Which Translation is Appropriate for 12-Year Old

I prefer the word-for-word type translations. Such as NASB or NKJV.

You mentioned grade schoolers stumbling with the KJV. According to this website the KJV is 12th grade reading level so that might be the reason. Translation reading levels

I'd recommend the NKJV because of it's translation type. The ref above states it's at about 7th grade level and should be good for your daughter.

If you're ok with a thought-for-thought translation I'd suggest the New Living Translation (NLT). It is listed as being at 6th grade level. Readability is very good with these type translations.

 

I like the NLT. It's easy to read and is still a translation not a paraphrase. I read the NKJV and use the NLT like a commentary instead of an actual commentary. You can also get it in the Life Application Bible.

 

When I was a youth pastor I bought the youth the NLT Life app Bible.

 

We give all the teens and preteens in our chruch the YouthWalk (NIV) Bible. There is a preteen version.

We have to use KJV at the Christian School I teach at, and my 7th graders had a real hard time today reading outloud this passage.


I Samuel 25:
22So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

23And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,


There were 4-5 occurences of "those" words and that really brought lots of snickers from the kids. But honestly, they stumble all over themselves trying to read it, and most times, they dont get but about half of what they read.

 

It is so sad that some want to hold back our children by making placing the millstone of old language around their neck before they are allowed to understand the Word of God....

Some will pay a price when standing before God, by not allowing our youth to have a closer relationship with God by burdening them with archaic words, and OE sentence structures...

It so reminds me of the RCC and what they did in the dark ages.

 

Talk about beating a dead horse (see another thread) - My youngest of six is 11 - we all of them have used and read out of gthe KJV since they were in kindegarten. I am ready to stand before God and await His judgement on me for "holding them back." Though I may have many things to answer for, I hardly think this is one of them.

 

I was refering to the struggling children in tater's classroom that are not allowed to use other translations.

I am glad your children can understand the KJV... so can my oldest.
But my 2 younger ones have reading problems, and regular English is hard enough for them to understand. I let them use NLT.

My wife also had problems using the KJV.. as well as some others.. until she picked up a NLT. She had problems in reading as well.

Some kids can understand the KJV just fine... of course that would not be holding them back.

But others need an easier read. To make them stick to a OE translation is making it harder for them to actually get into Bible study.

Each parent should be allowed to make that decision.

 

I often use a CEV (Contemporary English Version) along side my KJV. It helps me bring the message to a modern society. I teach all classes from the Amplified Bible.

 

Yup - with liberty.

 

Of course there is logic in using one version for a class, memorisation work, answers to tests and quizzes, etc. The KJV is a safe choice in lessening the possible chance of offending families.

 

I would agree with the posters who recommend the NLT and I would add the NIV. The NIV has much support material that uses it for reference (handbooks, commentaries, Sunday School literature, etc.) Bruce

 

The NKJV would be my choice

 

That is false. I saw 2 DIFFERENT charts at 2 Christian bookstores. They showed reading grade levels on which translations. They disagree each other by one saying 12 grade level and other saying 10 grade level. They are wrong.

One employee, who worked with me, communicated with me by using paper and a pen. I realized that I read her BAD English writing, and she had trouble reading on what I said. What was her grade? This question is no reason to ask, the point is that she was a LOUSY student in her school, not grade reading level.

Many hearing children are smarter than deaf children due to their different education reflecting to their mental development. Many children have trouble reading, NOT reading grade level.

Let’s compare the KJV with the NKJV.

Genesis

KJV – 5.10

NKJV - 5.52

Leviticus

KJV - 6.59

NKJV – 7.12

2 Timothy

KJV – 6.15

NKJV – 7.66

1 Peter

KJV – 7.22

NKJV – 9.37

The KJV is not 12 grade level. The best is lowest grade level.

 

The family's in the early history of this great nation were raised on a King James Bible as one of othe few books they had and this nation produced some great people.

While the Constitution was being hashed out in Philedelphia the average man in the street was intelligently discussinng the prinples of his "hasing out." Now days lawyers and college grads have trouble discussing it intelligently.

Amercia has benn purposely "dumbed down".

Stick with the book that helped make America great. Give the 12 year old a KJV and a Webster's 1828 dictiionary and pray they never get introduced to the Greek or Hebrew ialongn the way! :BangHead:

The Holy Spirit is the teacher anyway. I have 10 children and they are not complaining about the "archaic words". You have to be taught that by "educated" and "enlightened" folk.

God bless

 

I agree the NLB and Even the LB by Ken Taylor.

 

The real test is in reality..

Get 10 sixth graders together.

Pick a random section of scripture from the KJV.
Have them read it, and write a short summary of what it means.

Then give them another version... be it NKJV, NIV, NLT and have them read the same section.

Then ask them!... they will tell you which one they understand better.

Listen to them. Don't rely on "the experts." Rely on your children to tell you what they do and don't understand.

We can't tell you what is best for your children.. That is the parents job.

 

i wld be careful of machine-formula tests like the Flesch-Kincaid, which may or may not have been used in those tests.

i recently ran an online F-K test (http://www.ilovejackdaniels.com/readability.php) on a passage, which yielded a readability score of Grade Level 2. really easy peasy stuff:

Average syllables per word: 1.13
Average words per sentence: 10.33

so how does the passage read? here goes, verbatim:

no sweat, right? try that on any 12-yr-old!

other attempts to "prove" the readability of the KJB have been refuted, e.g. the "Defined KJB's" review at http://amarillo.fortunecity.com/revDKJB.htm

 

And attempts to "disprove" it have been refuted also.

So...nanny nanny boo boo!:BangHead: