NIV
New International Version · 1978 (rev. 2011)
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
22 words · Balance of accuracy and readability
Genesis 1:31 — Compare Translations
Read this verse in 6 Bible translations — from word-for-word to thought-for-thought.
Dynamic equivalence
KJV
King James Version · 1611
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
25 words · Formal / word-for-word
ESV
English Standard Version · 2001 (rev. 2016)
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
25 words · Essentially literal
NLT
New Living Translation · 1996 (rev. 2015)
Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
26 words · Thought-for-thought clarity
MSG
The Message · 2002
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning— Day Six.
22 words · Contemporary paraphrase
NASB
New American Standard Bible · 1971 (rev. 2020)
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
24 words · Most literal English translation
Translation Length Comparison
NIV
22 words
KJV
25 words
ESV
25 words
NLT
26 words
MSG
22 words
NASB
24 words
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Bible translations are there for Genesis 1:31?
Bible Verse Randomizer offers Genesis 1:31 in 6 translations: New International Version, King James Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, The Message, New American Standard Bible. Each uses a different translation philosophy — from word-for-word (KJV, ESV, NASB) to thought-for-thought (NIV, NLT) to paraphrase (MSG).
Which translation of Genesis 1:31 is best?
No single translation is "best" — it depends on your purpose. For deep study, use the ESV or NASB (word-for-word). For devotional reading, the NIV balances accuracy and readability. The NLT and MSG are excellent for understanding the general meaning in modern English. Comparing multiple translations helps grasp the full richness of the text.
What is the difference between literal and dynamic Bible translations?
Literal (formal equivalence) translations like KJV, ESV, and NASB translate word-for-word from the original Hebrew/Greek. Dynamic equivalence translations like NIV and NLT translate thought-for-thought for clarity. The MSG is a paraphrase that captures the spirit in contemporary language. Each approach has strengths — that's why comparing translations is valuable.