The Douay Rheims Bible could really use an update

Hold your horses, trads, I’m not suggesting that we get rid of the archaic language or anything like that (in fact, I actually find the Douay Rheims easier to read than the King James Version, I use the KJV a lot because of how well known it is).  It’s just that, in certain areas, much of it seems to have different numbering than most modern Bibles.

Of course, I understand that the Douay Rheims, in the Psalms, follows the Septuagint numbering. (Comparison of Enumeration of the Psalms in the Book of Divine Worship and in the Vulgate).   I have a proposal for that.  Keep the Septuagint numbering in brackets, but, use the same numbering as most modern Bibles (like the 2nd Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version).  As the technological aspects of putting a picture in here escape me, I’ll post some links. 

I also think some of the Douay Rheims names on some books can be problematic to modern readers. 

Like, for instance, I don’t think most people are going to know what a Paralipomomenon is. (Yeah, I'm not spelling that, again)

And some people, might be wondering why there’s a 4 Kings. (4 Kings)  And keep in mind, these are just protocanonical books.  I could see it being really easy for Protestants to mistake these for “Extra books”, without knowing them by their common name (it’s also a huge pain when I want to look up a verse, and have to remember what 2 Chronicles is called in the Douay Rheims).   Or the fact that Ezra and Nehemiah are called 1 Esdras and 2 Esdras (Douay Rheims 2 Esdras), as there are actually apocryphal books in the original King James Bible with the same names (2 Esdras KJV) (and, it must be admitted, historically were called 3 and 4 Esdras by Christians)

And yes my bed as no sheet on it, deal with it (I tend to toss and turn when I sleep, so, there WAS a sheet).

As an alternative, maybe we could put the other names in Parenthesis at the beginning, and use the common name for the header (I am not talking about Latinised prophet names, I think most people can figure out who Isaias is)  I know some people might have an issue with this, due to some weird belief that this somehow makes it less important, but, I don’t think that’s the case at all. 

The Douay Rheims is a great Bible, though, not without its flaws. (Uncomfortable Facts about the Douay-Rheims, Douay Rheims’ Distinctive Translation of 1 Corinthians 15:51) The truth is, there is NO perfect version of the Bible in English.  The King James Version and the Douay Rheims, both have wonderful elegance to them, and it’s a shame the Douay Rheims isn’t more well known.  But, say, if you’re going to use it as an evangelistic tool (and I know people from King James Onlyist backgrounds that convert to Catholicism, often love it), we’re going to have to fix those things about it. 

I didn’t even mention the numbering on John 6.  The verses are the same, but the numbering in the Douay Rheims always seems to be about one off from where I’m used to.  I would support updating that.

Use the Douay Rheims, love it, memorize it.  But, until there’s an update available that uses modern names and numbering, you may want to have another Bible handy. (And yes, I am aware there are some explanatory notes in some versions, but, y'all, not everyone is going to read that)