The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Augmented Third Edition, New Revised Standard Version

by Michael D. Coogan (Editor), Joseph Blenkinsopp (Contributor), M. Eugene Boring (Contributor)

Book by

Genres: Religion, Reference, Christianity, Theology, Classics, History, Philosophy

2048 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Michael David Coogan is Director of Publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum and Professor of Religious Studies at Stonehill College. For several decades, he has taught an introductory course on the Hebrew Scriptures at Harvard University, as well as at Wellesley College, Boston College, and Stonehill College. One of the leading biblical scholars in the United States, he is the author of The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures, and editor of the acclaimed third edition of The New Oxford Annotated Bible.

Reviews

[Dylan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was terrible. The characters are two dimensional, the plot is all over the place and the author can't keep his story straight. Then halfway through they just introduce a new protagonist out of nowhere who dies within 4 chapters and they spend the rest of the book trying to work out what his deal was.

Genesis and Numbers are a huge yawn fest, I'm not even sure what the lengthy genealogies and census information had to do with the fisherman because everybody dies in the end anyway.

This book is huge. Oh my god, it's soo long. I thought Lord of the Rings was big. The only consolation is that it's so big and heavy my wife sometimes uses it to press flowers, which is fine by me because I wouldn't lend this book to anyone.

[Kay]

I wanted to preface this by saying I'm going to be reading the Bible and Qur'an parallel to each other for academic and philosophical reasons. I've been interested in Abrahamic religions and want to start somewhere. In no way am I doing this for religious reasons, but purely because I want to understand theism. I was raised in a pseudo-Christian setting where on the surface level, everyone pretended to be Christian but really were undecided and ultimately didn't think.

I also don't think it's fair to read something that dissects principles from specific religions before I am familiarised by the text itself.

I'm agnostic and way more spiritual - in fact I'm more in tune with the spiritual ancestry of my Maori forefathers and believe in the interconnectedness of humanity. I'm incredibly tired of being shunned from discourse of theism due to Christian family saying I know nothing of the Bible and Qur-an - and thus cannot defend Islamic individuals or criticise Christian ones in their eyes

After consulting Abrahamic religions I will move onto others. I come from a country with a melting pot of religious beliefs, from ancestry worship, to Hinduism to Christianity etc. South Africa definitely benefits you in that way.

I'm definitely open to people's thoughts - I'm more interested here in the psychology and archetypes of religion than the content itself - I'm not here to indulge people who wish to convert me to anything, but I don't mind hearing your ideas on teachings at all.. If you engage me on the basis of conversion I will not indulge you, but whether you are religious or not and wish to discuss and challenge any of my thoughts, please feel free.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What did I NOT learn from this book?

This is the version of the Bible that I now use, and of the Bibles I have owned, it is the most useful. There are a number of essays at the beginning and end of the book, color maps, timelines, and all sorts of other information. Each chapter of the Bible is preceded by an introduction, placing the writing in a historical context. There are extensive footnotes on every page, explaining unfamiliar words and concepts, citing other scriptures where the ideas in the current verse appear, and commenting upon the scripture itself. It is also handy to have the Apocrypha. I do a good bit of teaching, and, trust me, I am no Bible scholar. I simply don't think I could get up in front of a group of people and intelligently discuss the Bible if I did not have this book.

[Karen Locklear · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." -- Paul Simon

Anyway . . .

This is what I like about The New Oxford Annotated Bible:

1. At the beginning of each book, you get a very detailed, literary, historical, and theological criticism. This is useful in understanding the context, which is imperative when reading The Bible appropriately.

2. The footnotes are incredible. It goes into explanation of word choices and translational issues.

3. Holds The Apocrypha, something I've never studied before.

This version of The Bible is great for anyone who is interested in the actual study of the book as opposed to just getting angry and saying stuff like "it's mysogynistic, homophobic, and obviously a work of fiction". Thumpers might want to stay away as well. You might not like your own version The Truth, either . . .

