[Propertalk] Big Change in the Bible by Catholic Bishops

[Joe Parrish]

Big Change in the Bible by Catholic Bishops

The 23rd Psalm was "even when I walk through a dark valley" and is now a "walk though the valley of the shadow of death." 

[Wasn't that King James' version?]


Wait...WHAT? Big Change in the Bible

On March 9, which is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the penitential season of Lent for Christians, America's Catholic bishops will release a freshly translated and updated edition of The New American Bible--and some may be shocked at the changes from the 1970 version. 
Perhaps the most radical change is in an Old Testament passage from Isaiah in which the birth of Christ to a virgin is foreshadowed. In Isaiah 7:14, the word "virgin" has been replaced with "young woman."


  a.. 1970: "The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." 

  b.. 2011: "The young woman shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." 

  c.. Why? The original Hebrew word, "almah," may or may not signify a virgin. 
USA Today reports that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says this newest translation is more accurate, more accessible and more poetic. It is 17 years in the making by 50 scholars and translators, linguistics experts and theologians, as well as five bishops. They used original manuscripts, the Dead Sea Scrolls and archaeological discoveries made after 1970, when the current text was published. 

Other notable changes:


  a.. The word "booty" has been replaced with "spoils," as in spoils of war. This should eliminate much snickering in Sunday School classes. 

  b.. The word "holocaust," now associated with World War II genocide, has been replaced by "burnt offering." 

  c.. The 23rd Psalm was "even when I walk through a dark valley" and is now a "walk though the valley of the shadow of death." 

  d.. In Leviticus 2:1, a "cereal offering" of "fine flour" has been changed to "grain offering" of "bran flour." 
http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/whatsnew/default.jsp?story=20110302-1047
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