SEISHO - The Japanese Bible

There are three main versions out there that are currently in use.     

1. the oldest of the three is furanshisuko (Francisco) - this is the catholic version.  I bought this one when I came to Japan and didn't know any better. The language is very archaic.  I don't believe it is used much.  
2. shinkyoudou yaku  - this is a catholic and protestant bible. a joint translation  
3.  shinkai yaku - the one most protostant churches use.  It is also my wife's bible.  I would recommend this one over the others.   

I recommend getting a Bible that has furigana (that is small hiragana over or to the side of kanji).  Even if your kanji reading level is very good, the Japanese Bible has a few special readings.  Also there are a few English - Japanese bibles.  These are good, as you can check the meaning.  The problem is most of those bibles use a very easy English version.   A very good English-Japanese bible is produced by the Gideon's.  Perhaps you can receive a free (or low priced) bible from them.  The only problem is it has no furigana.  The English is NKJV and the Japanese is shinkai yaku.  Unfortunately, because of copyright issues, there isn't a Japanese bible on the net for people to view for free.  There are parts, but not a full bible.  My friend found a 50-70 year old bible that is out of copyright and we are presently typing it in.  I will post it on my page in the future.  Our dream is to have a free Bible for all to see on the net. Wanna help ? iamclayb@yahoo.com