There are a number of things to keep in mind when you get ready to buy your new
Bible. Here are some tips.
First, decide on the version. This is the most important decision you have to
make. Some versions are very literal--others just a paraphrase of the Bible. Not
all Bible versions are accurate--some are outright frauds.
If you are a new Christian, I suggest getting a New International Version (NIV)
Bible. This Bible is, by far, the easiest to understand--and it remains faithful
to the original text. More experienced Bible readers may prefer the New King
James Version (NKJV). The NKJV Bible is a more precise translation--though not
quite as easy to understand. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is the most
literal Bible translation. Few Christians use it as their primary study Bible.
However, it is an excellent reference Bible which you can use to help determine
what a particular scripture really means.
If you can afford it, I suggest buying one of each. You will benefit from
reading more than one translation. You will learn your personal Bible
preference(s). And you can refer to all three versions to better understand what
a passage really means.
For young children, the New International Readers Version (NIrV) is recommended.
It is a simplified version of the NIV (New International Version). This Bible is
also appropriate for adults who want an English Bible, but have trouble with the
English language.
Second, pay attention to the size of the text. The size of the text is measured
in points. Don't rely on descriptions like "large print" or "giant
print"--instead look for specifics like "9 point type" or "11 point text." The
larger the point size, the bigger the text. Even if you have very good eyesight,
I would still not buy a bible that has less than 8 point text.
Third, the Bible should include references at the end of selected verses. That
is, at the end of some Bible passages, there should be listed another Scripture
that speaks to the same issue. This will help you in studying the Bible.
Fourth, for adults, I generally do not recommend "Study Bibles." Study Bibles
contain a lot of study notes. My reason is simple: You will be reading your
Bible daily for decades. Once you have read all those study notes, you probably
will have little reason to read them again.
Instead of buying a "Study Bible," I recommend buying a separate Bible
commentary.
Fifth, if the Bible is going to be used as a primary study Bible, I recommend
buying one that has a "ribbon marker." This will make it easy for you to keep
your place in the Bible.
Sixth, Some Bibles are "thumb indexed." This is desirable--though few Bibles
contain this feature. Thumb indexing means that you can tell where a particular
book in the Bible is located by looking at the indentations on the outside of
the Bible.
Seventh, If you're going to shop online: Christianbook.com provides the best
selection of Bibles--at good prices. You can compare their prices to other
online retailers by copying and pasting product ISBN numbers from one website to
the other.
Specific Bible and Bible commentary recommendations are available at my website.
So that's it. You have everything you need! Go ahead and get that new Bible.
You'll be glad you did.
About The Author
James Serio M.A. has years of experience in the mental health field. His website
focuses on Biblical solutions for common mental health issues. That website is
http://www.MentalHealthSolution.com
Mary Hollingsworth / Software /
Published 1999 Publisher's Description
Did Paul and Jonah go on journeys at
the same time? Was Esther queen when Ruth and Naomi gleaned in the
fields of Boaz? When was Jesus born? The story of God's people is
often confusing to kids, because the events in the Bible are not
always sequential. Sometimes they overlap, duplicate each other, and
do not follow in order of their historical happening. And, when put
in the mix with other things going on in the world at that time, it
can really be a muddle!
Now, kids can discover not only
what happened, but when it happened, and what else was happening at
the same time in this collection of 60 of the most significant Bible
stories and events retold in chronological order for children ages 8
to 12. Where needed, narration skillfully ties the stories together.
This helpful resource is packed with sidebars and inserts of
important and/or fun historical events that parallel the Bible
stores in time. Other features include "history mysteries" and
"Bible mysteries," which offer solutions to baffling questions. A
full-color illustrated Time Line helps kids keep track of what else
was going on in the course of history. Fascinating, full-color
graphics, illustrated bible maps, plus an alphabetical index of
Bible story titles and a chronological index of significant Bible
events and stories for quick reference make this a handy kid's
tool.
A reader from United
States: Wow! What a wonderful book for kids . . . and adults! For
the first time, I'm finally beginning to connect the Bible and world
history in a meaningful way. I never knew that popcorn was around
when Noah was on the ark, that Jesus ate cookies and ice cream as a
child, or that Daniel was a contemporary of Aesop and his fables.
This book helps me and my children put the Bible in its world
context and, therefore, to understand many of the customs and habits
of people in the Bible. An enlightening experience! Great for
homeschoolers, Sunday school teachers, private school teachers, and
kids of all ages. Get it!
