« | Proverbs 2 | » |
1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure my commands,
2 Turning your ear to wisdom, inclining your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you call to intelligence, and to understanding raise your voice;
4 If you seek her like silver, and like hidden treasures search her out:
5 Then will you understand the fear of the LORD; the knowledge of God you will find;
6 For the LORD gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He has counsel in store for the upright, he is the shield of those who walk honestly,
8 Guarding the paths of justice, protecting the way of his pious ones.
9 Then you will understand rectitude and justice, honesty, every good path;
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will please your soul,
11 Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you;
12 Saving you from the way of evil men, from men of perverse speech,
13 Who leave the straight paths to walk in the way of darkness,
14 Who delight in doing evil, rejoice in perversity;
15 Whose ways are crooked, and devious their paths;
16 Saving you from the wife of another, from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the pact with her God;
18 For her path sinks down to death, and her footsteps lead to the shades;
19 None who enter thereon come back again, or gain the paths of life.
20 Thus you may walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of the just.
21 For the upright will dwell in the land, the honest will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land, the faithless will be rooted out of it.
The New American Standard Updated Version (NASU)
The New American Standard Updated Version (NASU) is a highly respected English translation of the Bible known for its rigorous adherence to the original languages of Scripture. First published in 1995 by the Lockman Foundation, the NASU is an update of the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which was originally completed in 1971. The NASU seeks to improve upon the NASB by enhancing readability and modernizing the language while maintaining the translation’s reputation for being one of the most literal translations available. This makes the NASU a preferred choice for serious Bible study, preaching, and teaching.
A key feature of the NASU is its commitment to formal equivalence, or a word-for-word translation philosophy. The translators aimed to produce a text that is as close as possible to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts. This approach ensures that the NASU captures the precise meaning and structure of the original texts, providing readers with a highly accurate and reliable representation of the Scriptures. The use of formal equivalence makes the NASU particularly valuable for those who desire a deep and detailed understanding of the Bible, including scholars, theologians, and students of the Word.
In updating the NASB, the NASU made several important changes to improve clarity and readability. While maintaining the accuracy and literalness of the translation, the NASU incorporates modern English expressions and smoother sentence structures. This makes the text more accessible to contemporary readers without compromising the precision that the NASB is known for. The NASU also includes updated cross-references and footnotes, which provide additional context and insights, further aiding in the study and understanding of the biblical text.
Despite its many strengths, the NASU has faced some criticism. Some readers and scholars argue that the translation’s emphasis on literalness can sometimes result in a text that feels stiff or less fluid than more dynamic translations. Additionally, while the NASU’s updated language makes it more accessible, some feel that it could go further in adapting to contemporary usage without losing its accuracy. Nevertheless, the New American Standard Updated Version remains a highly esteemed translation, valued for its fidelity to the original texts and its usefulness for in-depth study and precise interpretation of the Bible.