For reading, I like the English Standard Version ['ESV']. Kind of splits the difference between erudition and enjoyability.
KJV is cool for the Cormac McCarthy-esque prose [strike that, reverse it], sounds great when declaimed, but it is kind of a chore to machete through as a reader.
There are so many variants these days, it's not unlike choosing a Linux distro
Yeah, ESV and NIV (new international version) are pretty solid. Also the NKJV (new king james version) is a good one.
http://bible.com has ~60 english versions and a way to show 2 in parallel if you want to compare a few. http://biblegateway.com lets you look at 5 at a time... I thought I remembered one that let you do arbitrary number, but I can't find that one.
KJV is cool for the Cormac McCarthy-esque prose [strike that, reverse it], sounds great when declaimed, but it is kind of a chore to machete through as a reader.
There are so many variants these days, it's not unlike choosing a Linux distro