For busy people, finding the time to sit down and read a book can seem like the ultimate luxury. Our time is so wrapped up with work, commuting, school and sports activities that there often is not a lot of extra time left over for reading. This puts believers in a real bind, because to become a grounded follower of Christ, one needs to spend time at Bible study. Everyone has good intentions, but it is very easy to slip into the practice of letting Bible study time slide out of your schedule. Don't let that happen to you. Since time is short, it makes a lot of sense to multi-task when you can, because you can get more done in your hectic day. Bible study does not have to suffer, because you can get your Bible study in by using the online Bible. The audio Bible online, which comes in the King James Bible online and NIV Bible online formats among others, brings Bible study right to where you are.
The Bible online can be placed on an MP3 playback device, making it portable. Now you can bring the online Bible with you as you commute by bus or train to work or school. You can plug your MP3 player into your car's audio system, and listen to the King James Bible online or the NIV Bible online whenever you get behind the wheel.
The online Bible can go with you when you exercise, too. Take your MP3 player, loaded with the audio Bible online, and head out for your walk or run. What a great thing it is to be surrounded by the beauty found in nature while listening and learning about Who made it all on your Bible online.
If you are a student, the online Bible can make the time fly on campus as well. You can listen to the NIV Bible online or the King James Bible online while you walk around campus getting to and from parking lots and walking to and from classes across campus. Many students find that they spend a great deal of time waiting in lines at school as well. Take the online Bible with you, and that time that would ordinarily be wasted now turns into Bible study time.
People who work nine-to-five jobs will discover times throughout the day when your can listen to the online Bible. Morning and afternoon breaks, plus lunchtime, all make great times to turn on your Bible online. If you are having a hard day at work, the online Bible can be just what you need to lift your spirits and help you get back into the swing of things with a better attitude. The Bible online makes this possible, because in this, and other situations such as school, sports and commutes, the Bible can now come with you for your spiritual benefit.
About the Author:
Susan Slobac first learned about the King James Bible online from her church's Bible study group. She began listening to readings from the audio Bible online during her daily routine and found it to be a great supplement to her studies as well as a powerful tool for refocusing her energy throughout the day.
One of the most technologically advanced versions of the Bible is an MP3 Bible. For those of you who do not know what an MP3 is, it stands for MPEG Audio Layer 3. It is a digital audio technology that allows you to compress music or sound files into much smaller files with little or no loss of sound quality. It is able to do this by removing inaudible information from the file. You can store MP3s on your computer and upload and download them over the Internet, which means they can be listened to on a variety of different media, including CD players, iPods and MP3 players, or right on the default media player of your personal computer.
The entire narrated Audio Bible which takes 72 hours to listen to, has been recorded onto traditional audio CD's and requires about 60 audio CDs to hold all the recordings. In contrast, to give you an idea of how much compression takes place using the MP3 format, you only need to use two to four MP3 CD-ROMs to hold the entire MP3 Bible, which can then be uploaded or downloaded to your playing device. This technology has changed the way the Bible can be delvered to audiences. By making it extremely easy to transport and use the Bible MP3 recordings at conferences, retreats, catechism classes where children’s Bible stories are played, evangelism and outreach programs, and listening groups there is now a wider range of sharing the message of the Bible . Many different Christian websites even offer free audio Bible downloads and daily Bible Podcasts that you can sign up for online. Well-known pastors sometimes record the Podcasts themselves and they often contain short dramatizations of the Bible or homilies related to the weekly readings.
Since many cultures in developing parts of the world have never heard the Word of the God or ever had a chance to hold a copy of Bible in their hands, MP3 Bibles are one of the best new ways to share the scriptures with them. Many volunteer organizations will bring MP3 Bibles and other audio Bible formats to villages and play them for a large group. When used in conjunction with printed Bibles, children and villagers who have not learned to read can follow along and begin learning written words. Right now there are audio Bibles for hundreds of different languages, and new translations are being worked on as we speak.
Whether you prefer reading the Bible, listening to Bible MP3 recordings at home or at the gym, you have many new opportunities to incorporate the Bible into your life and the lives of others around you. You can even donate MP3 Bibles to those less fortunate to help evangelize the Good Word and spread the teachings of Jesus to other cultures in countries far from your own.
About the Author:
Susan Slobac uses the MP3 Bible frequently. She likes the convenience of Audio Bible downloads and the ability to share her Audio Bible recordings with friends. Recently, she has started to help the pastor of her church with recording weekly Bible podcasts for use on their Church website.
Free "Bible Word Search" Tool
Features:
1. Searches the KJV of the Bible and returns a listing of all occurences of the
English word.
2. Also searches the following Bible study helps: Nave's Topical Bible, Torrey's
New Topical Textbook, Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words, Easton's Bible
Dictionary, the Thematic Subject Guide, and Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary.
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for example:
god occurs 4447 times in 3878 verses
peace occurs 429 times in 400 verses
love occurs 310 times in 280
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