Historical Books: ESV Reader's Bible Volume II

ESV Reader's Bible, Six-Volume Set #2

by Anonymous

The ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set stems from the conviction that the Bible is of immeasurable value and should therefore be treasured—and read in the most seamless way possible. Constructed with materials carefully selected to reflect the beauty of God’s Word, the ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set is a unique collection designed for those desiring a cleaner, simpler Bible-reading experience. Printed on European book paper with smyth-sewn binding and packaged in an elegant slipcase, this edition features single column text that is free of all verse numbers, chapter numbers, and footnotes, as well as most section headings—resulting in a unique Bible-reading experience that helps readers encounter and delight in the beauty of God’s Word.

The Pentateuch: ESV Reader's Bible, Volume I
Historical Books: ESV Reader's Bible Volume II
Poetry: ESV Reader's Bible Volume III
Prophets: ESV Reader's Bible Volume IV
Gospels & Acts: ESV Reader's Bible Volume V
Epistles & Revelation: ESV Reader's Bible Volume VI
ESV Reader's Bible, Six-Volume Set

Genres: Old Testament, Scripture, Theology

705 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Colleen McFadden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the Old Testament narrative books in this readable format for my daily Bible reading. It truly read like a story because I didn't have verse marks or chapter breaks to stilt the story.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turns out the Bible is still good. Pick it back up if you put it down!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent volume of epic history.
Reading in this format, you can truly appreciate the epic narratives that flow through the historical books. I was struck by how awesome the life of David is. From his young years protecting the sheep to striking down Goliath and dragging the head of the giant to Jerusalem. His years fleeing from Saul: hiding in cliff-faces as the savage king was close enough to touch; acting as a madman in the presence of the king of Gath; being given the sword of Goliath by Ahimelech as Doeg the Edomite watches on darkly; his years joining the Philistines as a mercenary. And that’s all just 1 Samuel! Reading in the novel-format worked particularly well for these stories. I still struggled with 1 & 2 Chronicles, but this format helped me forget about how much progress I made and focus more on the storyline.

Esther as well…. Fantastic. It amazes me how the biggest turnabout in the story is completely due to the providence of God. Haman staying up late to build the gallows for his hated enemy Mordecai, while at the same time the king can’t sleep (maybe because of the loud noises of construction?) so he gets the chronicles out to read and finds out nothing was done for Mordecai. And thus sets the trajectory for the downfall of Haman and the redemption of the Jewish people. So brilliant.

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the last of the six volume set from the ESV Reader's Bible for me to finish (I started reading the set with the volume containing the Poetry.) It really is an excellent set. As I have said in reviews for other volumes in this set, the larger font size, decent margins, lack of versification and chapter designations, and heavier weight paper (not onion-skin) make this volume read like a "normal" piece of literature. You get caught up in the flow of the story or poem rather than being distracted by headings and other visual aids in standard Bible formats. To get a good taste of what that's like, a good place to start might be First Samuel. I found myself not wanting to put the volume down because there wasn't a good stopping place. This helped the narrative feel more unified and less chopped up.

[Rachel Menke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I’ve grown up in the church and was already familiar with most of the contents of this volume of the Bible - to read them in this “reader’s” format made me read them and appreciate them in a new way. I think this is one of the greatest strengths of the ESV Reader’s Bible is how, without changing the text, but simply by formatting it grants the reader a new lens with which to read the Scriptures!

[Abby Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I've said before, I really enjoy reading the Bible in this layout. It has no chapters or verses, just the books broken up into large sections. I think without the chapters and verses I'm reading it more smoothly, not getting drawn out of the narrative by the numbers.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This edition of the ESV reader's Bible, like its companion volumes, is a delight to read.

[Scott Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logging for OT Survey Reading.

[Alexander Rolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is a great way to read the historical books.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great format to read the historical books as a narrative.

[Unpil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading the Old Testament for the first time!

Roughly chronological order that my reading was based on:

Genesis - Exodus - Leviticus - Numbers - Deuteronomy - Joshua - Judges - Ruth - 1 and 2 Samuel - 1 Kings, up to Chapter 11 - Proverbs - Ecclesiastes - Song of Songs - Job - Psalms - rest of 1 Kings and 2 Kings - Amos - Hosea - Jonah - Isaiah - Micah - Zephaniah - Habakkuk - Nahum - Joel - Jeremiah - Lamentations - Obadiah - Ezekiel - Daniel - Ezra - Haggai - Zechariah - Esther - Nehemiah - Malachi - 1 and 2 Chronicles.

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 5 out of 5]

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