Today marks the four hundredth anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible in 1611. If you’re looking for a good way to observe the event, I recommend reading the Translators’ Preface, which most of you should already have as an Accordance General Tool. Aside from the Elisabethan (or is that Jamesian?) English, it reads like something that could have been written by any of today’s Bible translation committees. In it, the translators took pains to explain why a new translation was needed, why the new translation should not be seen as a repudiation of the work of previous English translators, how their goal was to satisfy the needs of all factions within the Church of England, and various other aspects of their translation philosophy. As is the case today, there were those who were suspicious of this new translation and any hidden agendas which might lie behind it.
It took some time for the King James to become the dominant English translation, but it eventually exerted a profound influence on the English language, English literature, and the Protestant churches it was created to serve. It remained the dominant English translation until the last few decades of the 20th Century, and it is still among the top-selling English Bibles even to this day.
To honor the work of the translators who produced the KJV and other translations of the Bible, we’re pleased to announce the Bible a Day Sale and Giveaway! Every day during the month of May we will offer a 24-hour sale on a different Bible. We will reveal unique coupon codes for each Bible exclusively through our Facebook and Twitter pages, and give away one copy to someone who retweets the day’s offer. We began the sale yesterday by offering 30% off The Message, a translation I call the Convex Mirror Bible. Today, we’re offering 30% off the New King James Version w Strongs numbers. Be sure to watch Facebook and Twitter for the rest of this month’s daily offers.