Group: Bible Study - Digging Deeper§↻

I feel you. In the ESV version of John 4:26, the translators have Jesus answer the woman with "I who speak to you am him." What an obtuse way to phrase that! Anyway, I personally stick with the ESV for memorization, but I find that my previous knowledge of the KJV messes with my testing. Honestly, which translation you pick for which verse doesn't really matter. Whatever makes the Word stick in your mind is fine. The reason I pick the ESV is because they try to stay true to the way the author wrote it in the Greek and Hebrew, which actually does matter. This is especially true in the Greek, because the ordering of the words in the sentence show which point the author is trying to emphasize. I find that some paraphrasing translations fail to pick that up.

And then, to complicate it even more, now that I'm learning the CSB of that passage, what to do with the ESV? If I stop it, then it will ruin my streak. :D

Better to overthink than underthink.

Yeah, I know... I just like keeping consistent to one, even though I like both. It's not until I dig into some of these passages that I'm like... wait, what? John 15:5 for example, "am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." that is just a really confusing way to say what it's saying and it isn't clear.

Which means now part way through memorizing that section I want to switch versions. It isn't just that verse either, v7 is just grammatically off, it seems and it's making it more difficult.

So... I guess I stick with ESV as it's the main version I read and my church reads and I study, and use CSB when the ESV is noticeably less understandable.

I over think things sometimes.

FinalAsgard I don't think that it will make very much difference what version to use for memorisation so long as you have a main version. If you wish to use CSB for some sections I think you can if you want to.