Below is a list of good foreign language Bibles recommended and used by this ministry with links to obtain printed copies of them. There is much disagreement among King James Bible believers about foreign language bible versions. You don’t have to agree with all of my choices, but let me assure you that I do not make these decisions lightly, and I only use and recommend a foreign language translation after thorough research and prayer.
ARABIC
Smith Van Dyke (1865)
(Sometimes spelled “Van Dike” or “Van Dyck” or “Van Dycke.”) This version is widely regarded as “the closest you can get to the KJV in Arabic” and is used by nearly all Arabic-speaking professing Christians who are NOT Roman Catholic. After 11 years of working with dozens of Arabs, I have much confidence in this version. Dispensationalists should note that 15 people from 6 different Arabic-speaking countries have told me that the Arabic word mufassalan in 2 Timothy 2:15 does mean “dividing,” although it can also mean “details” or “explain,” so most Arabs would have to be taught to intentionally apply the definition “divide” in the context of 2 Timothy 2:15.
Arabic-only copies:
Trinitarian Bible Society (USA)
Trinitarian Bible Society (UK)
Arabic-English New Testaments:
https://www.bibleinmylanguage.com/arabic-new-testament-injeel-parallel-authorized-king-james-version-van-dyck-arabic-first-print-2007/
Arabic-English John & Romans booklets:
Contact Bearing Precious Seed: www.bpsmilford.org
CHINESE
??????
I am not convinced to fully endorse any particular Chinese bible version, but I will summarize my research here for those who ask:
The most used Chinese version today is the Union Version (CUV), which is very corrupt.
One debate which I am still not certain about is which of the three Chinese words for “God” should be used:
– Shang-Di (High Emperor)
– Shen (god/God)
– Tianzhu (the Lord of Heaven)
You will find many arguments for and against all three words.
All of the following translations are better than the Union Version:
* TBS Chinese version (incomplete)
https://www.tbsbibles.org/page/language-chinese
The Trinitarian Bible Society is translating a new Chinese bible from Hebrew and Greek, which is not finished as of 2024.
TBS is intentionally using the “Ecclesiastical and Doctrinal terminology” of the Union Version.
* CKJV (Message of Heaven)
http://ckjv.cn/h-col-114.html
This one from “Message of Heaven” publishers in China is the Union Version with some of the corruptions corrected.
It uses “Shen” for “God”.
Their text is online.
Physical copies can only be bought in China and are very hard to buy from the USA.
* CKJV (Bible Believers of Washington)
https://ckjvbible.wpengine.com/
This one was translated by the non-denominational “Bible Believers of Washington.”
It uses “Shen” for “God”.
The text is on an Android app.
Physical copies were sold on Amazon. Apparently it is out of print as of 2023.
* CKJV (2015)
http://ckjv.asia/
This is a revision of the Union Version, translated by a group of Chinese and American Baptists loosely associated with the Dean Burgon Society.
As of their last news update (2015), it is still only online, not in print.
It has 4 different editions:
Simplified and Traditional Chinese editions with “Shen” or “Shangdi” for “God”.
* Peking Committee Bible
https://pekingcommitteebible.com/
This Bible is older (and much better) than the Union Version.
It uses “Tianzhu” for God.
A Baptist missionary got it back into print in Traditional and Simplified Chinese. All his printed bibles have book introductions written by him, some of which are blatantly anti-dispensational (claiming salvation is the same in both Testaments), and he refuses to print copies without his introductions.
The text is in a PDF for mobile phones.
BPSglobal has a list of doctrinal errors in the original edition which may or may not all be in the reprinted edition.
* Chinese Authorized Version (incomplete)
https://www.bpsglobal.org/chinese.html
The CAV is currently being translated by a team of Chinese and Americans in association with independent Baptist “Global Bible Translators” (Bearing Precious Seed Global).
They use “Shen” for “God”.
They are the only ones who translate “baptism” with Chinese characters meaning “immersion-ceremony” rather than “washing-ceremony”.
“They are producing a new translation by going through the Bible verse-by-verse and word-by-word. Their goal is to produce as close to a KJV equivalent in Chinese as is possible.”
Between 2008 and 2016 (latest update on bpsglobal), they started or finished translating 16 out of 66 books (Genesis, Matthew 1-6, Mark, John, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John).
