While there are many different translations of God's word, each one has its purpose. The translations have been separated into four groups, helping to decipher the type of translation; formal, moderate, functional, and paraphrase. 

Formal- Attempts to stay as close as possible to the structure and words of the original language.

Moderate- Attempts to use an optimal blend of formal and functional translation choices.

Functional- Attempts to express the meaning of the original text in today's language.

Paraphrase- attempts to replace ancient metaphors and literary structures with concepts and terms familiar in today's language.