There are many types of bibles and it's helpful to know the differences when you choose one (or more) for you.  Some are better for study, some better for devotional reading, and some are simply made easier to read.

   The original text of the bible was written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testatment.)  All of our English bibles are based on early surviving copies that have been preserved by the church.  A detailed history based on various sources can be found here.

   First of all, there are two main catagories: translations and paraphrases.

   Translations are usually the work of a well-known and respected group of Biblical scholars who work together in prayer and community to render the best translation possible that meet  commonly agreed upon criteria.

   The King James Version (KJV) is perhaps the best known "classic" English Translation and was written over 400 years ago.

   Two excellent modern translations produced in the last 50 years include the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the New International Verison (NIV)

   Some versions of the Bible are written to be easy to read such as the Today's English Version (TEV) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV).  The standard they are held to is a "Dynamic Equilevance.

   To these various versions, different publishers have bundled various helps, maps, dictionaries, etc. to help you with your study, understanding and devotion.

   It is best to have a "Study Bible" from major publisher using either the NRSV or the NIV translations.

   Paraphrases are the retelling of the bible usually by one author.  Instead of a more literal thought-for-thought or word-for-word effort of a translation, it is more idiomatic and in our "common language."

    Some very popular paraphrases of the Bible are "The Message" by  Eugene Peterson and "The Living Bible" by Kenneth Taylor.

    These, along with some new and popular "Devotional Bibles" (Bibles with questions and commentary designed to deepen your devotional & spiritual life) are also very helpful to read as a supplement to your study bible, giving additional insight.  But always remember that it's not a translation, and some passages are different from the scholarly bibles.