They have a bilingual John/Romans available for download in Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
>>> If you are a Baptist, King James Bible believing Christian who is fluent in English and Chinese, and you have some helpful insight about Chinese bible versions, please contact Joseph using the contact form.
CROATIAN
Croatian King James Bible (2020)
The Croatian KJB was translated from the King James English by independent Baptists. The word in 2 Timothy 2:15 (razlaže) has vaguely the same meaning as “dividing”: “breaking something down into its constituent parts.”
People in Croatia can get copies from missionary Sam Ward:
https://hrbiblija.cc/contact
Croatian KJB text online:
https://hrbiblija.cc/
DUTCH
Statenvertaling (1637)
The 1637 Statenvertaling is interesting. Some of the King James translators helped translate it, so it is quite literally the “Dutch KJV.” It has the correct Dutch word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15 (snijdt: dividing something into parts with a sharp object).
www.sv1637.org
Dutch-only copies:
Trinitarian Bible Society (USA)
Trinitarian Bible Society (UK)
Dutch-English New Testaments:
Handsize:
www.tinyurl.com/Dutch-English-NT
Large Print:
www.tinyurl.com/Dutch-English-NT-Large
FILIPINO
Filipino King James Bible (2024)*
*As of November 2024, the Old Testament has not yet been completed.
The FKJB is a direct translation of the King James Bible into Filipino by Send The Light Ministries. (Filipino is the national language of the Philippines, and is mostly the same as Tagalog. Read about the differences here.) The FKJB uses the correct word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15 (“paghahati”).
Buy a New Testament in the USA:
https://www.amazon.com/Parallel-Bilingual-English-Filipino-Testament-Tagalog/dp/1985693933
Buy a New Testament in the Philippines:
https://stlm1611.info/ministries/filipino-kjb-translation-project/
FRENCH
King James Française (2022)
I have not heard a convincing case for any particular one of the many older French translations. The King James Française is a meticulous translation of the King James English by Nadine Stratford, an independent Baptist. It has the correct French word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15 (divisant).
French-English New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs:
Amazon USA:
https://www.amazon.com/Nouveau-Testament-avec-Psaumes-Proverbes/dp/1728807115
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Nouveau-Testament-avec-Psaumes-Proverbes/dp/1728807115
Amazon France:
https://www.amazon.fr/Nouveau-Testament-avec-Psaumes-Proverbes/dp/1728807115
[Whole Bible coming soon.]
Online Text:
http://www.kingjamesfrancaise.net/index.html?v=kjftext/MATT.html
Android app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.vincentmanuceau.biblekjf
iphone app:
https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/id1521484891
Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQA05XV0iVyAVSmjKHC8qLg
GERMAN
Luther (1545)
(Technically it’s 1574, because that’s when 1 John 5:7 was restored to the text. But publishers call it the Luther 1545 because that’s the last edition Martin Luther published himself before he died. The orthography of the currently printed edition is from the early 1800s. It has the correct German word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15 (teile: dividing something into parts).
www.Luther1545.org
German-only and German-English copies:
Bible Baptist Bookstore
You can also buy the Large Print edition of the German-only Bible from the German version of Amazon. There is a drop-down button to change the website from “DE” (Deutch) to “EN” (English) to make ordering easier:
https://www.amazon.de/Die-Bibel-Standard-Großdruck-Apokryphen/dp/3861473127
This German-only Bible can be ordered from this German website (Europe):
http://hbfstore.org/produkt/gesamte-luther-bibel-1545/?lang=de
or from Bearing Precious Seed (USA):
http://bpsmilford.org/contact
HEBREW
Hutter/Fry (1817)
Hebrew New Testament:
www.amazon.com/Hebrew-New-Testament-1817/dp/150840089X
Hebrew New Testament (Large Print):
www.amazon.com/Hebrew-Testament-1817-Large-Print/dp/150840075X
ITALIAN
Diodati (1641)
(The date is sometimes given as 1649. The orthography of currently printed copies is apparently from no later than 1821.)
A longtime King James Bible believing missionary told me how Italians react to the old Diodati the same way Americans react to the KJB. When Italians hear the old Diodati quoted, they perceive it to be “strong” and powerful, and the cults hate it, because it disarms them more easily than modern versions. It has the correct Italian word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15 (tagli: cleaving something into several parts).
