I prefer the King James version. It's thees, thous, and other words were anachronistic at the time they were written. It was written to be spoken aloud, and the word choices are deliberately chosen to impart majesty and weight to the spoken text. Also the sentence structure was carefully chosen to add depth, rhythm and meaning. And finally, the word choices were carefully chosen as the best and most accurate translation of the original Greek or Hebrew word. Genesis 1:2 KJV "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." and now the NIV version... "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." The NIV version doesn't carry the same gravitas as the KJV. I've been reading it so long that I can automatically convert 'thee' to 'you', 'thou' to 'your,' etc. as I'm reading it out loud. Most people (Americans) don't prefer the KJV of the Bible. I've been told I'm an old fashioned sort of fellow. Bottom line, if you want a better English vocabulary than an average American, read the KJV. If you want an easier, (though in my mind), shallower, translation, pick one that uses a more modern form of English. As a little side note, the KJV borrowed heavily from William Tyndale's English translation of the Bible, and many of the phrases that we think of as common English idioms, like "salt of the earth," "skin of his teeth," are Tyndale's direct translations of the Hebrew or Greek words. Tyndale is the single person who has influenced the English language more than any other person, Shakespeare included. Edit: My favorite 'version' is the Nelson King James Study Bible.
