NRSVue, Holy Bible with Apocrypha, Personal Size, Leathersoft, Brown, Comfort Print

by Zondervan

A Beautiful Bible for a Beautiful Faith. This edition of the NRSVue Holy Bible with Apocrypha, Personal Size invites you to explore the depth and beauty of Scripture. It’s durable and durable design make it the ideal Bible to carry with you to work, school, or church. Skillfully crafted for the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition (NRSVue) text, Zondervan's exclusive Comfort Print® typeface provides a smooth reading experience that complements the foremost Bible translation vetted by Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, and Jewish scholars. Continuing the legacy of the NRSV, the NRSVue aims to faithfully serve the church in personal spiritual formation, in the liturgy, and in the academy. With revisions based on new textual evidence, historical insights, and linguistic precision, this updated edition delivers a translation of Scripture based on meticulous care for accuracy and readability. The Apocrypha is placed between Old and New Testaments, a nearly four-hundred-year-old tradition originating with the 1534 German Luther Bible. This practice separates the Apocrypha from the 66-book canon while allowing readers to benefit from its spiritual wisdom, exemplary piety, and historical insight.

1344 pages, Imitation Leather

Published August 23, 2022

About the author

Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. and has multiple imprints including Zondervan Academic, Zonderkidz, Blink, and Editorial Vida. Zondervan is the commercial rights holder for the New International Version (NIV) Bible in North America.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this Bible because the typeface is beautiful, bold, and easy to read. The goatskin cover is soft and durable. The raised spin hubs are a delight to the eye and feel great when holding the Bible with one hand. There is hardly any bleed through or ghosting on the pages, and the purple under gold art gilding gives the Bible a royal aesthetic fitting for Holy Scripture.

This is my second Premier Collection Bible, and three things immediately stand out with this edition. My NIV Premier Collection did not include spine hubs, and the spine hubs on this NRSVue are stunning. Second, both ends of the spine have a bit of a taper that I think looks great. Third, the goat skin on this edition is softer and more plush than other Premier Collection Bibles I have held.

The Smyth-sewn, edge lined construction means this edition of the NRSVue is a true floppy Bible, and I love that about it. This edition includes three double-sided satin ribbon markers. The gold ribbon is an interesting color choice. I might have preferred red in combination with the purple and black, but the purple and gold ribbons match the purple under gold art gilding. I appreciate the symmetry in these color choices.

I think the purple art gilding is beautiful. The purple under gold is a combination I needed to see to appreciate. I love it. You might not notice it unless you look closely, but the purple art gilding has just a little speckle in its appearance, giving it a custom, hand crafted aesthetic.

The Comfort Print NRSV typeface from 2K Denmark is bold and easy to read. The font is listed as 10-point, but to me it reads more like 11-point because of how heavy the weight of the font is. If you are looking for a premium Bible that includes the Apocrypha, this Bible will not disappoint.

The two-column format is my preferred layout. I find it easier to keep my place when my eye moves from the end of one line to the beginning of next when using a two-column layout.

One interesting, perhaps controversial design choice is the inclusion of a cross on every page of the Bible. As a Christian, I like the visual reminder that we read all scripture with reference to Jesus, but it is a bit odd in light of the way the NRSV has served as the default translation in such varied academic contexts.

The 36 GSM paper has just the slightest bit of a textured feel, not grainy per se but definitely not glossy or silky smooth. It is a texture that I really like. There are no cross references in this edition, which helps it maintain a thin profile despite the additional thickness required by the inclusion of the Apocrypha.

I highly recommend this NRSVue to anyone in the market for a NRSVue Bible. This is a gorgeous Bible that strikes a great balance between portability and readability. I look forward to reading through this edition and reporting back on how it holds up over the next year.

Thanks to Zondervan for sending me this Bible for review.

[Brandon Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)Even as someone with a mainline background, I didn’t really see the need for this update over the NRSV89. They read pretty much the same way. Of course there are controversies surrounding this translation’s rendering of Pauline condemnations of homosexuality in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy. I don’t have a real background in Greek, so I’m not going to evaluate that here. Your opinion on this issue will inform your opinion of this translation.

However this physical Bible itself is quite nice. The Leathersoft is great, though I’ve seen better from Zondervan, and the paper is 36gsm, which is not often found in a Bible at this price point. Also, the text block itself is GORGEOUS. They really did a great job with it. If you’re looking to get into the NRSVue, I highly recommend this version.

[Chris Woodrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my goals this year was to read through this "new" translation. This NRSVue was released in 2021, and it's is a slightly updated version of the NRSV, which I've read through before. (I did not read the Apocrypha this time, since it was not in the NRSVue version that I owned.)

I had to play catch-up, but got it done with a few days to spare. It was very helpful to listen to sections of it on audiobook—Michael Beck did a GREAT job—and at times it was easier for me to read quickly on my phone app.

All that to say, I think the translation is good, and very readable. I did not do a thorough comparison against the NRSV (1989) or against the latest NIV (2011) or NLT (1996-2015). I'll be curious what more serious scholars think of the Updated Edition, but I think I can safely recommend it.

For more scholarly-minded: NRSVue
For a good starting Bible: NIV
For a easier-to-read Bible: NLT

As far as this readthrough goes, here are some takeaways:
1) Man, those prophets sure go on and on. I used to feel bad about neglecting to read them as often, and there is certainly some great poetic portrayals, but reading it through, it's quite repetitive in theme.
2) We need to read the Gospels more often.
3) I think I need to revisit my personal takes on the "wrath of God" theology. It's probably more nuanced than I'd been treating/dismissing it.

[Benjamin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The NRSV, with this updated edition (hence the NRSVue) has become more sectarian, with an appeal primarily to liberal Christians and academics with no interest in religion. In addition to the standard deuterocanonical books found in the Roman Catholic Bible, it includes 2 Esdras and 4 Maccabees. The attempt at gender-neutrality is frequently clumsy. Frankly, it doesn't read well. It would be difficult for someone to read extended sections, due to the non-literary quality of the translation. They also made questionable choices in translating 1 Corinthians 6 in a transparent attempt not to offend the alphabet crowd. Not recommended at all.

[Kyle Tomlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the Bible, so of course it gets 5 stars. The translation is probably 4 1/2 stars though. In some places, it improves on the NRSV. In other places, it does not. There were also a few inconsistencies in the changes made. A word would be changed in one place and then a few verses later, it would still be using the old NRSV version of the word. Overall, though, it’s a fine translation, but I’d suggest using it with the ESV present as well.