Every "new bible" for the past 40 yrs is marketed (hyped) as "easier to read, clearer,"
So that is just a shell game game to get this from you. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Way, way, way too cynical for me!!!!!!! Not everything that requires money is evil. Money is necessary to produce most anything. And Paul was happy that Christ was preached, regardless of the motive. Questioning someone's motives, particularly in getting out the word of God, is not something I'm interested in doing.
The issue is, they are not clearer, and instead they are doctrinally changed, they are missing verses, and contextual words are removed, and literally have become the end product of a liberal or even carnal belief system.
I've not found that to be the case. I've been a Christian every day of my life, and have read a lot of Bibles. I started reading the NIV when the NT version arrived in a nearby store back in the 70s. It never changed my doctrine with the exception that I didn't like a NT passage that suggested the Kingdom is advancing "forcefully." The passage should've read, in my opinion, "the Kingdom suffers violence."
This is small potatoes to me. Translators disagree sometimes, but they are to be praised for their difficult studies in language and Bible doctrine, etc. I don't think any version is perfect--not even the original one. Not even the authors of Scripture were perfect. But the truths they intended to convey were reliable and authoritative. God can use imperfect people to get HIs truth out.
I'm not looking for a perfect version--just a reliable one. And it is helpful to understand things properly when contemporary English is used, with respect to modern English speakers.
It is also inviting error to use outdated English which we don't use anymore. We can easily get the wrong idea about what is being stated. Word for word translations therefore are as subject to problems as modern versions that take liberties to commmunicate.
The NIV is the worst of the "new" versions, tho its not really new at this point, as its been around for a while.
If the English is changing, I would encourage newer versions that communicate better. Older English invites misunderstanding.
But for study purposes I think something closer to word for word is less subject to misunderstanding and error for the serious student. I personally use, for the NT, Greek-English parallel readings, tied to my NIV Bible. I also have Concordances that tie both OT and NT words to my NIV Bible.
There are plenty of reference works for students tied to the KJV online. I think they are all good.