Which translation of the Bible is best?

This is my contribution to a discussion on which translation of the Bible is best:

First of all, it should be acknowledged that the term "Bible translation" is fraudulent, as it implies that there is a "Bible" somewhere that is being translated. In reality, every "Bible" is an original work. It should be discussed as "Bible creation." If I am mistaken on this point, then please show me where the original "Bible" exists?

The creation of a Bible involves first selecting the various sources that will be added "eye of newt" style to the cauldron. Everyone does this a bit differently. Personally, for NT study, my "perfect Bible" would be LXX based, since that is clearly the standard OT of the NT writers. And it would include the "Apocrypha."

I would despair of attempting to establish a pre-Catholic canon and adopt the current list of NT books that the Catholics originally adopted (minus the Letter of Paul to the Laodiceans).

As to the NT manuscripts, I would have to settle for Westcott-Hort's eclectic mish-mash.

Now, with my manuscripts settled (all in Greek) I would get to work on my new work of translating.

My point is that the translation job only begins AFTER you have created your Bible, and it will not be "THE Bible" - only YOUR "Bible."

Then I would proceed largely as the NET Bible does, and take my best shot at it and supply a wealth of footnotes. Any words I added would be bracketed.

So my favorites are thus:

* KJV - because what I have memorized, I have memorized in the KJV

* NET Bible, because it has documented the decisions that they have made

* the Anchor Bible, because each book is translated by a top scholar of that book exegetically, rather than in service to Catholic or Protestant prejudice

But ultimately, none of the existing "translations" are terribly useful to me, since they are based on the Massoretic text, following Jerome.

If, on the other hand, I wanted a translation of "the Bible" and accepted the historic definition of "the Bible" then I would have to go with the Douay Rhiems version, since "the Bible" is the invention of the Catholic Church and it is by Papal decree that the Latin text, the Vulgate, is the only authoritative text, or "Bible."