The Living Bible

by Kenneth N. Taylor (editor)

Celebrating 40 years and over 40 million lives touched, Tyndale is releasing the familiar green hardcover binding of The Living Bible with a fresh new interior. Features include a Bible reading plan, four-color maps, and a topical concordance. The uncluttered, 2-column format makes for easy reading. The Living Bible is a paraphrase of the Old and New Testaments. Its purpose is to say as exactly as possible what the writers of the Scriptures meant, and to say it simply, expanding where necessary for a clear understanding by the modern reader.

Genres: Christian, Religion, Reference, Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality, Classics

1020 pages, Imitation Leather

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Throughout his publishing career, Dr. Kenneth Nathaniel Taylor's dream was for all peoples of the world to read and understand God's Word and experience its power at work in their lives. From his earliest children's books to his generous support of Christian ministry, this vision was (and still is) reflected in his work. Ken Taylor, founder of Tyndale House Publishers, died in June 2005 at the age of 88. Early in his publishing career in the 1950s as director of Moody Press, Dr. Taylor wrote several children's books. Born out of experience with his own ten children, "Stories for the Children's Hour," "The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes," and others are now being enjoyed by a third generation of children. "My First Bible in Pictures" was included in "Publishers Weekly"'s list of "All-Time Best-Selling Children's Books" in 2001. His love for children (including his 28 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren) continues to inspire new titles. In fact, it was his children, in their confusion over the meaning of the King James Version, who prompted his mission to make the Bible understandable for everyone. Dr. Taylor's "Living Letters," a thought-for-thought translation of the New Testament Epistles, was published by the newly formed Tyndale House Publishers in 1962. The complete "Living Bible" followed in 1971 and has now sold over 40 million copies in its many editions. In 1996 Tyndale House introduced the "Holy Bible," New Living Translation. In keeping with Dr. Taylor's vision of Scriptures that everyone can read, the New Living Translation is a thought-for-thought translation that is exegetically accurate and idiomatically authoritative. Ninety of today's leading Bible scholars worked with Tyndale House to develop this easy-to-understand translation. Tyndale has become one of the top evangelical publishers in America and today publishes books, several Bible lines, periodicals, and videos. During the past 40 years, Tyndale House has distributed over 100 million Bibles, New Testaments, and Bible portions worldwide. Dr. Taylor used the success of "The Living Bible" to further his mission by distributing all its royalties to Christian ministries worldwide. He founded Living Bibles International (which merged in 1992 with the International Bible Society) for translating, publishing, and distributing modern-language versions of the Bible around the world. His life of service has been recognized with at least 30 honors and awards from different organizations, including four honorary doctorates. In October 2000, Dr. and Mrs. (Margaret) Taylor were awarded the Distinguished Service to Family Award by Wheaton College. A graduate of Wheaton College, with graduate studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Taylor held 15 directorships with Christian organizations at home and abroad.

Reviews

[Carol Bakker]

My dad gave me this in March, 1972. I read some (but not all) of it, marked it up, and eventually switched to a NASB which became my primary Bible for decades. When I decided to read this beat-up book in 2018, I was curious to read the printed page and my own notations with older eyes.

The two-column format lends itself to reading. I missed the kind of references that would, for example, tell you where a quote is from. The footnotes are sparse, often beginning "Literally...".

I love words and these are words of life. There is a place for reading the modern vernacular; of course, there is also place for cadences of sixteenth century English in the KJV. I feel blessed to live in a time when I have many translations of the Bible (and even a paraphrase) to read.

[Karen B.]

I have had the same copy since I first bought it in 1974 and go back to it constantly. I don't use this Bible as a Study Bible but just as an inspirational meditational Bible. I realize that it is only a paraphrase but it speaks to me, I guess to my Inner Child. I find peace and comfort as well as direction. I have about 7 or 8 different translations of the Bible but I think this is the one I cling to when I really need to "Feel" His presence.

[~☆~Autumn]

I purchased this Bible probably over 40 years ago. It was a K-mart blue light special and I was so glad I got it because for me its easier to read. My copy is highlighted and marked up with hundreds of notes. I carried it to Sunday school and church very often.

Date purchased and first read is a guess. I wonder if I put the date in it. Will have to check. It was first published in July 1971. The twenty-seventh printing was September 1973.

[Kim]

Ephesians 3:17-19

Living Bible (TLB)

17 And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; 18-19 and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself.

Psalm 121: 1-2

I lift up my eyes to the mountains -
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
The Maker of heaven and earth.