[Monzer ۞ مُنذِر · Rating 3 out of 5]

الكتاب المقدس ....
او بالانجليزي the holy bible .
للمسلمين : من يتبع هذا الكتاب يسمون "أهل الكتاب".
أريد أن اوضح قبل أي شيء ؛ شيئا مهما غاب عن معظم المسلمين :
- الكتاب المقدس ليس "الانجيل"
أولا : ان الكتاب المقدس ينقسم الى قسمين : العهد القديم والعهد الجديد .
العهد القديم يتألف من كتب التوراة الخمسة : التي ينسبها اليهود والنصارى الى النبي موسى عليه السلام .
وكتب الأنبياء أيضا وكتب المزامير التي يعتقد أنها هي نفسها "الزبور" التي نؤمن ان الله اوحاها الى النبي داود عليه السلام . وكما أنها تحتوي على عدة كتب من نوع آخر ؛ مثل كتب النبوءات وكتب التاريخ ؛ ومعظم البروتستانت الجدد يعدون العهد القديم بأنه كتاب تاريخ فقط ؛ ويقول بعضهم بعدم حجيته لانه من القانون "الموسوي" وأن العهد الجديد ألغى هذا القانون ، اللهم الا الوصايا العشر المشهورة في الوسطين المسيحي واليهودي .
العهد القديم طبعا يحتوي على عدد كبير جدا من الكتب وهي التي تشكل معظم الفلسفات "الاسرائيلية" (أي التي نسميها بالاسرائيليات" .
● العهد القديم هو كتاب مشترك لدى اليهود والنصارى .
"الانجيل" حسب ما جاءنا من القرآن ؛ هو الكتاب الذي أوحى به الله عز وجل للرسول عيسى عليه السلام . بالرغم من الجدل الواسع جدا عن الانجيل "الحقيقي" الذي تكلم به القرآن ؛ الا أنه لن يكون الانجيل الموجود في الكتاب المقدس .
حقيقة هو ليس انجيل واحد فقط ؛ بل بعد مجمع نيقية*1 في مجمع روما تم تقرير أن الاناجيل الاربعة :" مرقس ؛ متى ؛ يوحنا ؛ لوقا " هي الاناجيل الرسمية للكتاب المقدس ؛ وتم الاعتماد عليها اولى كتب العهد الجديد .
العهد الجديد طبعا ليس فقط الاناجيل الاربعة ، بل أيضا توجد كتب "الرسل " وهي الكتب الذي أرسلها "بولس" لنشر دعوته الى بعض المدن . لن أتكلم عن قصة تحريفه للمسيحية أو أية أشياء اخرى واحاول قدر الامكان أن ابقي الريفيو موضوعيا .
*1 مجمع نيقية : في عام 325 ميلادي ؛ قام به الامبراطور الروماني قسطنطين ؛ بعد دخوله الديانة المسيحية ، واعلان الامبراطورية الرومانية امبراطورية مسيحية ؛ طبعا ثلاثة قرون كانت كفيلة في صنع اختلافات مذهبية بين المسيحيين الجدد .
من احدى الخلافات التي كانت سببا رئيسيا لعقد المؤتمر هي طبيعة عيسى ؛ هل هو ناسوت أم لاهوت أم كليهما أم ماذا؟
آريوس أحد الاباء كان مساندا لفكرة أن الله "الاب" هو الاله ، أما المسيح فليس له طبيعة لاهوتية ، بالمقابل الاب الكسندر الاول كان له عكس الفكرة .وقال بأن طبيعة المسيح لاهوتية .
والمجمع أدى الى انتصار فكرة الكسندر الاول بالاجماع ورفض فكر آريوس .
بعد ذلك تشكل مجمع القسطنطينية ومجمع افسس الاول والثاني والذين شكلوا معظم الايمان المسيحي .
ادت عديد من المجمعات الى اعتماد الاناجيل الاربعة وحرق باقي الكتب التي نسبت الى المسيح ثم تم اكتشافهما في مخطوطات قديمة كانجيل برنابا المثير للجدل وانجيل يهوذا و توما الخ ....
تطور الكتاب المقدس وتشكلت النسخ العديدة له "من الترجمات" . تختلف طبيعة الترجمات حسب المذهب ؛ فالكاثوليك مثلا يختلف عندهم عدد الكتب من البروتستانت .
واما نسخة ال rsv فهي نسخة خاصة بالبروتستانت .
الكتاب المقدس كتاب ضخم جدا من حيث عدد الصفحات ؛ واريد التوضيح لكي لا اكذب بانني لم انهه 100% ،،
واسأل الله الهداية ؛ والحمدلله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله.

[Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one should own a bible.

If you must, use this one. It's rather well translated and the notes are excellent.

A warning- keep out of the reach of children and the gullible.

[Furiosalizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far my favorite translation, and it's filled with historical and linguistic footnotes. Large and unwieldy, sure, but this is an excellent reference for lay(wo)men and students alike.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i skipped a few sections, but it was decent. lots of inconsistencies, continuity errors, etc. some nice poetry. would recommend to others who like scifi and fantasy.

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW OF THE Kindle EDITION

Now for simple reading pleasure, instead of The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha, I do in fact still very much prefer the King James Bible, which we actually read at school for grade seven English (the Old Testament) and for grade eight English (the New Testament) and thus in the early 1980s. But I also and really do have to wonder if in today's world, reading the King James Bible in a secular type of school setting would even be deemed as acceptable and as appropriate (although indeed, our perusal in English class was always completely and totally based on seeing and approaching the King James Bible as a work of literature, as a work of fiction, and not ever as religious dogma).

However, for translation accuracy and for all of the enlightening and delightful supplementals included, The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha truly and utterly presents itself as an amazing and academically sound treasure trove of information and details, with myself especially appreciating the inclusion of geographical maps, the various essays on Biblical textual criticism, the multiple interpretations of the Bible over the millennia, questions of Biblical geography and culture, and finally not to mention that I also have always wanted to own a copy of the Bible which included both the Apocrypha as well as those holy books that only appear in Greek and Slavonic Bibles. Highly recommended is the oh so wonderfully inclusive and all encompassing The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha (but of course also more something rather specialised and for a particular type of reader). And yes, the only reason why am am granting not five but only four stars to The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha is that trying to find specific Bible passages using the Kindle version (using this here version) of The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha is definitely not all that easy and sometimes indeed rather majorly frustrating (although I must say that considering that I do know how heavy and ridiculously unportable the non e-book version of The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha is, I am most certainly totally pleased to have, to own, the Kindle edition).

[P. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ref Kindle version

This is my favourite translation of the Bible and also my preferred study Bible but the kindle edition is what I am referring to in this review. The thing about it that in my view makes it almost unusable is the lack of ease when it comes to trying to find a passage. Having to go to the beginning of the book and then proceed by page flipping until the required passage is not good enough. When many other Bibles can have links to each chapter within a book this one should be able to so as well. If this was updated my review would become a 5 star one

[Sasha]

Okay, this is the correct version of the New Testament. This one right here.

[Michael Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

reasonably solid modern translation

[Benjamin Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

February 2012 I set out to read the Bible in one year. I felt that I had probably read the whole thing, almost certainly the New Testament, but with-out the context or continuity. I added an extra 3 months to add the Apocrypha. I started out using the NIV and the King James. After a couple of months I added this edition of the NRSV, after a few more months I was reading this version exclusively. I even purchased a second copy so that I could keep one at work and one at home making it easier to keep up on the daily reading schedule.

I have read some negative comments complaining of historical inaccuracies and continuity problems in this work. Talk about missing the point! The Bible Is truly a monumental achievement of literature (and to many of us) of spirituality. It begs to be appreciated on either level or even better on both. Other classical works of literature (Homer, Beowulf, Gilgamesh and The Arabian Nights amongst others), history (Herodotus, Thucydides, Eusebius, Plutarch all come mind), philosophy (Plato, Aristotle) and religion (Koran and Bhagavad-Gita) display similar inconsistencies yet we would be at best considered intellectually deficient to reject these works. At worst we would be seen as culturally insensitive.

It seems that often in the Western tradition the Bible is held to a different standard. As with the other great works it was written by man. Never mind the argument that if it were divinely inspired it would be "perfect." If you you believe in divine inspiration, you can imagine rationalizations providing for God to leave it imperfect. If you don't believe, well, you get what you have.

I heard someone say in my youth that even if the Bible is not the divine word of God, it is still the best guide going to living your life. While it may be difficult to see this is the Old Testament, it does serve to establish a context for the "new" message of the New Testament.

What I liked: The historical essays leading off each book, section and Athens are simply outstanding. Many I read multiple times. Only word of warning here is that hey we obviously written by different authors. Occasionally they do conflict or offer repetitive information. Over-all, I found these essays critical in understanding what I was reading from both a historical and literary perspective. Likewise, the notes accompanying the text are thorough, enlightening and informative. Also I came away with a new appreciation for the wisdom and literature in some of the minor Old Testament books and even more so the Apocrypha.

What I didn't like: The text itself was definitely more challenging than the NIV (though probably less than the King James). I am no expert on translating but I understand that NRSV is leans more towards the literal side of the continuum than the interpretive perhaps explaining the "thicker" text. I found that with the NRSV I needed to work harder on focusing my attention.