Italian-only copies:
Trinitarian Bible Society (USA)
Trinitarian Bible Society (UK)
Italian-English New Testament:
If ordering from the USA:
https://www.amazon.com/Parallel-Italian-English-New-Testament-Italian/dp/1987728327
If ordering from Italy:
https://www.amazon.it/Parallel-Italian-English-New-Testament-HolyBibleFoundation/dp/1987728327
JAPANESE
Lifeline New Testament (2013)*
* As of 2024, the Old Testament translation is not yet finished.
Lifeline is apparently the only translation from the Greek Textus Receptus in modern Japanese. The lead translator is Baptist John Himes, who wrote a history of Japanese bible versions. Lifeline’s 2 Timothy 2:15 says “interpreting”, because Himes believes the Japanese word for “dividing” is too ambiguous.
Official English page:
https://www.gospeltojapan.org/japanese/lifeline-translation-japane/
Official Japanese page:
https://www.gospeltojapan.org/id-3/
Read the Lifeline New Testament online or download PDF:
https://gospeltojapan.org/japanese/lifeline-translation-japane/lifeline-japanese-nt202332.pdf
https://www.gospeltojapan.org/download/interactive-lifeline-japanese-nt-2023.11.11-.pdf
Buy copies:
https://www.lulu.com/shop/lifeline/tr-based-new-testament-in-modern-japanese/paperback/product-wmzrmm.html
KOREAN
Korean King James Bible (2011) Dr. Dongsoo Jung
The chief translator of this Korean KJB was a Korean Baptist pastor named Dongsoo Jung. It has the correct word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15, and is recommended as the best translation by dispensational Korean Baptist pastor Jack Kim who diligently examined and compared all 4 “Korean King James Bibles.”
The other three are:
* The Korean KJB of 2009 by Il-Bae Lee, which has some strange issues with names and being overly-literal.
* The Korean KJB of 2008 by Dr. Seo Dal Seok, which is a decent translation, but has strange alterations of the italics, commas, and capitalization in the ENGLISH text in its bilingual edition. Seok also holds major heresies concerning end times (e.g. no rapture, no great tribulation).
* The Korean KJB of 1994 by Dr. Song Lee of the Word Of God Preservation Society. As of 2020, the text of this version is still not available in any digital form online. It is the 2nd best version, and also has the correct word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15, but it does contain error. Song Lee imposed his strong doctrinal biases onto the translation. For example, in Genesis 1:28, he purposely used a Korean word which can only mean “refill” to force the verse to conform to the Genesis gap theory. Many people default to this translation because Song Lee is a hardcore “Ruckmanite,” but the pastor (Jack Kim) who recommends Dongsoo Jung’s translation was also personally taught by Dr. Ruckman.
Korean King James Bible (2011) Dr. Dongsoo Jung:
Read online:
https://www.stepbible.org/version.jsp?version=KorHKJV
http://www.keepbible.com/Bible/Category?r_bn=hkjv
Mobile apps:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yenny.keep_bible_app
https://apps.apple.com/app/id1524247932
Buy copies:
http://keepbiblemall.com/product/list.html?cate_no=51
PORTUGUESE
TBS Almeida Corrigida Fiel (2011)
or
Bíblia King James Fiel 1611 (2017-2021)
The Portuguese bible version issue is not settled. The original Almeida (first printed in one volume in 1819) and a revision done in 1872 have some errors, including calling Phebe a “minister” rather than a “servant” in Romans 16:1 and saying that many “sell” the word of God rather than “corrupt” the word of God in 2 Corinthians 2:17. The 1872 has the right word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15, but it is out of print, except for a blurry photographic reprint sold in India.
