English speakers are looking for the wrong thing when we look for best. We need to look instead for useful. Does that sound too pragmatic? Let me clarify. We need to ask: Which English Bible translations are useful for preaching? Which are useful for evangelism? Which are useful for reading through in a year? Which are conducive to close study? How about for reading to kids? For memorization? The average Christian has umpteen Bibles at home; most can financially afford to buy a few different editions