Since you asked....The King James Bible...ONLY...(of course)..along with a good Websters Dictionary and a Strongs Concordance. As for the Bible, I'd recommend either the Old Scofield (Oxford edition) or maybe even better..."The DEFINED King James Bible" published by D.A.Waite at Bible For Today. I like the Scofield because of the handy concordance that it contains which has been quite help running down cross-references during church when the pastor quotes something that brings something else to mind.
My real preference would be KJV paralleled with the Amplified/ESV.
Though I have not found a bound
edition of that yet, I can make them using esword on my pc though.
Actually no...but I'd be willing to look it over. Where can I find one? By the way...to address the nit-pickers that may come along hereafter......when I recommend the KJV, I am talking about that in reference to english-speaking people only. As for equivalent translations in other languages, I'd have to research the matter before commenting or recommending anything. I ONLY speak English so that is the ONLY language I can comment about.
The one that I pick up first to both read and study is the King James Bible. The study version that I'm using now is based on the Cambridge Paragraph Bible of 1873.
Have several other hardcopy versions, including an ASV bearing copyright of 1901 & 1929. Plus commentaries and such.
That said, one of the advantages of this computer is access to sites with multiple versions available for comparision of scriptures. Additionally, new & old dictionaries, both hardcopy & online which help with study regardless of the version being read. And even more commentaries.
For controversial subjects, one of the best tools available today is a good search engine. More than one, as a matter of fact. It's interesting to note the differences in results between Google & Yahoo, for example. Another interesting note is that sometimes these engines will turn up results from BB that the search within the board didn't. -- using the same key words!
All that said, the KJB is the one that's usually either at my elbow on my desk or on the seat of my truck. Better'n any magazine in a waiting room. Love to get the question of "What ya read'n?" while sitt'n and wait'n.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
NO! The KJV and NKJV are far inferior to the NIV. I would go as far to say the NKJV is inferior to the KJV.
Overall I would say the NIV is clearer then the ESV to the average reader, though if you grew up hearing the KJV read, the ESV would sound more familiar, though I don't know that I would call it more accurate because I think both are accurate and do a good job while at the same time there are times when they both leave you scratching your head.
You sound like Bill Clinton when he misused Scripture "eye has not seen and ear has not heard what we can build."
Your precious man-made deviant* doctrine of KJVOnlyism is so sloppy and unscriptural. you'd think if it was so imporant then it should affect the majority of the world's population.
* I use the word "deviant" in the sense of deviating from the norm of most regenerate believers who know that the Word of God cannot be forced into the narrow little hole of the KJV as being the only legitimate
Bible translation.