Bible

This is a summary of Micheal Waddell's reviews of the various Bible translations. You can click on any header to sort the list.

Translation	Abbr	Style	Gender	Orthodox bias	Reliability	Readability	Rating
King James Version	KJV	word-for-word	exclusive	strong	C	Very hard	⭐⭐
Revised Standard Version	RSV	word-for-word	exclusive	medium	B-	Very hard	⭐⭐
Legacy Standard Bible	LSB	very word-for-word	very exclusive	strong	B	Very hard	⭐⭐⭐⭐
English Standard Version	ESV	word-for-word	exclusive	strong	B	Challenging	⭐⭐
New American Standard Bible	NASB	word-for-word	exclusive	strong	B+	Challenging	⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Living Bible	TLB	paraphrase	mixed	strong	F	Easy	⭐
New International Version	NIV	thought-for-thought	inclusive	medium	B-	Easy	⭐⭐⭐⭐
New Revised Standard Version	NRSV	word-for-word	inclusive	minimal	A-	Challenging	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
New American Bible Revised Edition	NABRE	mixed	mixed	minimal	A	Intermediate	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Joseph Smith Translation	JST	recreation	exclusive	strong	F	Challenging	⭐
New King James Version	NKJV	word-for-word	exclusive	strong	C	Challenging	⭐
Christian Standard Bible	CSB	mixed	mixed	strong	B-	Intermediate	⭐⭐⭐
Holman Christian Standard Bible	HCSB	word-for-word	exclusive	strong	B+	Easy	⭐⭐⭐⭐
World English Bible	WEB	word-for-word	exclusive	strong	C	Challenging	⭐⭐
New Living Translation	NLT	near-paraphrase	inclusive	medium	C+	Very Easy	⭐⭐⭐
New Jewish Publication Society	NJPS	thought-for-thought	inclusive	low	B-	Challenging	⭐⭐⭐
The Schocken Bible	Sch	very word-for-word	exclusive	minimal	A+	Very hard	⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Alter Bible	Alter	word-for-word	exclusive	none	A-	Challenging	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
New English Translation	NET	mixed	mixed	low	A+	Easy	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
GOD'S WORD Translation	GW	near-paraphrase	inclusive	strong	C+	Very Easy	⭐⭐⭐
Common English Bible	CEB	mixed	inclusive	minimal	A+	Very Easy	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
New International Readers Version	NIRV	thought-for-thought	inclusive	medium	B	Absurdly Easy	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Easy-to-Read Version	ERV	near paraphrase	inclusive	low	C+	Absurdly Easy	⭐⭐⭐

Key

The ratings are:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Excellent. This translation is among the best available, and you can feel confident using it as your everyday Bible, whether in a faith gathering or in academic study.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Very good, but with a few flaws. Usually reliable, and may have something unique and interesting about it, but there are a few annoying problems that prevent a perfect score.
⭐⭐⭐ - Decent, but flawed. I wouldn't use this a your primary Bible, but it could be useful as a secondary translation to see other ways people understand a given passage.
⭐⭐ - Has a few uses. This translation is not generally recommended, but it has a redeeming facet or characteristic that may make it useful in some situations.
⭐ - Worthless. Don't bother.

To detemine the level of gender inclusivity or exclusivity, I looked at verses like Romans 1:13, 1 Corinthians 3:18, and James 1:12 to see whether the translations specifies a single gender. Translations listed as "very exclusive" use male-only language even when it makes no sense in context, such as when describing procreation in Exodus 1:7.

To determine the level of orthodox bias, I would note whether Isaiah 7:14 assumes the orthodox translation of "virgin", whether Psalm 22:16 assumes the translation of "pierced", whether Genesis 1:1 is translated to assume ex nihilo creation, and whether verses like Galatians 2:16 use the traditional "faith in Christ" or the more likely "faith of Christ".

To determine the scores for reliability and readability, I used a blind test, wherein I would collect many different translations of a large sample of representative verses. I would then rate them (or have others rate them) without knowing which translation they had come from. To determine readability, ratings would be based on how clear and comprehensible each translation is. To determine reliability, these blind ratings would be based on knowledge of the underlying Hebrew or Greek, and comparisons to expert scholarly commentary on the verses in question.

Final ratings are my own assessments based on all information available.