Our Portuguese tract quotes the 2011 Almeida Corrigida Fiel. According to the missionary who helped translate the tract, the ACF is not flawless and does not use the correct word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15. The alternative version (Bíblia King James Fiel) does have the right word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15, but the missionary and native Brazilian believers agree that the BKJ is not good enough to replace the ACF without thorough revision. UPDATE 1-31-2022: The 6th Edition of the BKJ is much improved and IS good enough to replace the ACF, and that missionary and his church have done so. For comparison purposes, I will leave the links to both versions here:
Trinitarian Bible Society Almeida Corrigida Fiel (2011):
Read ACF online:
https://biblias.com.br/acfonline
Buy ACF in Brazil:
https://biblias.com.br/loja
Buy ACF in USA:
https://us.tbsbibles.org/store/ListProducts.aspx?ftr=keyPortuguese
Buy ACF in Europe:
https://www.tbsbibles.org/store/ListProducts.aspx?ftr=keyPortuguese
Bíblia King James Fiel 1611 (2017-2021):
Read BKJ online:
http://www.bkjfiel.com.br/bible
Buy BKJ in Brazil:
https://www.bvfilms.com.br/novosite/categoria-produto/biblias-king-james/
Buy BKJ in USA:
https://www.amazon.com/B%C3%ADblia-King-James-Fiel-Ultragigante/dp/8581581714
RUSSIAN
Russian King James Bible (2017)
Over a period of 17 years, the Russian KJB was meticulously translated directly from the English KJB by a team headed by dispensational Baptist missionary Perry Demopolous. It has the correct word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15.
www.harvestukraine.org
Russian-only copies:
Bible Baptist Bookstore
These are some of the problems with other Russian bible translations, according to Demopolous:
The Russian “Elizabeth” bible of 1751-1756:
* Acts 15:20 added “and that you don’t do to others that which you would not do to yourself.”
* Acts 17:22 changed “too superstitious” to “godly.”
The Russian “Synodal” bible of 1876:
* Isaiah 14:12 changed “Lucifer” to “right hand”.
* Acts 8:38 teaches baptismal regeneration by saying the Holy Spirit came upon the Ethiopian eunuch after he came out of the water!
* 2 Timothy 2:15 changed “rightly dividing” to “faithfully teaching”.
* 1 Peter 2:2 teaches works-salvation by changing “that ye may grow thereby” to “that you may grow up into salvation“.
SPANISH
Reina-Valera (1865)
Living in a city with a huge Spanish-speaking population, I have studied the Spanish bible version issues more than any other language. Of the many criticisms I’ve heard of specific verses in the Reina-Valera 1865, I can answer nearly all of them. The 1865 is the ONLY Spanish Bible that has the right Spanish word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15 (distribuye: dividing something between several people, designating what corresponds to each one).
www.Valera1865.org
Spanish-only copies:
To order in English, order from Church Bible Publishers:
https://www.churchbiblepublishers.com/product/vinyl-spanish-bible/
https://www.churchbiblepublishers.com/product/handsize-spanish-bibles-1865-valera/
To order in Spanish, order from Ministerios Valera 1865:
https://www.valera1865.org/compras/
Spanish-English copies:
http://localchurchbiblepublishers.com/bibles/bibles/spanish/321-mid-size-spanishenglish-black-hardback/
NOTE: The bilingual Spanish Bibles sold by LCBP have 50 textual changes (listed on an “Errata” page in the back and indicated by the year 2005 on the title page). After these changes were made, and the Bibles were already printed, the involved members of the early Valera Bible Society had a change of heart and were convicted that the original text was given by inspiration of God and should not have been changed. I agree. If you buy copies of these, take a pen, mark through the altered text in the verses listed in the Errata, and write in the original reading. (Most of the alterations are relatively minor and in verses that would not normally be used in witnessing.)
SWAHILI
Neema ya Mungu (2023)*
* As of March 2023, only half of the New Testament has been translated.
The “Neema ya Mungu” (Grace of God) version is being translated (from the Textus Receptus with reference to the KJV) by Grace Bible Baptist Church of Nakuru, Kenya in association with Baptist missionary Robert Mickey.
https://www.bpsglobal.org/swahili-project.html
Download PDF of bilingual John-Romans:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/d2ide8svg1ey0qu/Swahili-English-John-Romans-2023-GraceOfGod.pdf/file
(The Trinitarian Bible Society is also working on a translation from the TR, but as of 2023, they are far behind Neema ya Mungu in their progress.)
THAI
Thai-KJV (2003)
The “Thai-KJV” is probably the best Thai translation there will ever be. It was translated by an independent Baptist. But, sadly, it is not without error. It has the wrong Thai word for “dividing” in 2 Timothy 2:15, so the verse is useless for teaching Biblical dispensationalism.
Thai-only copies:
www.thaipope.org
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