Surprising Information on Bible Sales

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised at the recently released information about the most popular translations of the Bible in the United States. I have to admit that I am a little surprised (and a little disappointed) by a couple of the statistics.

The top ten according to dollar sales for 2012

1. New International Version
2. King James Version
3. New Living Translation
4. New King James Version
5. English Standard Version
6. Holman Christian Standard Bible
7. New American Standard Bible
8. Common English Bible
9. Reina Valera 1960
10. The Message

The top ten according to unit sales for 2012

1. New Living Translation
2. New International Version
3. King James Version
4. New King James Version
5. English Standard Version
6. Common English Bible
7. Holman Christian Standard Bible
8. New American Standard Bible
9. Reina Valera 1960
10. New International readers Version

I am both surprised and disappointed that the King James Version (KJV) remains at the #2 spot for dollar sales and #3 for unit sales. I realize that there are still many traditional churches that insist on using the KJV but really don't understand why somebody would choose to use a translation that uses the English language of 400 years ago, especially when we know that there are better translations available.

I am pleased to see the Reina Valera 1960 in the top ten. This is the most popular of the Spanish translations. As the US becomes a home to more first language Spanish speaking peoples, it's good to see they are buying (and hopefully reading) bibles.

I am also a bit disappointed (but not too surprised) that the Revised Standard Version--Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) isn't listed among either top ten list. I know that there are Catholics that read their Bibles regularly, but as a rule, it is not something that has been greatly encouraged in the Catholic Church.

Personally, I like the English Standard Version (ESV) at #5 on both lists. I also use the New International Version (NIV) on a regular basis and use a Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) New Testament as a give away when sharing the the gospel story.

Do you have a personal preference?
Do you have a daily reading plan or time that you set aside to read The Word?

I hope that you will take the time to read through the story of the week that leads up to the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus this week. It is a grand story--the greatest story ever told!

John <><