The Bible was written in Hebrew (and some Aramaic) for the Old Testament, and Greek for the New Testament. Most translators seek to be faithful to the Scriptures but typically translate from two different approaches: a word-for word or a thought-for-thought perspective.
Here are a few of the most common translations:
New international Version (NIV) The NIV is highly accurate and smooth reading version in modern English. It is best characterized as balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought. “The NIV delivers the best balance of accuracy to the original languages and clarity of meaning in contemporary English.”(www.thenivbible.com)
English Standard Version (ESV) The ESV pays special attention to word-for-word translation. It is a revision of the Revised Standard Version (1971 edition). The translators essentially set out to provide a literal translation of the Scripture in contemporary English.
Amplified (AMP) The Amplified was written to create deeper understanding and meaning to the text. It leans heavily toward the word-for-word end of the spectrum. The goal of the amplified translators was increasing the clarity and relevance of the text. However, it can read a little clunky. “Its goal was to take both word meaning and context into account to accurately translate the original text from one language into another.” (www.biblegateway.com)
New Living Translation (NLT) This translation leans toward the thought-for-thought side of the spectrum. The translators sought to take the original Scriptures and bring them into more contemporary language and phrasing. This translation attempts to bring in entire thoughts rather than just words to our modern-day English.
The Message This translation is on the far end of thought-for-thought part of the spectrum. “This is a paraphrase of the Bible by Eugene Peterson, who used the original Greek and Hebrew texts and tried to bring their “feel”—their tone, rhythm, and idiom—directly into contemporary English.” – American Bible Society. Utilizing The Message in conjunction with a word-for-word translation can be very useful for deeper understanding.