Which translation is the most literal?

No translation is a truly literal translation. There is just no such thing. But some are more literal, more formal equivalent than others. Differences are a matter of degree. Now here you can see some of the most common translations available today. Formal equivalent versions would be versions like the King James Version, the New King James, the New American Standard, the English Standard, the New Revised Standard Version. Functional equivalents would be the Good News Translation, New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, God’s Word Translation. And then mediating versions would be versions like the NIV, the New American Bible (a Roman Catholic translation), the Holman Christian, the New English Translation or NET Bible, and the Common English Bible.

All versions lie on a continuum from more literal—from very literal to very idiomatic. Probably the most literal of the commonly available versions today is the New American Standard Bible. The most idiomatic would be maybe the Common or the Contemporary English Version.

Strauss, Mark L. 2014. BI181 Introducing Bible Translations. Logos Mobile Education. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.