There are many ways to express an idea, a promise or a truth. Especially
when you take into account our ever changing language.
Thats one reason why there are so many translations, language changes
so the Bible must be retranslated regularly to keep up with the language in
common use. I, for one, have no problem with that.

I have read a quite a few translations and I am prepared to conclude
that if its not a "paraphrased translation" then you can rely on all of them.
Paraphrased versions need to carefully considered because
they are a written interpretation of what the writer thinks it means.
Literal translations are written to express the orriginal in the language of today.

3 rules for reading the bible
1) Keep in mind the context.
2) Let the bible interpret itself, steer clear of your own interpretations.
3) Prayer for understanding/guidance.

As CrisTodd says there are a multitude of types, shadows, similtudes, figures etc. So many in fact, that they are far too intricately interwoven to be the work of a single human writer let alone the number of actual writers involved.