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Which version of the Bible would be best for a person with a learning disability?
My adult son has a language based learning disability. He wants to read the Bible but struggles to understand it. He reads at about a grade 6 level. We have tried NIV and ESV.
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Asked December 03 2013
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Anonymous
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C. G.
Supporter
The Easy-To-Read version is a good choice for those with language issues. It was originally written for the deaf, (sign language follows a different grammatical syntax than spoken,) and most of the other versions make it difficult to understand. This version is very simple to understand and is enjoyable to read especially if you have language comprehension/processing issues. It's written at a third grade reading level and in everyday English but doesn't "dumb" it down so much as to lose or twist its message and meaning or make you feel like you are reading a children's book. I like to use it when I have an especially difficult passage or section to understand, to get the basic message, then work my way up through other versions to get the majesty and beauty of some of the phrasing in other versions.
Jim Tumlinson
Supporter
My thought is to read whatever Christian bible is easily readable and understandable. We must remember that the Holy Spirit is the one who inspired the writers of the bible and a couple of the books in the bible we are not sure of the authors other than the Holy Spirit. That being said it will also be the Holy Spirit that communicates His Word to us, as Jesus pointed out in the gospels as well as in the rest of the new testament. I prefer the NIV though it has left out a couple of verses, and I just ran across the New Century Bible which is really in plain old American. It helps my understanding at a whole different level. All I want is for God to keep letting me find more and more of His treasures in His Word that transforms me and shows me how much He loves me and how much grace He has provided for us. The best thing of all is that you are reading your bible, read on. :)
Laura Gains
Supporter
I personally like the New Living Translation by Tyndale House; the aim of their translators is to use plain English to convey the meanings and intentions of the original Scriptures as closely as possible, and I find it very refreshing.
Alyson Dreyer
Supporter
If reading is a problem then the solution is not to water down the Word of God with simpler reading. Try the Bible on CD. The NIV or ESV are contemporary language but hearing instead of reading might work better.
Gary Patton
Supporter
The Easy English Bible may be a perfect one for your son. It also would be helpful to those for who English is a newer language. I was introduced to this electronic Bible when it was recently included as one of the standard Bibles accessible within My Sword. My Sword is the popular and downloadable, FREE Bible App for Smart Phones and Tablets which I use daily because it will run without WiFi being available. The Easy English Bible is also available on the Web. Besides being written in very simple English, it includes clickable notes that explain terms with which people may not be familiar. Those terms can be very basic sometimes, like 'sin' and 'flesh'. I have discovered the Easy English Bible publishers also make individual books of the Bible available on the Web for use, i.e., Matthew. In these books, sections of scripture verses are interspersed with clearly understandable commentaries. Hopefully, you will find the Easy English Bible helpful in resolving your difficult challenge in assisting your son to be comfortable reading God's Word. I am finding it helpful and useful as a starting point in discipling new Followers of Jesus because of its built-in helpful notes. Blessings all!
Wenona Hollis
Supporter
I too, have a learning disability, and understand your concerns for your son's need to get the best for his learning. I see a lot of answers which are definitely appreciated, but unless you suffer this it’s hard to understand what this mother is asking. It’s not about watering down the word of God and it’s not about trying to ignore the fact of the holy spirit; it’s about reality, the struggle to understand. I get the Teen Bible. The Teen Bible has notes and breaks the word down in steps and has examples. I find it very helpful. May God continue to bless him on his journey of knowledge. God is going to use him in a mighty way.
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