Everyone should own a Bible for Kids
Everyone and I mean everyone should own a copy of a Children's bible.
NOT the sort with big words and kawaii pictures - but translations that are meant to be easy for kids to understand without losing the meaning of the Scriptures.
I bought Kae a Max Lucado ICB bible and reading it to him as a bedtime book has further aided me in understanding some of the more "lor sor" or hard to understand bits of the Scripture.
What is interesting is this - The ICB (International Children's Bible) stands alone as the only totally new translation of the original Bible text - from the Greek and Hebrew language - specifically for children.
Kae and I enjoy the daily devotionals found within the pages too - written by Max Lucado himself. If you are a fan of Max Lucado, you will love it. If you have never heard of Max Lucado, you will love it too. There is a thing about the way Max Lucado writes that touches the heart.
If the Max Lucado ICB feels a tad too $$$, then another alternative is the NIrV. The New International Reader's Version bible .
http://www.ibs.org/bibles/nirv/index.php - You can read it online here.
This is what the NIrV people had to say about their translation:
The New International Reader's Version (NIrV) is a new Bible version based on the New International Version (NIV). The NIV is easy to understand and very clear. More people read the NIV than any other English Bible. We made the NIrV even easier to read and understand. We used the words of the NIV when we could. Sometimes we used shorter words. We explained words that might be hard to understand. We made the sentences shorter.
To illustrate why I feel ALL adults should have a copy of an ICB or NIrV at home, here is a passage in Amp, ICB and NIrV... read the various translations and tell me if the kid's version helps to illuminate it simply and succinctly, without stumbling people with cheem cheem English =D
Romans 7:7,8
(AMP)
7What then do we conclude? Is the Law identical with sin? Certainly not! Nevertheless, if it had not been for the Law, I should not have recognized sin or have known its meaning. [For instance] I would not have known about covetousness [would have had no consciousness of sin or sense of guilt] if the Law had not [repeatedly] said, You shall not covet and have an evil desire [for one thing and another].(A)
7 You might think that I am saying that sin and law are the same thing. That is not true. But the law was the only way I could learn what sin meant. I would never have known what it means to want something wrong if the law had not said, "You must not want to take your neighbour's things."
8 And sin found a way to use that command and cause me to want every kind of wrong thing. So sin came to me because of that command. But without the law, sin has no power.
(NIrV)
7 What should we say then? That the law is sin? Not at all! I wouldn't have known what sin was unless the law had told me. The law said, "Do not want what belongs to other people."—(Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) If the law hadn't said that, I would not have known what it was like to want what belonged to others.
8But the commandment gave sin an opportunity. Sin caused me to want all kinds of things that belonged to others. No one can break a law that doesn't exist.
NOT the sort with big words and kawaii pictures - but translations that are meant to be easy for kids to understand without losing the meaning of the Scriptures.
I bought Kae a Max Lucado ICB bible and reading it to him as a bedtime book has further aided me in understanding some of the more "lor sor" or hard to understand bits of the Scripture.
What is interesting is this - The ICB (International Children's Bible) stands alone as the only totally new translation of the original Bible text - from the Greek and Hebrew language - specifically for children.
Kae and I enjoy the daily devotionals found within the pages too - written by Max Lucado himself. If you are a fan of Max Lucado, you will love it. If you have never heard of Max Lucado, you will love it too. There is a thing about the way Max Lucado writes that touches the heart.
If the Max Lucado ICB feels a tad too $$$, then another alternative is the NIrV. The New International Reader's Version bible .
http://www.ibs.org/bibles/nirv/index.php - You can read it online here.
This is what the NIrV people had to say about their translation:
The New International Reader's Version (NIrV) is a new Bible version based on the New International Version (NIV). The NIV is easy to understand and very clear. More people read the NIV than any other English Bible. We made the NIrV even easier to read and understand. We used the words of the NIV when we could. Sometimes we used shorter words. We explained words that might be hard to understand. We made the sentences shorter.
To illustrate why I feel ALL adults should have a copy of an ICB or NIrV at home, here is a passage in Amp, ICB and NIrV... read the various translations and tell me if the kid's version helps to illuminate it simply and succinctly, without stumbling people with cheem cheem English =D
Romans 7:7,8
(AMP)
7What then do we conclude? Is the Law identical with sin? Certainly not! Nevertheless, if it had not been for the Law, I should not have recognized sin or have known its meaning. [For instance] I would not have known about covetousness [would have had no consciousness of sin or sense of guilt] if the Law had not [repeatedly] said, You shall not covet and have an evil desire [for one thing and another].(A)
8But sin, finding opportunity in the commandment [to express itself], got a hold on me and aroused and stimulated all kinds of forbidden desires (lust, covetousness). For without the Law sin is dead [the sense of it is inactive and a lifeless thing].
(ICB)7 You might think that I am saying that sin and law are the same thing. That is not true. But the law was the only way I could learn what sin meant. I would never have known what it means to want something wrong if the law had not said, "You must not want to take your neighbour's things."
8 And sin found a way to use that command and cause me to want every kind of wrong thing. So sin came to me because of that command. But without the law, sin has no power.
(NIrV)
7 What should we say then? That the law is sin? Not at all! I wouldn't have known what sin was unless the law had told me. The law said, "Do not want what belongs to other people."—(Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) If the law hadn't said that, I would not have known what it was like to want what belonged to others.
8But the commandment gave sin an opportunity. Sin caused me to want all kinds of things that belonged to others. No one can break a law that doesn't exist.
I couldn't agree more on that girl! :D
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