It’s sad that so many people are locked into the KJV translation of the bible because there are so many issues with it (not the least of which is that it’s just hard to understand).

Well, true. For actually understanding the bible, I agree that a modern scholarly translation such as NRSV or REB is what you need. But for the bits you already know -- John 1, 1 Corinthians 13 -- nothing can touch KJV. Even though I'm not a believer any more, I still rate KJV as a gigantic human achievement. I can't stand dumbed-down bibles such as (the very popular and expertly-marketed) GNB or (worst of all) the Life Application Bible.

Peter