No matter the translation, no matter where or when, I never get tired of reading this book.

[Deborah]

My mom sent me this BIBLE with my name engraved on it, when I was away at college, eleven years ago. I'm so glad she did because this BIBLE was easy to read and kindle my love for GOD's Word. It was the first and only bible I've read in it's entirety and has been strength and much needed these past eleven years, especially the last six years:)

[Mekiah Johnson]

Truly brought me to Jesus Christ and God and made me feel very happy while reading it.
Beautiful.

[Jenny]

I really love reading this paraphrase of the Bible because it's so easy to read. The first copy I had fell apart so I picked up another one at McKay. This isn't a study Bible, and for me, it more easily read than The Message.

[Shinyfox]

My quest to sit down and read the bible. Although I am not very religious (hardly really), I am curious about the stories held within.

My plan is to read it more as a story book than as the word of God. I've never done very well with rule books anyway.

[Maya]

The Book of Joshua was actually a much quicker read. The Book of Joshua should be called "Seven Years of Genocide." Luckily, the abominable events described within probably did not ever happen. Although it was supposedly written by Joshua in early Israel, it actually couldn't have been completed until 539 BCE.

The Book of Joshua is actually an idealized history that was written long after the fact. It is also a prime example of primitive biblical morality: obey and be rewarded, disobey and be punished.

One of the big contradictions seen several places in Joshua is where several passages talk about the Israelites having conquered all of the Holy Land, where other passages openly discuss the fact that there were interspersed, unconquered Canaanite enclaves (some of which are explained away, some of which are not).

Donald Rumsfield sent a line from Joshua to US troops before sending them off to Iraq (1:9).

Also in Joshua we see many people who are rewarded for lying even though in other places the Bible says that one should not lie.

Also in Joshua is the HILL OF FORESKINS. Because this is the kind of weird shit god cares to write about. Gross.
________________________

I don't know why I am so bored by Deuteronomy: after all, that's where you can find, in chapter 25, that women should have their hands cut off if they grab their husband's enemies' testicles during a fight. That's bizarre and often would be entertaining. But instead I am just bored and want to read something else.

Also in Deuteronomy are more giants. But god is angry a lot and mostly he acts like a giant dickface so I don't currently feel like recapping my notes on this any further. Basically, this is a foul mess and I am horrified that people find this abomination of a moral system "holy."
______

It's taking me forever to get through Deuteronomy. I was doing good for awhile reading a few chapters now and then but goodness. Some of it is really boring. Other parts aren't boring because they are so terrifying so I have to spend time writing lots of notes. Sometimes there are so many contradictions that I can spend awhile just listing out the chapter and verse for locations in the bible that contradict whatever it is (for example: is divorce ok? When is it ok? different parts in the bible have wildly different answers, ranging from it's never ok, to it's OK only when the woman is unfaithful, et al)

It's very tiresome. I totally understand why even most Christians don't read this outside of church! Especially when there are so many choices about books to read or ways to spend one's time!
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Questions about Genesis 1

How was there a morning or an evening without a sun?

Why were plants created before the sun, when plants need the sun to live?

How come it says god created the earth and the universe altogether at the same time when the earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old and the universe is 13.7 billion years old?

How come it says that the sun and the moon cause the seasons when really axial tilt is the reason for the seasons?

How come it says the moon is a light source when it just reflects the light from the sun?

How come it took him all day on the 4th day to make ONE star and ONE planetary satellite and then he quickly made the other 300 sextillion stars? Not to mention if he made the stars to light the earth how come we can't see 300 sextillion stars from earth's surface?

How come it says that all animals were originally created as herbivores?

Genesis 2

God must not be omnipotent because he's already gotten tired after only 6 days of work.

Also, how come the order of creation is different in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2? I thought this was infallible and perfect. War is peace? Freedom is slavery? Obvious contradictions are not contradictions because magic?

Genesis 1 creation order:
1. heaven & earth
2. light (day/night)
3. sky/ocean
4. ocean/land
5. grass/plants/trees
6. sun & moon
7. stars
8. fish & birds
9. cattle, reptiles, man

Genesis 2 creation order:
1. earth and heavens
2. plants and herbs
3. man
4. garden of eden
5. trees - including magic trees
6. rivers
7. gold and onyx
8. cattle & birds
9. woman

Genesis 3

I read Genesis when I was a kid. The part in Genesis 3:16 that says women are inferior/subordinate to men really turned me off when I was 8, and very much made me think that any religion based on an idea like that was not one I would want to be part of.