Over-all it was a great experience and for me personally, a worthwhile endeavor. I would highly recommend if you haven't already undertaken a similar project that you consider doing so.

[Michael Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

English Bible translations fall somewhere along a continuum between a woodenly literal rendition and a free, or liberal, style. An example of the former is the venerable King James Version with its flowery 17th-c. language, and the modern-sounding "The Message," as rendered by its translator, Eugene Peterson. The present work is an attempt to update the RSV. On the above-referenced continuum it falls between the KJV and the New International Version (NIV), the latter an attempt to strike a judicious balance between word-for-word literalism and a paraphrase.
The NRSV is annotated, supposedly for the college, or serious, Bible student. The notes are generally accurate, but tend to overly lean on current theological fads. One example is where the scholarly literary critical methods for determining the authors of the biblical books (Moses, David, Paul, etc.) trump the historical Church consensus. It appears this is decided solely on the basis of "scholarly weight" rather than actual facts - a sadly common fault in today's culture. Recommended, but with reservations.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me THREE years to read this bible. And I read all of it. All the annotations, the introductions and even the essays at the end. And you can too if you just read a few chapters every morning on the way to work. :)
The notes were great and the introductions and essays were fascinating. I highly recommend this bible for the purpose I used it for: historical interest.

[Lucy DeFrancesco]

its the bible. im not rating it.

[W Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful annotated edition of a wonderful Bible translation!

Like the ESV (a longtime favorite of mine), the NRSV is a descendant of the RSV, belonging on the formal equivalence end of the translation spectrum. However, the NRSV uses gender neutral language more often than does the ESV, and it is less tied to previous traditions of translation. For example, whereas the ESV keeps the classic rendering of Psalm 23 - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. … I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever" - the NRSV rendering of Psalm 23:4 is: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil. ... I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long." Similarly for Genesis 1, the ESV has, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters," whereas the NRSV has, "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters." While in many cases I remain fond of the more traditional translations, the NRSV attempts to be more exact and faithful to the original text, and that makes it helpful for personal study (though not necessarily for liturgical use).

The notes in the New Oxford Annotated Bible are invaluable. In the past my study Bibles have all had a major element of interpretation to them, overlaying centuries of Jewish and Christian theological reflection onto the text. In general the New Oxford Annotated Bible avoids this sort of interpretation, focusing instead on drawing out the historical context, linguistics, and literary structure of the text. The lack of interpretative commitment makes this Bible ideal for "secular" study, which I am really enjoying! It also makes it as ecumenical as possible - almost any Christian tradition can feel comfortable using this Bible. As a major bonus, this Bible comes complete with the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals - including books that do not appear in the Catholic Bible but do appear in the Greek and Russian Orthodox Bibles. Reading these has been a fascinating experience, and I suspect that over time they will increase my overall understanding of and appreciation for the Bible as a whole.

[Karianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could have given this half a star I would have. On top of multiple historical inaccuracies most of what is written has been proven to have belonged to previously existing religious cultures such as the Norse, Druid, and Egyptian people. I must admit though, after reading it through the first time and vomiting, I went back the second time from a non-biased point of view and looked at it in a professional capacity and can easily see how it led to the bloodiest, most violent culture in human history. Unfortunately I still can't see how decent, normal, intelligent people can fall for what is inside it's far too numerous pages.

[Peyton]

No rating since I don't rate religious texts out of respect, but I really liked this edition. It was my first time reading the New Testament through (I read the Old Testament in a different book, The Jewish Study Bible) and I think this edition does a great job of providing the right amount of information--the annotations are helpful and easy to access without being overwhelming. I also thought the translation was easy to understand without being too simplistic. I haven't read any other edition of the Bible (besides what they gave us in religious ed when I was a kid) so I can't compare, but I would recommend this one!

[Chris Sosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Bible on the market for students and those in need of a biblical reference source. Scholarly introductions, comprehensive annotation, and the addition of little known apocryphal material make this NRSV Bible a stellar choice among the crowded market of often sub-par biblical versions and translations.

[sch · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Apr. Using for a "read the Bible in two years" plan. By mid-May, I've finished the essays and reference materials in the back of the volume, and they are a model of scholarly compression and clear communication; very helpful. 2022 Feb, finished. Skipping the Apocrypha.

