Is the Bible we have today the word of God?

“It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to Allah's will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers.”

“And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.”

“O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.”

Ehrman, who became a committed evangelical as a teenager and studied at Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton before his doctorate under Bruce Metzger at Princeton Theological Seminary, reports that more than 5,700 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament are known, besides about 10,000 in Latin. No two are exactly alike. Estimates of the differences among them run from 200,000 to 400,000 or more, so that there are more differences among the manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament. Most are immaterial slips such as spelling; some change the meaning of a passage. Most surviving copies are centuries later than the originals, and the earliest are few and mostly fragments.

The standard handbook on the text of the Hebrew Bible. The oldest complete Hebrew Bible that survives is the medieval Leningrad Codex (1008-1009 CE). The Scrolls show the scriptures circulating in several different text forms around the turn of the era. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs from the Jewish Masoretic text in about 6,000 places; the Greek Septuagint's Jeremiah is shorter than the Hebrew by about one-seventh and orders its chapters differently, and its Job is about a sixth shorter. The ages in the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 differ between the three texts, so their chronologies of the Flood and the creation differ by centuries.

The best-known evangelical statement on the Bible. It affirms that Scripture is without error in all it teaches, and that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the original manuscripts (the autographs), which no longer exist. Copies and translations are the word of God only so far as they faithfully represent the original.

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

“For there are three who testify:”

The English Revised Version (1881) and the American Standard Version (1901) removed the words about the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and the RSV, NASB, NIV, NRSV and ESV print verse 7 without them, some with a footnote. The critical Greek editions used by translators today (Nestle-Aland and the United Bible Societies' text) leave them out.

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”

On Mark 16:9-20, reports that the last twelve verses are absent from the two oldest Greek Bibles that survive in large part, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, and from other early witnesses; that Eusebius and Jerome state the verses were missing from almost all the Greek copies known to them; that some manuscripts carry a different, shorter ending instead; and concludes that the Gospel as we have it from the earliest evidence ends at 16:8.

“So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth–peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,”

“And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.”

“(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)”

This evangelical study Bible holds that Moses was the main author of the five books, but its introductions grant later hands. On Genesis it says some later editorial updating appears to be indicated, pointing to the notes on 14:14 and 36:31. On Numbers it says the book need not have come from Moses complete and in final form, that portions were probably added by later scribes or editors, and that the praise of Moses' humility in 12:3 would hardly convince if it came from his own mouth. On Deuteronomy it says the report of Moses' death in chapter 34 was almost certainly written by someone else.

The evangelical NIV Study Bible's introductions hold to the traditional authors, but grant that the books themselves do not name them. On Mark: there is no direct evidence inside the book of who wrote it; the name rests on the testimony of the early church. On Luke: the name of the writer does not appear in the book (it adds that other evidence points to Luke). On John: the apostle is not named anywhere in the Gospel, and the notes argue for him from that silence.

“And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.”

“But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.”

“Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.”

“Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.”

“And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Beth-lehemite slew Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.”

“And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare–oregim, a Beth–lehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.”

Printed editions of the King James Version set the words "the brother of" in this verse in italic type. The King James translators used italics for words they supplied that are not in the Hebrew. The words are taken from 1 Chronicles 20:5.

“And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.”

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

““ ‘How do you say, “We are wise, and Yahweh’s law is with us?” But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made that a lie.”

The best-known evangelical statement on the Bible. It affirms that Scripture is without error in all it teaches, and that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the original manuscripts (the autographs), which no longer exist. Copies and translations are the word of God only so far as they faithfully represent the original.

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

“But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard; they change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the message that was sent them, nor wilt thou cease to find them- barring a few - ever bent on (new) deceits: but forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds): for Allah loveth those who are kind.”

“Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.”

“To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;”

“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).”

“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”

Zayd ibn Thabit reports that after many who knew the Qur'an by heart were killed at Yamama, Abu Bakr asked him to gather the Qur'an into one volume, reminding him that he used to write down the revelation for the Messenger of Allah. Zayd collected it from written pieces and from the memories of men, and the finished copy passed from Abu Bakr to Umar and then to Hafsa.

Abu Hurayra reports that Gabriel went over the Qur'an with the Prophet (ﷺ) once every year, and twice in the year he died.