Here we also see that either god is a liar and told Adam and Ever they would die if they ate the apple just to scare them, OR he wanted them to die if they ate the apple but was not capable of striking them dead on the spot. Because he says if you eat from the tree of good and evil you'll die, but then adam and eve eat from the tree and they don't die, instead they become embarrassed.

Genesis 4

Why does God have to ask Cain where Abel is, if he is all knowing? Actually, he asks an awful lot of stupid questions for being an all knowing creator of the multiverse.

If God curses Cain to be a vagabond, how come two verses later Cain settles down with a wife and children?

[Dale]

Though I've read this several times, I'm now going through it reading only the red-letter words of Jesus. Trying to figure something out! Ok finished. It was refreshing to read only Jesus words and realize that's all that he said that we have record of. I think everyone should try this.

[Laura Leilani]

The very best Bible translation for new converts as well as studious old timers.

[Nancy H]

Part of my church life for this year was to read the whole Bible, which I just finished, in a chronological way. I particularly liked this edition because it was easy to understand, was put into language to which a modern-day person can relate, and led me to deeper thinking about many things. This reading has been a good journey for me, and I learned and discovered quite a bit about things I thought I had already known. Though I normally read the Bible in themed sections, I would definitely take this journey again so I can learn even more as I read it chronologically.

[C. Aamold]

5 hours a day with this you'll read this in a month. Perfect translation to read it like a novel to at least get the jist of it till you start studying with a kjv that has all the tools to translate words properly. Good for kids, good for adults that just want to read to know whats it's about front to back. And yes...it can be read that way...as a whole to get and understand the context. To know how to translate it better I'd read "Could it be this simple" by Timothy R. Jennings first to understand Gods Character especially if you had chruch hurt with the dictator God church belief.

[Connie]

My sister gave me this Bible years ago.
Have read it through completely.
Was helpful because it was written so that a young child could easily understand it.
Recommend it for that very reason to those who are in the early phase of searching about The Things of God.

[Tammy]

This is our favorite version of the bible. My husband & I read it daily.

[Debbie Wilson]

I finally got this Bible on my Kindle! My hardback is falling apart. I love this translation because it is so easy to understand.

[David Fredette]

Life changing material.

[Thomas Duncan]

The greatest history book ever Recorded.

Christ is King

[John Beckett]

I am reviewing the version of the scriptures and not the scriptures themselves. I first read this version in 1977. I was a relatively new believer an this was my first trek through the scriptures in their entirety. I have used verse translations for most of the intervening years and they are what I prefer. I found The Living Bible to be quite refreshing for some passages, especially some OT lists where it gathers a few verses together for a summary. I also found myself translating what I was reading to what is now more familiar and occasionally cross referencing some unusual bits of translation. This will not be my everyday Bible, but I will probably read it again.

[Kathy England]

This Bible is a paraphrased version. It is easy to read. Personally, though, I like translations better than paraphrases. The wording of a paraphrased version is sometimes too simple and doesn't have all the connotations of the original words used in translation. But for someone new to the Bible, this would be an easier read. I used this as a daily spiritual practice, hence the long time to get it read.

[Samantha]

This is one of the bibles that my grandma faithfully read. I like that you can sit and read it for hours. But due to the translation you do miss some. BUT, reading any bible no matter the translation is better than not reading one! This one will always have a special place in my heart . It is my go to on days i'm tired and struggling, and need an easy to read bible to get lost in Gods words.

[Laurel Stehling]

I have used this Bible for years I thought this Application would be nice to have on my pad

Love having the Bible on my tablet. Very convenient, easy to navigate and it also has lot's of features. Really enjoy this.

[Steve Bolt]

Can not navigate

I like the Living Bible but not this one. I have deleted it and reloaded it 4 times and still it can not be navigated. If you go page by page you can go through it, but if you go to the contents it freezes up and nothing happens.

[Sean Harding]

The first Bible I read from cover to cover finishing sometime in 1981.

[Karin]

Not my favourite translation but still very easy to read and understand.

[Susan]

Although I'm marking this as finished you never really finish the Bible. This is one of about 5 Bibles I study from.

[Don M]

The Living Study Bible as published by Christianity Today - soft cover

[Doris Shoultz]

Can't get in to book to read!!!

[rita trojan]

Bible

A good book to read. Easy to understand. Written in a storybook fashion. Love the Bible. God for children and adults.

[BARBARA A MITTLESTEAD]

My Yearly Read