We will start with the page that ought to be bookmarked, placed in the navigation bar, of every seeker’s homepage.
 
Bible Gateway is a gift to the church!  From this homepage you are able to look up any passage, word or topic in 20 different English translations as well as in translations in languages from around the world.
 
Clicking on Bible Gateway’s Passage Lookup gives you the helpful option of looking up the same passage in as many as five translations in parallel display.  Note also the option of hiding footnotes and cross references, which may be helpful in reading your text.
 
A couple of newer English translations not included in Bible Gateway’s list are the New Revised Standard Version, found here, and the NET Bible, found here. 
 
Most Bible students will settle on one primary translation for their studies and use several others for comparison.  In class I will recommend the New American Standard Version, the English Standard Version, the New King James, the New Revised Standard Version or the New International Version as good study translations.  The Message, New Living Bible, the Amplified Bible and the Contemporary English Version can provide good insights, though their approach to translation may be less rigorous. 
 
So how do you choose?
 
Zondervan (the publisher of the NIV) provides this helpful chart as a way to begin the conversation.  
 
If you look up a passage at Bible Gateway, please note the live link to the translation at the bottom of your selection.  By clicking on your link, you will be introduced to the approach and philosophy behind each translation.  The publishers of the ESV also provide a nice overview of the various translations.
 
Additionally, you might want to look at the parallel display at Bible Gateway to get a flavor of each translation.  While we will talk about the reasons to select some translations over others as your primary study version, the decision is a personal decision. You will prefer the wording and style of one over the other (and the formatting of your print edition).
 
Finally, if the topic of translation is especially fascinating to you, I recommend this site for all sorts of resources.  Click on English Versions of Scripture, but check out the other articles, as well.  

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