In my position as minister for a church I get asked quite often what is the best Bible to get (although it happens less than it used to, which worries me that either people are less interested in good Bible translations or are less trusting in my opinion about it). I have my favorite translation which I sometimes will recommend, depending on what I know about the person asking and their needs. But my favorite Bible is not one I preach from nor is it one I ever tell someone to buy for their personal Bible reading. It is The Dramatised Bible. The translation used is the NIV (not my favorite) but it is the way the Bible is structured that I like. It converts Bible passages into character scripts that are suitable for acting out or presentation by multiple readers. I find it refreshing to see and hear the word of God acted out or rendered by dramatic voices. Somehow it makes it more real to me. Narration in the Bible lends itself to this quite easily but even other passsages, like Psalms or New Testament epistles can be shared in a group devotional or worship setting in a way that is very engaging.
The best dramatised Bible, however, is not the one that sits on my shelf. People touch my life in significant ways with the scriptures because they live them out in their daily lives. One Christian brother got wind of me looking to purchase a vehicle when I was young, single and needing wheels for my independence. Upon learning what I was making as a downpayment, he generously mutliplied it by a few times which cut my period of financing down to a year instead of 2 or 3. I have bought many vehicles since and now more fully appreciate how generous his gift to me was. He did not let me pay him back but recommended I look for an opportunity to show the same kindness to someone else. I've read from a lot of translations about doing your good works before others that they would glorify God but none as clear as my friend's action. I take his words to heart and endeavor to be generous to others in a way that glorifies God. I figure this to be a much more importan part of ministry than pointing people to a good translation. They need to see God's word translated first and foremost in my life.
(By the way, I prefer the New Revised Standard translation, if you must know.)
