech. 9:9 KJ: "... behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he
[is] just, and having SALVATION; ..."
NLT: "... Look, your king is coming to you. He is
righteous and victorious, ..."
COMMENT: Reference to Christ's SALVATION is REMOVED.
Zech. 11:17 KJ: "Woe to the IDOL shepherd that leaveth the
flock! ..."
NLT: "Doom is certain for this worthless shepherd
who abandons the flock! ..."
COMMENT: "IDOL" and 'worthless' are different. The
scholars missed this one.
Matt. 1:25 KJ: "And knew her not till she had brought forth
her FIRSTBORN son: ..."
NLT: "but she remained a virgin until her son was
born. ..."
COMMENT: Jesus was her FIRSTBORN son.
Matt. 2:4 KJ: "... he (King Herod) DEMANDED of them where
Christ should be born."
NLT: "... 'Where did the prophets say the Messiah
would be born?' he [Herod] asked them."
COMMENT: King Herod, furious over the arrival of
Jesus, (and wanting to DO AWAY with him) did
not 'ask' where Christ would be born, he
DEMANDED to know!
Matt. 5:22 KJ: "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry
with his brother WITHOUT A CAUSE shall be in
danger of the judgment: ..."
NLT: "But I say, if you are angry with someone,
you are subject to judgment! ..."
COMMENT: What? The NLT says you can't be angry with
someone?!!! Brothers and sisters: The
Apostle Paul was angry and withstood the
Apostle Peter to his face (Gal. 2:11). Jesus
was angry with the Church at Pergamos because
of the erroneous doctrine of the Nicolaitanes
(Rev 2:15). The Bible says to BE ANGRY but
sin not (Eph. 4:26), and it says not to let
the sun go down on YOUR ANGER (Eph. 4:26).
The KJ is CORRECT: Whosoever is angry with
his brother WITHOUT A CAUSE is in danger of
the judgment. There is a HUGE difference
between those two verses.
Matt. 5:44 KJ: "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, BLESS
THEM THAT CURSE YOU, DO GOOD TO THEM THAT
HATE YOU, and pray for them which
DESPITEFULLY USE YOU, and persecute you;"
NLT: "But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those
who persecute you!"
COMMENT: The NLT leaves out everything in capital
letters.
Matt. 6:13 KJ: "... For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen."
NLT: Omitted.
COMMENT: The NLT omits all this.
Matt. 6:27 KJ: "Which of you ... can ADD ONE CUBIT unto
his STATURE?"
NLT: "Can all your worries add a single moment
to your life? ..."
COMMENT: This verse is about HEIGHT (i.e. CUBITS)
not time!
Matt. 7:14 KJ: "Because STRAIT [is] the gate, and narrow
[is] the way, ..."
NLT: "But the gateway to life is small, and the
road is narrow, ..."
COMMENT: No, STRAIT is the gate.
Matt. 8:19 KJ: "And a certain scribe came, and said unto
him, MASTER, I will follow thee ..."
NLT: "Then one ... said to him, 'Teacher, I will
follow you ...'"
COMMENT: Jesus AS MASTER is watered down to just
'teacher'.
Matt. 9:13 KJ: "... for I am not come to call the righteous,
but sinners TO REPENTANCE."
NLT: "... For I have come to call sinners, not
those that think they are already good
enough."
COMMENT: '... come to call sinners ...' to what? Those
last two words in the KJ ARE CRUCIAL. HELL
will get all of the sinners who DON'T repent.
JESUS will get all sinners who DO repent!
Matt. 11:23 KJ: "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto
heaven, shalt be brought down to HELL: ..."
NLT: "And you people of Capernaum ... will be
brought down to the place of the dead."
COMMENT: Hell is GONE in this verse in the NLT.
Matt. 12:40 KJ: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights
in the WHALE'S belly; ..."
NLT: "For as Jonah was in the belly of the great
fish for three days and three nights, ..."
COMMENT: The Lord Jesus Christ knew the difference
between a "WHALE" and a 'fish'.
Matt. 16:3 KJ: "... O [YE] HYPOCRITES, ye can discern the
face of the sky; but can ye not [discern] the
signs of the times?"
NLT: "... You are good at reading the weather
signs in the sky, but you can't read the
obvious signs of the times!"
Matt. 17:21 KJ: "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by
PRAYER and FASTING."
NLT: Omitted.
COMMENT: To cast out certain devils requires PRAYER
and FASTING. The NLT ignores this scripture.
Matt. 18:11 KJ: "For the Son of man is come to save that
which was lost."
NLT: Omitted.
Comment: Jesus' ENTIRE PURPOSE for coming to earth,
is OMITTED in the NLT!
Matt. 19:9 KJ: "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put
away his wife, except [it be] for
fornication, and shall marry another,
committeth adultery: AND WHOSO MARRIETH HER
WHICH IS PUT AWAY DOTH COMMIT ADULTERY."
NLT: "And I tell you this, a man who divorces his
wife and marries another commits adultery--
unless his wife has been unfaithful."
COMMENT: An IMPORTANT verse about marriage, yet the
NLT deletes about one third of it.
Matt. 19:17 KJ: "... WHY CALLEST THOU ME GOOD? ..."
NLT: "Why ask me about what is good? ..."
Matt. 20:7 KJ: "... Because no man hath hired us. He saith
unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; AND
WHATSOEVER IS RIGHT, [THAT] SHALL YE
RECEIVE."
NLT: "... Because no one hired us. The owner of
the estate told them, 'Then go on out and
join the others in my vineyard.'"
COMMENT: The NLT omits about 1/2 the verse! And
this omission makes it HARDER to understand
the explanation, which follows later, in
Matt. 20:13.
Matt. 20:16 KJ: "So the last shall be first, and the first
last: FOR MANY BE CALLED, BUT FEW CHOSEN."
NLT: "... that many who are first now will be
last then; and those who are last now will
be first then."
COMMENT: The NLT omits: "FOR MANY BE CALLED, BUT FEW
CHOSEN."
Matt. 20:20 KJ: "Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's
children with her sons, WORSHIPPING [him],
..."
NLT: "Then the mother of ... the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus ... She knelt respectively ..."
COMMENT: Kneeling down respectfully is not even close
to TRUE WORSHIP.
Matt. 23:8 KJ: "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your
MASTER, [even] Christ; ..."
NLT: "Don't ever let anyone call you 'Rabbi', for