I want to read the Bible

King James Version
The answers to both of your questions are yes, though the New Testament specifically will enlighten you in this manner--to further meme your shit up, pick up Lattimore's translation of the New Testament. Ganbare senpai

KJV is a meme in this day and age. There are better translations that are more accurate and even some that are as "pretty": the NRSV is highly regarded, and the RSV and ESV are known for their prettiness.

I'll also vouch for the Good News Translation as a highly accurate translation that's not quite as literal, made for the purpose of being easy to read. You don't need to make it your main text, but if you're ever scratching your head, it's available.

IMO, if you want a good estimate of each translation's power, you should read the Book of Esther and weigh up each translations' strengths/weaknesses. Esther is a fairly short, mostly self-contained story (which also doesn't mention God). Here, the KJV easily stands out as being a pain to read and its prose comes across as clunky more often than not.

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As for reading it as a philosophical text...you mostly can. Even in the Old Testament, one of the biggest lessons (even if it's not spelled out) is to not forget your past or your ancestors -- because the ways that they fucked up are things that you can avoid.

And there's the Book of Job, which, if you read in all its glory is....difficult to pierce. It's an interesting philosophical text, although not very satisfying from a narrative perspective.

>>8707926
KJV has to be read aloud to be properly appreciated. it's not a meme any more than Shakespeare; just because the English is old fashioned now doesn't stop it being a timeless example of great writing in English.

>>8707888
>What's a good copy of the Bible to read?
I feel that Jerusalem Bible is a great edition with a lot of useful annotations and is translated directly from Greek and Hebrew.
>Also, is it fair to approach it as a philosophical text, i.e. it will teach me about a certain way to live my life
No, it is completely pointless. The whole moral axiom is submitting one self to the will of God.

If you are going to go for it, I suggest reading the whole thing. Yes, I know that the NT contains all the more modern and compassionate wisdom as we understand it, but it's the understanding of how the tenets went from a strict observance of the letter of the law to a more practical, free, and love-influenced philosophy while keeping the underlying paradigms what's really fascinating.

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>>8707888
ESV, it's one of the more accurate (word-for-word) translations while not being awful to read. NASB is another good one if you want something a little more literal. KJV sucks, it's only maybe worth reading for the historical significance.

Used to be a huge Christfag, I've been meaning to read it again now that I'm not.