From NASB to LSB: Why Desert Hills Is Changing Bible Translations

By Robb Brunansky

Published September 2, 2025

Since I arrived at Desert Hills in March 2011, our church family has used the New American Standard Bible 1995 edition in our Sunday morning worship services. The NASB is the translation I have used since my days at The Master’s Seminary, and it has served me well for nearly three decades of Christian life and ministry. In January 2026, however, Desert Hills will be changing Bible translations on Sunday mornings for the first time in 15 years. We will be transitioning from the New American Standard Bible 1995 edition to the Legacy Standard Bible. In this article, I want to give you a few reasons why we are making this change.

The first reason we are changing from the NASB to the LSB in our worship services is because the LSB is a more accurate, word-for-word translation than the NASB. While there are many times the NASB does a better job of translating something than the LSB, on the whole the changes made to the translation by the LSB translation team improve the work done in the NASB.

For example, in 1 Corinthians 1:28, compare the NASB and the LSB:

NASB: “and the base things of the world an the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,”

LSB: “and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may abolish the things that are,”

Only one word is different in these two translations: nullify (NASB) vs. abolish (LSB). Both words make sense, but the LSB translation is a more accurate rendering of the Greek verb.

Consider the next verse:

NASB: “so that no man may boast before God.”

LSB: “so that no flesh may boast before God.”

Once again, we find an identical translation except for one word, man (NASB) vs. flesh (LSB). The Greek word in question is the word Paul repeatedly uses to designate humanity as flesh, emphasizing our weakness and our fallenness. The NASB translation obscures the Greek noun, while the LSB brings out the important nuance that God is ensuring that no weak, fallen creatures of flesh may boast before Him.

We find these kinds of helpful changes throughout the LSB, which makes it a more accurate translation for those who want a window into the Hebrew and Greek text behind our English translations.

A second reason we are changing translations is that the LSB is often more readable than the NASB because it uses contemporary language rather than archaic terms. Take for example this comparison between Matthew 5:32:

NASB: “but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

LSB: “but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

The change is minor, updating “unchastity” to “sexual immorality,” but it is significant in that contemporary readers are more familiar with the LSB terminology than the NASB terminology. Other changes that make the LSB text seem more fresh and contemporary include replacing the term “brethren” with the term “brothers” in many places throughout the NT. Very few people today would use the word “brethren” in regular conversation, while the word “brothers” accurately and clearly conveys the meaning of the Greek term being translated.

Many modern translations are taking a different approach than the LSB and replacing words like “brethren” with the gender inclusive phrase “brothers and sisters.” One translation that has taken this unfortunate approach to bowing to political ideology rather than staying true to the Greek text is the NASB 2020 edition. Many people who use the NASB 1995 were excited to learn that an updated edition would be arriving to improve accuracy and readability, but we were quite disappointed to find that the NASB 2020 capitulated on the NASB’s commitment to literal translation independent of cultural mores.

The LSB, however, is the true NASB update. In fact, if the LSB had been called the NASB 2021 (since it came out in full that year), I think many readers of the NASB 1995 would have updated without a second thought. Another reason, then, that we are transitioning to the LSB is that it is the true successor to the NASB 1995, carrying on the legacy of that venerable translation so many of us have grown to love. As you can see from the examples above, the translations are almost identical, but where changes have been made, the changes are thoughtful and generally helpful improvements.

A fourth reason we are changing to the LSB is because of the translation of the divine name as Yahweh rather than as LORD. While I personally have no issues with how the NASB renders the OT name of God, especially since the NT translates it consistently as “Lord”, the translation can make some passages difficult for public reading of Scripture because it is not always clear to a listener what term is behind the word “Lord.” Take Psalm 110:1 as an example in the NASB:

“The LORD says to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

Now compare the LSB:

“Yahweh says to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.”

When listening to the NASB being read, it is difficult to discern that the word “Lord” in each instance has a different underlying Hebrew term. The LSB, however, makes this obvious by transliterating the divine name.

Here’s another example from Psalm 109:21:

NASB: “But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake; because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;”

LSB: “But as for You, O Yahweh, O Lord, deal with me for Your name’s sake; because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;”

Someone hearing the NASB read in a worship service would have no way to identify that the divine name is used in that verse since it is rendered “God.” In fact, the listener might even think that the word “Lord” referred to the divine name rather than to the title of Lord! In the LSB, all of that confusion evaporates because the divine name is transliterated. It becomes clear where the Psalmist has used God’s name when he apparels for Yahweh to deliver Him for His name’s sake.

Finally, we are switching to the LSB because, as a contemporary translation and the true successor to the NASB 1995, copies of the LSB are readily available and easy to find at nearly every price point. The NASB 1995, while still in production from certain publishers and available, is not as readily available as it once was, and I suspect that over time its availability will diminish as people move to the LSB, the NASB 2020, the ESV, or other more current translations. Because the LSB is a current translation being published by a biblically faithful and serious publishing house, it will be available for years to come.

We are excited to make this change in 2026! We know that some of you will also be eager to update your translation to match what we are using in our worship services. 316 Publishing has a special, limited time offer for the congregation of Desert Hills Bible Church to purchase copies of the LSB at a significant discount with free shipping. While we cannot publish that information publicly, you can contact the church office or visit the welcome tent on a Sunday morning to find out how you can order a new Legacy Standard Bible for the lowest price you will find anywhere.

We can’t wait to see how God continues to use His Word and bless it at Desert Hills as we seek to be relentlessly biblical in all we do, striving to honor Christ as we love Him, serve one another, and reach the world with the good news of salvation.