Figuring out which Bible translation will be best for you can be a challenge, since there are so many choices. At Assumptions, we carry the New American Bible, the Douay Rheims, the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, and the Jerusalem Bible. All of these are Catholic Bibles, so they contain the books generally omitted from Protestant Bibles, such as Tobit, Judith, Sirach, Wisdom, 1st and 2nd Maccabees, and parts of Esther and Daniel. Catholic Answers has an excellent in depth discussion of the differences between translations and translation theory here, but in short:
New American Bible
The NAB is the translation which has been used in the readings at Mass in recent years. It is a more “American English” translation, and is probably the easiest to read.
Psalm 23:1-3 “The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name.”
Douay Rheims
The original Douay Rheims was translated about the same time as the King James Version, and shares the same rich ornate language. It is based on the Latin Vulgate. Anyone who likes the KJV will probably also like the Douay Rheims.
Psalm 22:1-3 “The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing. He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment: he hath converted my soul. He hath led me on the paths of justice for his own name’s sake.”
Revised Standard Version
The RSV CE is somewhere in between the NAB and Douay Rheims in complexity of language.
Psalm 23:1-3 “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Jerusalem Bible
The Jerusalem Bible is an English translation inspired by a French translation taken only from Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. It was popularized by Mother Angelica of EWTN.
Psalm 23:1-3 “Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing. In meadows of green grass he lets me lie. To the waters of repose he leads me; there he revives my soul. He guides me by the paths of virtue for the sake of his name.”