2018. Think I'll reread the introductory essays.

2013. Reading introductions and browsing notes (using NIV for main text).

[Andrew Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best presentation of Bible seen so far. A plenty of commentary, maps and explanatory notes. The great reference for all who are trying to uncover the secrets of its sacred books. The only problem is a thin cigarette paper to accommodate all that information in a single volume.

[sologdin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer this translation politically, the James aesthetically, and the Geneva for literary history (i.e. to tie to Marlowe, Shakespeare, et al.).

[Jesi]

One of my 2024 resolutions was to read the entire Bible, which somehow I had never done, despite growing up in a “we go to church at least three times a week” tradition and also attending a church-affiliated college, where I’m sure the entire Bible was assigned reading. I’m happy to say that I achieved that goal! I’m not sure it’s even possible to ~rate and review the Bible~, but I do have many, many thoughts about it, some of which seem worth writing down. So here I give you: my Bible Superlatives! (Disclaimer: My intention here is to engage with the Bible as literature. I’m not trying to get into matters of Biblical authority or exegesis.)

Favorite book: Ruth. I’ve liked this one ever since I first encountered it in my teen years. It’s about two women who love each other– the widow Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi– strategizing their way through difficult and dangerous circumstances and, amazingly, coming out ok in the end. It is exceedingly rare for women in the Bible to serve as main characters *and* for nothing terrible to happen to them, but not only do we have that in Ruth, we also have a case where a woman uses her sexuality to her benefit and is actually rewarded for it. (Esther meets this standard, too, but she does have to essentially go through The Bachelorette: Persia in order to attain power, and she does so at the expense of Queen Vashti, who is deposed because she didn’t want to be trotted out in front of the king and his friends at a boozy banquet. And, crucially, she has to risk her own life in order to avert a genocide. It’s a great story, but kind of dark when you think about it!)

Least favorite books: Joshua and Judges. There are a couple of compelling stories in these books (see Jael in Judges 4-5), but for the most part, they manage to be both violent and boring in equal measure.

Most challenging books: Pretty much all prophecy. There’s so much going on in these books that can’t be taken at face value, and I just don’t have the historical knowledge to understand them without a lot of help from commentaries. I was pretty amused, though, by moments in the prophetic books where some wild vision is described, and then explained, and the explanation makes no more sense than the vision did in the first place. As an example, see Zechariah 4:

The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as one is wakened from sleep. He said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And by it there are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.’ I said to the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these, my lord?’ Then the angel who talked with me answered me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ I said, ‘No, my lord.’ He said to me . . .‘These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.’ Then I said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?’ And a second time I said to him, ‘What are these two branches of the olive trees, which pour out the oil through the two golden pipes?’ He said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ I said, ‘No, my lord.’ Then he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.’

See? I guess I now know what the vision means, but… what does it mean, you know??

Most underrated book: Philemon. What a fascinating book! Onesimus is an enslaved person who has run away from his enslaver, Philemon. Somewhere along the way, Onesimus meets the apostle Paul, and as Paul is writing this letter, the two are in prison together. Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon, along with this letter, which urges reconciliation: “If you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” There are so many questions here, about the circumstances that led to the writing of this letter, Paul’s intentions, etc. That’s true about all of the epistles, I guess, but the subject matter here is, to me, far more interesting than what you find in the others.

Book I thought I would like but didn’t: Proverbs. This one is not meant, in any way, to be read straight through. Doing that is like reading all the greeting cards at Target in one sitting.

Book I didn’t think I would like but did: Acts. I had read surprisingly little of Acts before this, and I always assumed it would be boring. You mean you’re going to pick up where the gospels left off, but without Jesus, the main character of this entire exercise? Snooooore. Well, I was incorrect! Reading about what the early church was up to was fascinating, actually! To be honest, maybe this was my favorite book.

Favorite Gospel: I gotta hand it to John for being just so totally different from the other three (and for giving us a portrayal of Jesus that I frankly find a little scary), but I have a special affection for Mark and its “This happened, then this happened, end of story, what do you want from me??” tone.

Most disturbing passage: Judges 19- Remember how I said it was super common in the Bible for terrible things to happen to women? Well, this story takes the cake. This is honestly one of the most disturbing things I’ve read anywhere, and I still have no idea what to make of it.

Most relatable passage: John 6:60. This is right after the feeding of the five thousand, when Jesus is giving his “I am the bread of life” sermon. The passage goes: “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’” and let me tell you, I FEEL THAT.

