Luke 25:25 and the Problem with Bible Translations

I will start this post by saying that I use the King James Bible.  From my early childhood when there was daily bible reading in school, the King James has been dear to my heart.  Years ago my husband and I left a bible study because someone who preferred the New American Standard said something very derogatory about King James and the trustworthiness of the King James bible.  You might think that this was extreme, but it set us on a course of study about the origins of this bible and both of us are convinced that the King James is God's word preserved in English as he promised in Psalm 12:6-7 "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."

This last Sunday, there was a good example of why we use the King James, a discussion on trusting the Lord through trials.   The person speaking quoted Luke 12:25 like this:

And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his life span?

I am not sure which translation he was using, but the Revised Standard comes closest.    The King James quotes Luke 12:25 like this:

And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

After the person who was speaking had quoted Luke 12:25 he said he thought that was a strange verse to which I whispered to my husband that there was a big difference between life span and stature seeing that one cubit was a measure.

So why is this important to me? Because the person speaking was confused by what he read while the King James made perfect sense.. 

I have been in bible studies where one word made a big difference, "bearing" instead of "forbearing" in one verse  or "without a cause" being left out of another verse and changing the meanings of the verses completely.

Or having many people in a bible study and all using different translations which made verbal reading around the room impossible to follow along.

I could go on, but I think my point is made.  The King James has stood the test of time while other translations come and go, becoming not translations but very poor paraphrases. 

If you used to use the King James, please go back to it.  If you have never read one, give it a try.  You will see beauty you have never seen before.

vcg/September 2015