John 8:58 as found in most translations ("Before Abraham was, I AM") violates all of the above points IMHO. It especially is suspect in that it violates English rules of grammar in translation (point 3 above). Dr. Jason BeDuhn explains in a little more detail why such a translation is nonsense (Bedhun, Truth in Translation, University , p. 107-108) :"At least it can be agreed that any translation, in order to be considered good, should satisfy three requirements : (1) It should handle textual matters in an informed and responsible way. (2) It's exegesis of the original texts should be theologically unbiased. (3) It's language should be contemporary, it should conform to normal English usage."
And"On the matter of word order, normal English follows the structure we all learned in elementary school: subject + verb + object or predicate phrase. The order of the Greek in John 8:58 is: predicate phrase + subject + verb. So it is the most basic step of translation to move the predicate phrase 'Before Abraham came to be' (prin Abraam genesthai) from the beginning of the sentence to the end, after the subject and verb. Just as we do not say 'John I am' or 'Hungry I am' or 'first in line I am,' so it is not proper English to say 'Before Abraham came to be I am.'.. It is ungrammatical English for something referred to with a present 'am' to occur earlier in time than something described with a past 'came to be.' "
The original is fine, idiomatic Greek : πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί."Separating 'I AM' off as if it were meant to stand alone is an interpretive sleight-of-hand , totally distorting the role the phrase plays in the whole sentence, either in the Greek Septuagint version of Exodus 3:14 or in John 8:58. .. Think about it. If 'I AM' was a separate quote, there would be no subject or main verb to go with 'before Abraham came to be' "
To translate this pearl of a verse into what can at best and charitably speaking , be described as "pidgin", is to rend it into pieces.
I think professor BeDuhn's translation is reasonable : "..I have been since before Abraham came to be." (Truth In Translation, p. 106)
C.B. Williams's translation is also apt: "..I existed before Abraham was born."
(The New Testament translation by C.B. Williams)