(It turns out that by “difficult,” the disciples mean “offensive;” they’re taking Jesus’ “eat my flesh and drink my blood” talk literally, and are understandably grossed out and concerned about this obvious violation of Jewish law. So this passage doesn’t really mean what I’m cheekily suggesting it does, but I’m sure you can see why I found it humorous.)

Most iconic passage: Revelation 21: 1-6.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’
And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”

To me, this is the climax of the entire Bible, and honestly some of the most beautiful writing in the whole thing. Incidentally, I read this right on the heels of Ecclesiastes, whose whole vibe is “all is vanity, and there is nothing new under the sun” – quite the contrast with “See, I am making all things new.”

Passage I’d most like to cross-stitch onto a pillow: Psalm 104: 14-15.

“You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to use,
to bring forth food from the earth,
and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
and bread to strengthen the human heart.”

[Kenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

pretty good translation

[bia]

i don’t even know how i would rate this…

read for a class (not everything) the torah and most of the old testament + 2 gospels (mark & john), acts, romans and revelations from the new testament

shout out to tobit for being the most insane story & jael for being the baddest b*tch!

[natasha]

Genesis, Exodus, Samuel 1&2, Psalms, Numbers 2, Isaiah, Amos, Ezekiel, Jonah, Job, 2 Maccabees, Gospels of Matthew and John, Book of Revelation, Paul's Epistles.

Did not enjoy reading but glad to have read.

[Nate Bringhurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This year my church has been focusing on the Old Testament. I've been taking more of a deep dive this year than usual and have been doing my reading (most of it, anyway) with a few different versions rather than my usual King James version. My man, Dan McClellan, who is the scripture translation supervisor for the LDS Church, recommended most of these. The other one Jeffrey R. Holland is reading this year (The New Oxford Annotated Bible), so I decided to grab a copy of that as well. My ratings are more on the commentary/translation rather than the bible itself. We all know that is 5 stars. They're ordered from favorite to least favorite.

NRSV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Hardcover, Comfort Print: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture : 5 stars. Straight cash, homies. Not only great commentary but really gives you the context of the scriptures by setting up historical settings, customs, etc. And pictures, charts, maps, etc. Not just at the beginning of the book. But has sections on certain topics as you read. Really liked that.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version : 5 stars. Enjoyed the commentary and also the historical context here as well. The best structure and really liked that they included the Apocrypha.

The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary : 4 stars. This one was too academic for my taste and over my head at times. I felt like understanding at least some basic Hebrew might have given me more of an appreciation of his commentary. And it did get pretty nit-picky at times.

The Jewish Study Bible: Featuring the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation : 4 stars. Pretty good commentary. Some of it left me confused. And a lot of it was more of a summary rather than commentary. But some good stuff here.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've collected and discarded countless study Bibles over the past twenty years, from topical, devotional Bibles like the Life Application to hardcore scholarly Bibles like the NOAB 2nd Edition, and almost everything in between. A few years ago, I settled on the Catholic NAB for its rigorous--and surprisingly fair--notes and commentary, and for its valuable apocrypha. That Bible, however, suffers from a very slack, lackluster translation.

The 4th edition of the NOAB is, in my opinion, the very best study Bible available in English. The NRSV translation is excellent and literary. The notes and essays exhibit stupendous, fearless scholarship, without imposing itself on the biblical text (the NOAB team has wisely backed away from political correctness in favor of letting the Bible speak for itself). The theological commentary is as helpful as it can be without being biased. Rather than offering a single theological viewpoint, for example, different viewpoints of historical importance are offered, and the reader is allowed to choose which, if any, viewpoint seems most sensible. Again, the NOAB team lets the Bible speak for itself, from the times in which it was written, and help us read the Bible on its own terms, rather than imposing *our* terms upon it.

This is perhaps the ultimate English study Bible for thinking persons and fearless believers. Although I treasure my old KJV and Rheimes-Douay, the NOAB 4th Edition is the best biblical investment I've ever made. If I'd had this Bible twenty years ago, I need never to have bought another.

Note: I own the leather-bound, signature-bound "hardback" version of the 4th Edition NOAB (ISBN 978-0-19-528957-2). This Bible is simply too good for the regular, shoddily bound hardback or paperback formats. Unless you're a Bible-as-literature student who can only afford this book on the cheap, I urge you to invest in the high-quality leather, signature-bound NOAB.

[Lee Spratley · Rating 5 out of 5]

just revisited the Gospels this time around